Hendrick Motorsports announced Tuesday morning that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will retire from NASCAR at the end of the 2017 season.
"I'll miss that camaraderie, and I'll miss it for the rest of my life", Earnhardt said of his relationships with his team and within the sport. There's a feeling to being an asset to something.
He has 26 career Cup victories and is a two-time champion of NASCAR's second-tier series.
If I were to pick my favorite Dale Jr. moment in the time that I've been watching his career - which is actually all of it, from his Busch Series days - two of his wins at Daytona International Speedway come to mind.
" I was able to pick up rookie of the year and the championship last season, 2016 then this year I was offered a full ride with a late model which is a pretty big deal", Thornton said.
"The fan support that I received straight out of the gate was in large part because of my famous last name, but throughout the ups and downs that occured to me, the fans stuck it out", Earnhardt Jr. said.
He informed Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick on March 29 of his plan to retire.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. never wants to disappoint anyone - Hendrick Motorsports, the No. 88 team, his family, his fans.
But, as he said in his formal announcement on Tuesday afternoon at Hendrick Motorsports, he wanted to return to the vehicle to be able to go out on his own terms, not on doctors' orders. He wanted retirement to be his choice rather than something that was decided for him. "Anyone who tries to separate what he does behind the wheel from what he does in the sport doesn't know Dale Jr".
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"Having influence over my exit only became meaningful when it started to seem most unlikely", Earnhardt said.
"I certainly know they get two shots of seeing him this year - which is great - in July and September, so we are excited for them for that, seeing how he missed both races here last year", said David McGrath of NHMS.
Social media lit up with messages to Dale Jr., and drivers and fans spoke up about what he's meant to the sport during his 18 seasons and 600 races. I tell you why.
According to SportsBusiness Journal reporter Adam Stern, JR Motorsports vice president Joe Mattes said previous year that Dale Jr. represented almost 25 percent of the annual NASCAR merchandise sales compared to other drivers. But what about when he departs, particularly following the retirement of Cup icons Jeff Gordon in 2015 and Tony Stewart last fall?
Like what you see? His late Hall of Fame father, Dale, won seven titles and, known as "The Intimidator", was one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. Dale Jr. won his first 500 in just his fifth start there and then won his second - something his father never did - a decade later.
Hendrick Motorsports will announce his replacement at a later date.
With all the medical advancements and research that has been done into brain injuries and the lasting effects that participating in physically taxing sports over the past few years, concussions are no longer something to be brushed off.
- The woman who watched 'little E' grow up said she just wants him to be happy. He has qualified for season playoffs eight times and has been voted NASCAR's most popular driver 14 years in a row by fans. The two-time Daytona 500 victor has been racing for 18 seasons and has accomplished 26 wins along the way. I have two daughters and people who had concussions previous year the same time bill could do was going through both the contortions and soccer we are on pit road he was out of the race card over.
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