Here's what to expect from Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s return to Bristol

For the first time since a mechanical failure ended his chance at a victory in last September's NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Bristol, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is scheduled to make his one and only scheduled start of the season in Friday night's Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway (7 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Friday night's race should bring an increased confidence in Earnhardt Jr., the two-time Xfinity Series champion, after his impressive showing in last year's race. 

After qualifying his Jr. Motorsports Camaro in the 15th position, Earnhardt Jr. worked his way up to ninth in Stage 1 and fourth in Stage 2. As the race entered its second half, it appeared that Earnhardt Jr. was going to drive away with the victory. 

However, after leading 47 laps, a mechanical issue resulted in a fire in the cockpit of Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 Hellmann's Chevrolet, relegating him to a 30th place finish. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, Earnhardt Jr. said he still had a blast.

"Last year was a blast," Earnhardt Jr. said on the latest edition of his "Dale Jr. Download" program. "Yes I have thought about what would have happened had we not had the issue with it."

A big objective of Earnhardt Jr.'s is "finishing the goal" after last September's heartbreak. Considering how dominant that car was, and the fact he will be driving the same Hellmann's car as last year, high expectations should be in store.