TALLADEGA, Ala. --? Dale Earnhardt Jr.?loves racing history, especially when it combines with honoring his famous father. So he had a big smile on his face Friday afternoon. Earnhardt took a few laps around Talladega Superspeedway in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo that his father raced in his rookie season in 1979 and in some select races during his 1980 Cup championship season. The track, which operates the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, gave Earnhardt the car as a retirement gift. "It was pretty neat trying to imagine what it'd be like to be running one of them around at 180, 190 mph," Earnhardt said. The Alabama 500 on Sunday will be Earnhardt's final race at Talladega, as he will retire from Cup racing after the season. He will go for his seventh career Cup victory at a track where his father notched 10 wins. Earnhardt said he had never driven an old car with real history of his father, who died in a crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. "I love being...