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NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — Inside the hard-sided, 35-quart blue cooler was a bevy of beers chilling on ice just waiting to be consumed. And shortly after Dale Earnhardt Jr. climbed out of his late model stock car Wednesday night at North Wilkesboro Speedway, that cooler had his full attention. There was drinking and celebrating to be done.

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Before too long, he and a JR Motorsports team member each grabbed a handle and began walking to victory lane. At this moment nothing was going to deter him from his mission to enjoy a cold beer or two with his team, family and friends. Having a beer toast after a race with those close to him has become an Earnhardt tradition, something he did following his final NASCAR Cup Series start in 2017 and again earlier this year after competing in the Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway.

This was another one of those special occasions that Earnhardt wanted to commemorate having finally gotten the chance to compete at a track he cherishes, finishing a hard-fought third and seeing JRM rising star Carson Kvapil win the 125-lap race.

“It’s a dream,” Earnhardt said in victory lane. “It don’t make sense.”

If there were ever a time where Earnhardt deserved an adult beverage, it was now. Because were it not for him there’d have been no resurrecting North Wilkesboro. Instead, the venerable short track would’ve continued to crumble until there was nothing left but piles of concrete.

But Earnhardt wouldn’t let it fade away. Although he refuses to take any credit, the reality is he was the driving force in North Wilkesboro going from a once-great track that had been shuttered into one that reopened its doors so that a night like this could be possible. Oh, what a night it was, featuring a sold-out crowd that produced an electric atmosphere in which, if you didn’t know better, you’d think you were watching Earnhardt during his NASCAR heyday.

“It was like the old days when he took the lead like Talladega,” said T.J. Majors, Earnhardt’s close friend and longtime spotter. “Just crazy. It was wild. This place was rocking good.”

No matter which direction you looked around North Wilkesboro, there was the inescapable sight of green T-shirts featuring Earnhardt’s Sun Drop sponsor and his iconic No. 3, like a green tidal wave had engulfed the grounds. And those in attendance were unabashed about whom they were supporting. At every mention of Earnhardt’s name, they cheered wildly — during pre-race ceremonies, when he was interviewed on the front stretch and described as the person who “poured gasoline on the fire to let the embers keep burning” for his efforts to bring North Wilkesboro back to life; during driver introductions, when the crescendo built as the PA announcer read off his lengthy list of accomplishments before calling his name; and most memorably, during the race itself, even if the race didn’t begin how everyone envisioned.

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After qualifying sixth, Earnhardt backslid all the way to 13th. It didn’t help that he sustained some damage to the right-rear quarter panel. Then, on the strength of getting that damage repaired and conserving his tires, he gradually picked his way forward over the final third of the race. Each position he gained was accompanied by loud cheers, shouts of encouragement and fans waving their hats. “Look at him! He’s coming! He’s doing it!” a man shouted to the guy next to him, unclear if they even knew each other.

One fan sitting in Section G was Johnathon Yezierski, who turned 29 on Tuesday. Earlier this month, when Earnhart announced he’d be racing at North Wilkesboro, Yezierski told his dad he wanted to celebrate his birthday by going to see his favorite driver race on this historic track. This was an opportunity that could not be passed up for the longtime fan who fondly recalls loaning Earnhardt a Sharpie once at Watkins Glen to sign autographs and telling him he could keep it because he’d need it later.

“I’m 100 percent here because of Dale,” Yezierski said. “No way was I going to miss this.”

The native of Fredericksburg, Va., like so many, displayed his fandom by wearing a green T-shirt and hat that on this night represented Earnhardt colors. He and his father bought tickets in Turn 1, and as Earnhardt kept creeping ever closer to the lead, they couldn’t believe what was unfolding.

“Oh my gosh, every time he passed a car for position and went around them — even just a lapped car — I was screaming and throwing the (No.) 3 in the air,” Yezierski said. “It was cool. I was beyond myself. if you can tell, I kind of lost my voice a little bit screaming him on tonight. It was a thrill.”

A Connor Mosack spin brought out the caution — and one final twist — with two laps remaining. When the yellow lights flipped on, fans flipped out. Suddenly, the sizable gap between Earnhardt, who had moved up to third, and the leaders vanished. It didn’t go unnoticed. “He may not win, but he’s got a shot,” a woman told her two young children. “A good shot.”

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More pandemonium. Under the yellow flag, each time Earnhardt drove past the front-stretch grandstand, fans reacted. Nearly everyone was on their feet. So thunderous was the response, Kvapil could hear the rollicking fans inside his car over the engine.

“I could literally hear them from inside the car freaking out,” Kvapil said. “I could hear the screaming and I was like (to my crew over the radio), ‘Where’s Dale?’ They said third, and I was like, ‘Ah, that makes sense.’”

On the subsequent restart, Kvapil got the jump to secure the win while Mason Diaz hung on to second. Earnhardt missed a shift and didn’t get the restart he wanted.

“(The fans) were just out of their seats, telling me everything I needed to do to win the race,” Earnhardt said. “I hate that I probably didn’t get done what they wanted at the end. But we’re certainly tickled with everything and how things went and how competitive we were.”

The record book will show that Earnhardt finished third. It matters none. In a bigger sense, he had won. And so too did the fans.

North Wilkesboro wasn’t just back Wednesday night, showcasing why this track means so much to so many. The track left for dead came alive again.

“When I was standing here before the race started, getting ready to get in the car, I almost wanted to cry,” Earnhardt said. “I was so emotional because every seat was filled and I still can’t believe this happened. This place was forgotten about and anyone on the planet was ready to argue with you, ‘They ain’t bringing it back. It ain’t never coming back.’

“But I’m gonna tell you, that moment getting ready to climb into that car and looking around and seeing all those people anticipating the race, you could feel it. The energy is so amazing. It felt exactly like being here in 1990.”

(Top photo: David Jensen / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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