NASCAR Cup Series team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Dale Earnhardt Jr. getting push to race in 2027 Daytona 500 from surprising source

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Feb 18, 2026 2:22 PM ET

Dale Earnhardt Jr. hasn't raced in the Daytona 500 or the NASCAR Cup Series since 2017, but someone close to him is pushing for that to change next year.

Earnhardt Jr. revealed that his wife, Amy, told him that he should race in the 2027 Daytona 500. Earnhardt's race team, JR Motorsports, entered a car in the 2025 and 2026 Daytona 500 with driver Justin Allgaier behind the wheel.

"Amy told me I should run the Daytona 500 next year," Earnhardt Jr. said in a clip posted to social media. "I was like, 'what?' We were laying in bed Sunday night after the race, [and] she was like, 'You should just drive it next year.' I'm like, 'hello? Pardon me? What'd you say? Are you okay?'"

Could Dale Earnhardt Jr. return to NASCAR?

Since concussions forced Earnhardt Jr. into an early retirement from full-time Cup Series competition in 2017, he's competed in 10 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series races. He did not race in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2025.

Dale Jr on the 2027 DAYTONA 500 entry list?

Amy is a fan. pic.twitter.com/4F2ChfcJ8R
— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) February 18, 2026

"I’ll be foolish to say I’m never going to run again because I don’t know well enough to stay away from it, and I’ll probably miss it next year and be absolutely willing to sign up for anything that might be beneficial to JR Motorsports," Earnhardt Jr. told NBC Sports in Sept. 2024 after he competed in an O'Reilly Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

That comment was only in regard to O'Reilly Series races. Earnhardt Jr. has not expressed any major interest in running another Cup Series race, but if anyone could convince him to attempt the Daytona 500 again, it'd be his spouse.

Earnhardt Jr. won the Daytona 500 in 2004 and 2014.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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