(Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Earnhardt Grabs Top-10 Finish at Daytona

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jonathan Howard | Last updated Feb 14, 2026 2:44 PM ET

Bobby Dale Earnhardt is racing the full ARCA Menards Series season. He walks away from Daytona with a top-10 finish. We're not sure if Bobby was seeing the air move or not, but he brought home a clean car, one that is a tribute to his legendary grandfather.

The oldest son of Kerry Earnhardt, Dale Sr.'s oldest, Bobby Dale has had few chances in racing, despite his last name. However, this year, he gets a full-time ride, and he is making the most of it early on this season.

Competing for Rise Racing, with Earnhardt-Shear Racing help, Bobby Dale Earnhardt is a fun story this season. He's had a few NASCAR starts. He used to race in the ARCA Truck Series. Today, he earned a P9 finish, and fans got to see an Earnhardt compete at Daytona yet again.

Bobby Dale Earnhardt will compete in the ARCA Menards Series this season.Michael Bush/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Watch the last lap of the #GeneralTire200 at @DAYTONA pic.twitter.com/ZVrRWg2cdO
— ARCA Menards Series (@ARCA_Racing) February 14, 2026

On the final lap, overtime restart, Bobby Dale was lined up in the eighth row. He was 15th place. With a steady hand and a little help from a minor incident on the backstretch, he drove his No. 89 car, a tribute paint scheme to the old No. 3 Goodwrench car, all the way to a P9 finish.

Racing is a family sport. Even when a big name has to earn it the hard way, it makes for great stories. Today, getting the car back in the hauler in one piece was a win in and of itself. To grab a top-10 finish, even better if you compare him against only the full-time drivers, is a major success.

In fact, this is the first top-10 finish in the ARCA Menards Series for Rise Racing, and the same goes for Bobby Dale. Tim Goulet might have picked the right man for the job in this No. 89 car.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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