On the anniversary of NASCAR great Dale Earnhardt's death on Wednesday, the fallen racer's family received an outpouring of support from still grieving fans.
Earnhardt Jr., however, adopted a tone of peace and celebration of his father's life on February 18.
"[On] this day I do not mourn his death," Junior tweeted. "I thank God he lived.
"When Dad passed away, that's kind of the way that I felt about it," he added. "Like you feel kind of selfish mourning that loss because you're just like, 'What am I going to do?' or 'how am I going to go forward?' or 'how does this make me feel?'
"That's real selfish," he continued. "His loss affected a lot of people, not just myself."
Earnhardt Sr. was killed instantly in a crash during the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. He was one of the most famous drivers of all time, and had won dozens of championships over his 20-year career.
His namesake said he is grateful for the time he had with his father.
"You're fortunate to have known him and fortunate to have learned and have the experiences that you had with him," Junior said. "So you think about those and be glad that was an opportunity you got to experience.
"Instead of being sad about it," he continued. "I think about all the awesome times we had and good things we did. And stuff that I think he's be proud of today."
Earnhardt Jr. will race in the Daytona 500 on February 22.
