Monday, June 23, 2025

Earnhardt Jr. to retire following the 2017 Cup Series season

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By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
 
NASCAR Cup Series veteran Dale Earnhardt Jr. has decided to step away from the sport. Earnhardt Jr. decided now was the time to depart the sport at the end of the season.
 
“I just wanted the opportunity to go out on my own terms,” he said.

NASCAR Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads Austin Dillon during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500
Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads Austin Dillon during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)

The son of the late Dale Earnhardt has competed in the top series of NASCAR for 19 years, dating back to 1999.

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“There’ll never be another Dale Earnhardt Jr.,” said Rick Hendrick, his team owner. “You’re the one.”
 
He has won 26 Cup Series races in 603 starts. However, he has failed to win a race in the last two seasons.
 
Earnhardt Jr. last won three races during the 2015 NASCAR Cup Series season.
 
The future Hall of Famer has been named NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver for the past 14 years in a row.
 
While he has failed to win a championship in the Cup Series, Earnhardt Jr. has won the biggest race of the season twice. He won the Super Bowl of the sport in the Daytona 500.
 
Earnhardt Jr. first won the Daytona 500 in 2004. He also won the biggest race of the year again in 2014.
 
“I was afraid of not being able to do it,” he said. “I guess what I’m saying is I accomplished way more than I ever dreamed. Way more than I ever thought I’d accomplish. So I’m good.”
 
Despite not winning a Cup Series Championship, he won the NASCAR Xfinity Series twice in 1998 and 1999 before the promotion to the Cup Series.
 
Last season, Earnhardt Jr. missed half of the season due to a concussion as a driver for Hendrick Motorsports. Since that time, he has been an advocate for sports-related brain injury research.
 
At press time, He is presently ranked 24th in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings. In eight starts this season, his best finish is fifth at Texas Motor Speedway on April 9th.
 
He has not won a race since the 2015 season, as mentioned before. He last won a race on November 15th, 2015, at Phoenix International Raceway.

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He also won at Talladega Superspeedway on May 5th. In addition, he won on July 5th at Daytona International Speedway.
 
“I knew that growing up in that man’s shadow was going to be a hard challenge,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “But I wanted to race, and I knew racing would put me in that shadow. All I wanted to do was be able to make a living driving cars.”

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    Anthony Caruso III
    Anthony Caruso IIIhttps://thecapitalsportsreport.com
    Anthony Caruso III is the Publisher of The Capital Sports Report. He has been in the Journalism field since August 2002. Since that time, Mr. Caruso has covered many marquee events. This includes 14 Heisman Trophy ceremonies, 2 Little World Series events, and one Army-Navy College Football game. He has interviewed 9 No. 1 overall picks in the NFL and NBA Drafts since 2011.
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