Dale Earnhardt, Jr. retired from full-time racing at the end of 2017, with 17 years and 631 races under his belt as a NASCAR Cup Series driver. But even if he spends more time podcasting and commentating than turning a wheel these days, Junior’s driving streak is still going strong: This weekend he’ll run in the Xfinity Series race at Bristol, Tennessee, marking his twenty-seventh consecutive year starting at least one race in NASCAR’s second tier. And given how long he’s been going, it’s not impossible this ends up as Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s last race.
Even throughout his nearly two-decade run in Cup, Earnhardt would pop into NASCAR’s equivalent of AAA ball to have a little fun. He tends to pick races at his favorite tracks; In recent years, that’s meant driving the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet he co-owns at Darlington, Richmond, Homestead, Martinsville, and Bristol. (He has some new shoes to fill — teen sensation Connor Zilisch drove the same No. 88 to victory in his debut in last weekend’s Xfinity race at Watkins Glen.)
What we haven’t seen is NASCAR’s 15-time Most Popular Driver win any of those recent starts, despite several impressive runs. His last Cup victory came in 2015, and his most recent win in an Xfinity car was the following year. Sure, Earnhardt Jr.’s drop-ins are for fun, but there’s no question the 49-year-old would love to grab the checkered flag again.
Last year at Bristol, he nearly did.
After starting 15th, he moved through the field, trading paint with Daniel Hemric and others. By Lap 174 of 300, he was in the lead. Junior eventually lost control of the race, but remained firmly in the top-five — until he abruptly pulled off track, smoke filling the cockpit. His race was done, just 30 laps short of the finish, despite having lead 47 laps.
The reason why? His pants were on fire.
Dale Earnhardt Jr, JR Motorsports, Hellmann’s Chevrolet Camaro and Justin Allgaier, JR Motorsports, BRANDT Chevrolet Camaro
Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images
“We got a hole in my pants,” Earnhardt, Jr. explained afterwards, showcasing the burn marks on his firesuit around his right ankle. “Somehow or another, the shifter tunnel column caught on fire. I saw some smoke in the car, and I smelled it, and I was like, ‘hopefully that’s not me.’ But it was. Obviously, my uniform was burning up. I was like, ‘I can’t keep going. I got to stop.’ And usually when you stop, the fire gets bigger.”
Setting aside the unwanted flambé, it proved that Earnhardt —who’s won at the iconic half-mile Bristol short track in both the Cup and Xfinity Series before — still has the goods to take the checkered flag. Friday’s Bristol race will be his 147th Xfinity Series start, with a chance to grab his 25th career win in NASCAR’s middle series. (That would be a nice round number to pair with the hall-of-famer’s 26 Cup wins and two driver titles — 1998 and 1999 — in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.)
But Junior’s also turning 50 in October. How much longer can fans expect to see him trading paint?
Earlier this month on the Dale Jr. Download, he said that this week’s race at Bristol could be his last in the Xfinity Series, though he still intends to run his late model. He said it will “probably” be his final Xfinity start and that he was “pretty sure” about that, but wouldn’t fully commit to it. Whether it is his last race or not, we know Earnhardt Jr. will put on a good show. (Just maybe don’t let the kids hear his raw radio feed.)
Qualifying for Bristol starts at 2 p.m. ET on Friday; green flag drops just after 7:30 p.m. ET. All coverage is on The CW.
