Friday’s Xfinity Series Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway was never going to be the last time you see Dale Earnhardt Jr. inside a race car. The NASCAR Hall of Famer is already scheduled to be behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevy in the Contender Boats 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Oct. 21.
But after leading 47 laps at Bristol, the 48-year-old feels he has even more races in him.
“The last couple of races had me wondering ‘Damn, do I need to not do this anymore. I’m really not getting nothing out of running 15th and struggling and being frustrated,'” via Sportsnaut. “Then you go run good, ‘OK, maybe it’s where I’m racing. Maybe I just need to run at certain tracks I love.'”
Earnhardt’s bid to notch his first Xfinity Series victory since 2016 quite literally went up in flames. With just 29 laps remaining, a fire broke out near his foot box, forcing him to come down pit road. He needed assistance to get out of the race car after his driving suit had caught on fire.
“I looked down at the leg brace and it was on fire,” Earnhardt said. “I felt it stinging my leg. So I thought if I kept going it was going to burn me pretty bad.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. leaves Bristol with newfound confidence
Though Earnhardt officially finished 30th, the events leading up to the fire proved he still has something to offer in NASCAR, even if it’s only on a part-time basis. That being said, Earnhardt said he’ll only continue to race in the Xfinity Series as long as he feels he can hang. When it comes to his latest driving endeavor in the CARS Tour, which he owns alongside Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Justin Marks, Earnhardt feels he could continue racing in that series well into his 50s.
“The only thing that would keep me running more Xfinity races is just me wanting to race the Late Model, with the CARS Tour, especially in the first half of the year when I’m not working with NBC,” Earnhardt said. “I want to run it more but that means getting my butt kicked more… Feel more comfortable in the Xfinity car.
“I know what I’m doing and what to expect out of the tire and sidewall. It makes more sense to me when I steer the car through the corner. The Late Model Stock, I still don’t know what to feel… I need to race it a lot more to get better at it.”
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