The Xfinity Series Bristol race was special for two reasons. One, it was the regular season finale, with Cole Custer being crowned the champion. And second, because NASCAR veteran Dale Earnhardt Jr. made his comeback to the Xfinity Series. This was his first race since Homestead Miami, in October 2023.
The Bristol race was filled with a myriad of issues for Jr., yet the two-time (1998, 1999) Xfinity Series Champion loved every bit of it. Since his last full season in 2017, he’s been running one of the races every year. Many speculated that Bristol was his last, but the veteran recently cleared the air on the topic. And, he plans to have no plans!
Dale Earnhardt Jr. spoke about his plans
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The 2021 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee did not have the best start to his comeback race. The problems just kept coming, starting with his radio not working and him not hearing his crew chief. To resolve this issue, helmets and his wiring harness were changed. Then his glasses went missing. It was a couple of laps before he was handed a new pair. Despite all this, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was delighted to be racing and also managed to finish in P7.
Post the race, he said, “I loved every lap. It was great. I mean, I got everything I wanted out of this, and I’ll miss it next year.” For the next year, the #88 car will be piloted by Connor Zilsich in his first full Xfinity season. Many after the Bristol race wondered if this was Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s last career race.
On this, he said, “Everybody was like, Is this your last? I’m like, I don’t have any plans. I like it that way. If I wanna run one I will if I don’t I won’t. Right now there is nothing on the schedule for next year. Knowing me, I am probably gonna go man I missed running. When I am done broadcasting and NBC finishes out the year. I’ll probably be sitting there going, I should’ve run a race. Darn it.”
It won’t be a tough task for the JR Motorsports owner to find a ride if he wishes to. However, if he does make a comeback in 2026, what track is he picking? Dale Jr. loves having that liberty.
In 2021, he ran the Richmond race. In 2022, he was in the Martinsville race. Last year, he did two, first Bristol and then Homestead. And now, if he makes a comeback, he might have picked his 2026 destination. “I might go to Kansas; that looks pretty fun running the fence. I love running the wall that’s why I went to homestead a couple of times in the last couple of years,” Dale Jr said.
Junior might run a race or two in 2026, but his immediate future interest lies in broadcasting. Post the Bristol race, he also noted, “I definitely do want to take next year off, focus on my broadcasting and get my boots on and get back to work there, make sure I’m doing a good job for that. That’s my priority, that and my family.” However, Junior not racing might come as a loss to NASCAR; after all, he is one of the most well-known names in the sport.
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NASCAR Insider on what Dale Jr. brings to the sport
Dale Earhardt Jr. has had a great NASCAR career. In his 147 race starts in the Xfinity Series, he bagged two titles and 24 wins. Jr.’s average finish is 10.8 and he has managed seventy-one top-5s and ninety-six top-10 finishes. He also has 26 Cup Series wins in his 2 two-decade long career. And of course, being the son of the legendary Dale Earnhardt has given him a legacy that he’s graciously continued.
According to NASCAR Journalist Jordan Bianchi, currently, NASCAR lacks that kind of star power. On the recent episode of “The Teardown, Bianchi said, “The star power that Dale Earnhardt Jr. brings to NASCAR when he races, is unrivaled, and it’s so apparent. From the driver introductions to just the whole, like, he makes passes on the racetrack and people are cheering. What other driver does that happen for? There’s just this aura, this presence. It’s this star power, that’s the best way to explain it, and it’s something that NASCAR is badly lacking, in that sense.”
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The Bristol viewership for the Xfinity race is also proof enough of what Dale Jr. brings to the table. For some time, the Xfinity Series viewership was staggering. However, the Bristol race saw a revival. The broadcast saw its largest TV audience since July, the race averaged 906,000 viewers, with peak viewership exceeding 1 million viewers. Although there cannot be a direct correlation between the two, it has to be one reason why the viewership soared. After all, it’s not every day that you get to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. race.
What do you think of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s comeback? Do you want him to race more? Let us know in the comments below.
