Posted on 04/25/2017 7:15:30 AM PDT by Captain Jack Aubrey
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will retire at the end of the season, Hendrick Motorsports has announced. Voted the sport's most popular driver for the last 14 seasons, Earnhardt began his career with a start at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 1999. He has since accumulated 26 career wins, including two in the Daytona 500. He also captured a win in the All-Star Race as a rookie.
(Excerpt) Read more at racer.com ...
As if the stands haven’t been empty enough. This will reduce attendance even further.
Can’t ride Dad’s coattails forever.
42 years old & a net worth of over 300 million? I’d retire, too.
I’m not surprised at all. Here’s an article (written July 2016) I posted on another thread earlier this week - it goes through some of the concussion issues that kept Dale Jr. sidelined last year. I figured he’d be retiring soon - if he does get a concussion this year, that will be end of his racing career. He is married and wants a family & a good quality of life in his later years.
Analysis: Dale Earnhardt Jr. concussion history raises difficult questions
http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/story/dale-earnhardt-jr-concusssion-history-requires-questions-asked-analysis-sprint-cup-071516
When tickets to the stands at Daytona got to $85 (and that’s been a while back) I said I’m out. Not that I couldn’t afford it but that and the traffic being horrendous did it for me......letting Toyota in didn’t help either.
I can't see someone like this just disappearing from the sport for good.
Yes - NASCAR’s heyday is over. April 25, 2017.
NASCAR’s “heyday” was over back in the early 2000’s when the “cookie cutter” cars appeared...
I got to be (and continues) the only way to tell the brand of car is the decal on the grill....
I remember the 60’s and 70’s when a Chevy, Ford, Dodge, and Plymouth were easily identified....
If I were looking for a driver to root for who shows the same determination to win as Dale Sr., it would be Kyle (either one) or Brad, not Junior.
>>At some point NASCAR seemed to cross that fine line between a competition and a staged event.
That was the beginning of the end. Loss of the June-yarrr fans is the real end. No one cares about the new drivers and, as you point out, real competition ended years ago. This is IMSA’s chance to turn NASCAR fans into auto racing fans again.
He’s a lot smarter than his dad........................
The grandstands sucked. The knees of the people sitting behind us were in our backs and our knees were in the backs of the people sitting in front us the whole time.
It was a late summer race and the only shade to be found was in areas roped off with "Hospitality Area" signs, which, were only hospitable if you happened to be there on behalf of some race sponsor.
Plus, it doesn't help that you can't tell the cars apart.
And don't even get me started on how sucky the races are to watch on TV. First, you can't even hear the cars.
Second, the announcers don't even watch the race. They spend the whole time rattling off idiotic stats and technical mumbo-jumbo and butchering the English language.
And, third, what is the series even called this year? The Monster Energy With Caffeine and Protein Supplements Power Drink Series or some such thing?
Haven’t been to the Daytona 500 since 1979. Used to camp out in the infield......................
Yes, that’s when the slow decline began. Jeff Gordon’s departure was one dagger. This is the other.
I am glad he is. Thought he said that during the off season? Oh well, now that Gordon is out and Jr is out, I do not have a driver I like anymore.
NASCAR ruined it for me some time ago. Teams then they went green for obama. Just started watching this year for Jr.
Dale Jr. has won two Daytona 500's. He don't need no stinkin' coattails...
Do it now. 200 MPH is no place to have second thoughts.
yep, 10 dudes, a ryder box truck to stand on, couple of grills and a few kegs and we were set for the weekend.
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