Dale Earnhardt Jr. has cleared the air about his racing future in a recent episode of his podcast, Dale Jr. Download, leaving the door slightly open for a potential return next year.
Having competed selectively in the NASCAR Xfinity Series since stepping away from full-time racing in 2017, Earnhardt has always charted his course based on personal interests and sponsorship alignments. His announcement comes as a gentle reminder of his current priorities beyond racing, especially given his upcoming venture into broadcasting.
In 2025, Earnhardt will be joining the broadcast teams at Amazon and TNT Sports to cover the NASCAR Cup Series. His debut in this new role will take place during the Coca-Cola 600, followed by additional races with TNT Sports.
Speaking about the possibility of a return, Earnhardt Jr. commented during his podcast:
"I don't have any plans. I like it that way. If I want to run one, I will. If I don't, I won't.
"But knowing me, I'm probably going to go, 'Man, I missed running.' When '25 is over...I'll probably be sitting there going, 'I should have run that race.'
"It looks fun as a viewer and I enjoy tracks where a driver can run against the wall.”
This comes after his most recent appearance in the Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway in which he finished in seventh position. He commented to the media at the time:
"I mean, if I don't ever run again, I'm happy at 50 years old to jump in once and run top 10.
"I know there was some guys named (Harry) Gant and (Bobby) Allison that were winning races in their 50s. So I know it's damn doable. It's not anything too crazy. But not doing it every week, man, you certainly come in here feeling like you're handicapped, and you've gotta drink from the fire hose trying to figure out what's going on and getting up to speed.
"I loved every lap. It was great.
"I mean, I got everything I wanted out of this, and I'll miss it next year. I'm certain I'll probably sign up for somewhere else. Trying not to already start thinking about, where would I run? Where do I want to run?
"But I definitely do want to take next year off, focus on my broadcasting and get my boots on and get back to work there, make sure I'm doing a good job for that. That's my priority, that and my family."
As fans eagerly anticipate his broadcasting insight, the possibility of Earnhardt returning to the Xfinity Series post-2025 remains open.
2024 NASCAR Xfinity Food City 300 Results
- Cole Custer
- Sheldon Creed
- Chandler Smith
- Jesse Love
- Ryan Truex
- Brandon Jones
- Dale Earnhardt Jr
- Ryan Sieg
- Sam Mayer
- AJ Allmendinger
- Anthony Alfredo
- Jeremy Clements
- Riley Herbst
- Austin Hill
- Sammy Smith
- Parker Kligerman
- Brennan Poole
- Shane Van Gisbergen
- Joe Graf Jr
- Josh Bilicki
- Josh Williams
- Blaine Perkins
- Kyle Sieg
- Ryan Ellis
- Jeb Burton
- Kyle Weatherman
- Logan Bearden
- Carson Ware
- Greg Van Alst
- Justin Allgaier
- Leland Honeyman
- Chad Finchum
- Stefan Parsons
- Matt DiBenedetto
- Jeffrey Earnhardt
- Garrett Smithley
- Parker Retzlaff
- Austin Green
