Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be driving off into the sunset. The professional racing driver announced Tuesday that he will be retiring from the NASCAR Cup Series following the 2017 season.
The 42-year-old is a two-time Daytona 500 champion and a racing-fan favorite. Fans voted him NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver a record 14 consecutive years. He is the son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Sr., who died following a crash at the 2001 Daytona 500.
News of “Junior’s” retirement sent JR Nation, his enthusiastic fan base, and the NASCAR world into a tailspin yesterday.
At press conference on Tuesday, Earnhardt Jr. said his decision to retire was a matter of choice.
“It’s really simple. I just wanted the opportunity to go out on my own terms,” Earnhardt Jr. said.
Earnhardt Jr.’s contract with Hendrick Motorsports expires at the end of the season. He’s been in the cockpit of the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports since 2008.
Earnhardt Jr. was in a crash in June 2016 at the Michigan International Speedway. In July Earnhardt Jr. had concussion-like symptoms and sat out the remainder of the second half of the racing season.
During his recuperation, Earnhardt Jr. had the opportunity to see what life was like away from racing. The experience helped influence his decision to step away, he said.
“During my rehab, I was given something else I wasn’t accustomed to, and that was time,” Earnhardt Jr. said regarding his concussion recovery last season. “Time to understand what was important to me, what an incredible support system I have in my wife, my team and my doctors, and time to work like hell to wrestle back some semblance of say-so in this whole matter.”
Earnhardt Jr. is currently in the midst of his 18th full-time season at the elite Cup level. He made his 600th career start on March 26 at Fontana, California.
His first career Cup Series start came on May 30, 1999, at Charlotte Motor Speeday. Since then Earnhardt Jr. has captured 26 points-paying Cup race wins. He has qualified for the NASCAR playoffs eight times.
After winning the Daytona 500 two times, exactly 10 years apart in 2004 and 2014, Earnhardt Jr. earned the nickname “Pied Piper of Daytona.”
His final NASCAR Cup Series race will be Nov. 19 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Although Earnhardt Jr. will no longer race in NASCAR’s top series, he isn’t retiring as a driver.
He will still run two NASCAR Xfinity Series events in 2018 for JR Motorsports, his race team and management company.
“I am eager to explore new opportunities, I don’t see myself really detaching from NASCAR,” he said. “My intention is to be involved in the sport at some level. You’ve not seen the last of me on the track, but more important, I want to be part of the future of this sport for many, many years to come.”
Hendrick Motorsports will announce plans for its 2018 team at a later date. They have a big driver’s seat to fill.
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