Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

To start the race season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took his No. 3 Late Model Stock car down to Florence Motor Speedway for The Icebreaker. This is an event that is becoming more and more popular. Dale Jr. and other NASCAR drivers have participated in it a number of times.

This year, it was a great showing for Earnhardt and his JR Motorsports driver Carson Kvapil. Get used to that name, the two-time CARS Tour champion is going to be making a mark on the national scene any day now.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. battled for third but just didn’t have enough to overtake Casey Kelley. Kvapil finished ahead of Connor Hall while battling lapped traffic. Sam Yarborough makes up the end of the top-5.

Kvapil had to have been nervous going into that final lap with traffic ahead. It almost opened the door for Hall to go by and steal the win on the last lap. This is a great race that puts on a show every year. When you have names like Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the field, it is no wonder fans love coming out to watch.

Grassroots racing feels like it is in a great place right now. There are stars at every local track, retired NASCAR superstars, and current NASCAR drivers entering events all over the country.

Another top-5 for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Maybe we will see him pull off an Xfinity Series win later this year.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. does not have an NBC contract

As we get ready for the NASCAR season to begin, it is worth mentioning; Dale Earnhardt Jr. does not have an NBC contract at the moment. While that could change before the NBC portion of the season begins this summer, it is interesting, to say the least.

There is a whole new media landscape in 2025. After this year, NASCAR will be shown on The CW (Xfinity Series), FOX (Cup and Truck Series), TNT/Bleacher Report on Max (Cup), Prime Video (Cup), and NBC (Cup). There are many options for Earnhardt to explore should he choose to do so.

I think we can assume he is not going to go to FOX. However, is it possible that we see Jr. get himself a gig at one of the streaming options? NBC has put a lot of support and trust in Earnhardt. He covers NASCAR, IMSA, and even the Kentucky Derby.

The NASCAR season is almost here. We will have to wait and see if Dale Earnhardt Jr. is on our TVs as an announcer. For right now, Earnhardt is racing and trying to help his drivers get better.

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