Emma

The car Dale Earnhardt Jr. plans on driving in his qualifying race and the Daytona 500 is called Emma. It is named after a car his grandfather, Robert Gee, helped build for Hendrick Motorsports in the 1980s. The original Emma, named after Gee's mother, was driven by Geoff Bodine and Tim Richmond in what is now the Nationwide Series. Both drivers won races for Hendrick Motorsports with Emma.
Earnhardt Jr. is 1-for-1 with Hendrick Motorsports so far. He won the Bud Shootout last week, his first race with his new team. He didn't run Emma in that race, but posted the 15th fastest time in qualifying for the Daytona with Emma. His first chance to race Emma will be in Thursday's qualifying race.
"Any win this early in the season would be great," said Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. "We are just looking forward to having that chance, especially with the 50th running of the Daytona 500."
Tony Eury Jr., Earnhardt Jr.'s crew chief, said he remembers seeing the original Emma race. Gee was also Eury's grandfather.
"It's a fitting tribute to my granddaddy," Eury said. "He had a big part in getting me into this sport, but my dad (Tony Eury Sr.) also taught me a lot. I can remember going to Charlotte Motor Speedway (now Lowe's Motor Speedway) with my granddaddy, and we had the car 'Emma.' It was really cool when we were able to see Emma down in the Hendrick Motorsports museum. That car is a tribute to my great-grandmother, my grandmother and Rick Hendrick. This organization is and always has been about family, and now it's like the family is all back together. I hope we win with Emma. It would be a great tribute."