I act like I'm always in a good mood when I'm not, but it's my job.
I just feel so confident when I get in my race car that I'm going to do good, I'm going to win, I'm going to outrun everybody.
Physically helping me with advice and direction and a job was Richard Petty. He did a lot for me at a young age, when I needed help and direction.
The thing that warms my heart is people. I have just met so many kind folks that want to just pat you on the back and say, 'We love you.'
And Dale Jr., Dale's son, and Dale and I all raced to the checkered - were racing toward the checkered, which would have been the greatest race in NASCAR history, I'm convinced of it, had we have made it that last quarter of a mile. But instead it became the worst race in NASCAR history when Dale crashed and died on turn four.
Anytime you're pushing the envelope as hard as you can to be successful at anything at life it's easy to go from hero to zero in a second.
I built my team with Dale in mind. He lives with me. He's part of who I am because I just appreciated who he was and how he went about things. People worked on his cars at Dale Earnhardt Incorporated before I got there. When Dale would walk by you could just tell people were thinking, 'these are Dale Earnhardt's cars.'
I love my job. It doesn't feel like a job, and I don't look at it as work.
Once the race starts, it doesn't matter what you did yesterday let alone last year.
Lying in bed, I determined that since I'm a Christian, I believe we all have our days - our days are numbered. I figured it was Dale's day to die, and I was the best person to win the race and be able to honor him in the victory.
As I've gotten older, I know I race less, but I as an owner I have the same anxiety and the same frustration and energy for it.
The drivability of an engine is a big part of the setup on a road course. If you can't squeeze the gas down you can't go anywhere.
There's a Bible verse that says if you believe, you will be in the presence of the Lord in the blink of an eye. And I know Dale was a believer, and that means that he saw his son and his friend going to win the Daytona 500, and he was in heaven all within the blink of an eye.
Whether you're Michael Waltrip or Jeff Gordon or Richard Petty, you can't be the Daytona 500 champion without it having an impact on people around you. When I say that, I mean the race fans. They want to congratulate you for winning the biggest race of the year. It has changed people's perception of me.
This is racing. There is going to be twists and turns. You're going to be dealt setbacks.
The computer systems that we have on our cars when we go test just blow my mind.
You can't take your win for granted. Your next win might be your last win or you might never get to your next win, so I can't imagine not being overcome with joy by winning and never taking winning for granted.
I've been a pretty impatient driver my entire life.
The one feeling that settled in and stayed there for a long while, and I still deal with, is guilt. I was there. I was a part of it. Why does it have to be like this? Was I responsible? Was I the reason Dale was in that position? I'd ask myself that question and look around at people and wonder if they were thinking that, too.
I love the sport, I love getting other drivers' helmets and collecting some of the things that are special to me.
