He was also voted the most popular sports driver over 14 times and made his First Cup start in 1999.
Now in the midst of his 18th full-time season at the elite Cup level, Earnhardt made his 600th career series start on March 26 at Fontana, Calif.
A third-generation racer, Earnhardt turns 43 in October, is newly married and has said he wants to start a family.
Meanwhile, Earnhardt and team owner Rick Hendrick will meet with the media at 3 p.m. today to discuss Earnhardt's upcoming announcement.
"It's the hardest thing in the world for a race vehicle driver to say 'okay, I need to go do something else, '" NASCAR legend Richard Petty told WBTV.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 38th at Bristol, his fourth finish of 30th or worse in through the eight Monster Energy Cup Series races this season.
"I don't think Dale Jr. can be measured as just a race auto driver, because he is so much more than that", says NBC analyst Steve Letarte, Earnhardt's former crew chief.
This is Earnhardt's 18th season.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s career is nearing the finish line. He now is ranked 24th in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings.
"This whole year has been like one big ride", said Earnhardt Jr.
In a release from Hendrick, the team says Earnhardt is scheduled to talk about his plan to retire at 2 p.m. Tuesday. And I just saw at an early age before I was a driver that growing up in that man's shadow was going to be a real hard challenge. His late father, Dale Earnhardt, won seven championships, tying Richard Petty for the all-time record, before he died on the final lap of the Daytona 500 in a February 2001 crash.
Earnhardt Jr. said at his press conference he hopes to remain a part of the NASCAR world. Earnhardt Jr. won the race, and photos of him celebrating in the infield remain of the sport's best-known images. "I just want to be able to watch my wife walk down the aisle without fear of throwing up or falling over.' So of course it plays into his decision". During that time, the 42-year-old arrived at a realization when it came to racing.
"Anheuser-Busch has had an outstanding relationship with Dale Earnhardt and the Earnhardt family over the years, and we welcome Dale Jr.to the Budweiser team".
He also as two championships in NASCAR's second-tier series, now called the NASCAR XFINITY Series, in 1998 and 1999.
Earnhardt Jr. has 26 wins in his career, including Daytona 500 wins in 2004 and 2014.
Earnhardt has driven for Hendrick since 2008 after a nasty split with Dale Earnhardt Inc., the team founded by his late father but run by his stepmother.
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