BRISTOL, Tenn. — Fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. made his lone start in the Xfinity Series at Bristol Motor Speedway.
And the favorite he was.
Fans followed him everywhere he went to get autographs and pictures, up until it was time to strap into the Hellmann’s Mayonnaise Chevrolet and take the green flag for the Food City 300 on Friday (Sept. 20).
Earlier in the day, he revealed in a press conference he wasn’t sure when he’d compete again in the Xfinity Series, as he does not have anything planned for 2025. However, he would like to possibly keep the door open until he feels he’s too old to be competitive. He turns 50 later this year, but did say he would still race late models while not NASCAR racing.
“I’m turning 50 in October,” Earnhardt said in a press conference ahead of qualifying. “We’re not done, I have been looking forward to running this weekend. Bristol is a special track, nothing like it. I love racing late models and will continue to do that”.
Earnhardt did show he still has some juice left, qualifying in thirteenth on the grid.
This journey from start to finish wasn’t without some issues and at times, comedic communications on the radio, which seemed to be a focus of fans and industry representatives alike.
It began with his radio. Earnhardt was unable to hear his spotter or talk to his team in the first stage. He was forced to come down pit road during a caution to get his helmet replaced. After the swap, his radio became a window in a wild night for the veteran driver.
“The radio issues, we had a radio harness go out under the pace laps; probably ran about 100-120 laps without much communication” he said of his radio issues post-race. “I’ve been around here enough to know where I need to be and can tell where I’d be clear and not clear. I was also in the back so it was easier.
“Spotters are so important and I missed TJ [Majors] there for a while but we got it sorted out.”
Another issue arose for him regarding his glasses, which he needed the crew to give him; he raced without them for quite some time. However, he ended up not using them.
“I did, I took them off,” he said. “I can’t see the dash or read the little numbers; I could see out the windshield just fine.”
Earnhardt also found himself in a conundrum with Riley Herbst at one point, showing him a certain finger along the way. During a caution, he then said to disregard the sign language he showed. He then inquired about Herbst’s age to see if he was of age to have a beer with after.
“I just didn’t understand why he wanted to hold me up and then pulled over,” said Earnhardt over the radio. “I don’t think he was pulling over. I think he just got schooled; Tell Riley to disregard the bird.”
After the race, Earnhardt was asked jokingly about the Herbst incident and if he was going to have the beer with him.
“Yeah absolutely, where’s he at?” he said. Earnhardt also clarified that he didn’t blame Herbst for racing him hard and running his race.
So is this the last time we’ll see the legendary driver race in a major NASCAR series?
“I mean, if I don’t ever run again I’m happy at 50 years old to jump in once and get a top 10,” Earnhardt said. “I loved every lap, I’ll miss it next year. If I could shut her down with a top 10, sure.”
He mentioned other legends of the sport in their 50s winning races such as Harry Gant and Bobby Allison.
“I know it’s damn doable,” said Earnhardt. “Not anything too crazy, but not doing it every week coming in here, you feel a little handicapped.”
While Earnhardt ended his night with a solid seventh-place finish in his lone start in Xfinity, it was certainly one to remember for him and the fans alike watching and hearing his ups and downs at The Last Great Colosseum.