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
I can't see someone like this just disappearing from the sport for good.
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.
He’s a lot smarter than his dad........................
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.
Do it now. 200 MPH is no place to have second thoughts.
I think he’ll retire—and become a full-time team owner grooming the next generation of drivers.
Junior isn't going anywhere though, he has a wildly successful Xfinity team and I would bet he now starts up one or two Cup teams under the JR Motorsports banner also.
Not to mention he has acquired enough cars, equipment and memorabilia from the beginning days of NASCAR to now that he could probably open his own museum and immediately rival the NASCAR HOF collection.
it would also not surprise me at all if he goes into track ownership.
I don’t follow racing but Pops used to take me to MIS 4 times a year back the say when it had two IndyCar and two Nascar races oer year. This is probably early 80s? Before all the new speedways started going up. I lived in the Metroplex when Dallas went up.
Anyway I aeem to recall going nuts one year because Richard Petty after a dry spell was threatening to win #200. Place was going nuts.
My point is they were old. Gordon, now Earnhardt retiring ao much younger. I think salary, partial ownership, endorsements and the grind makes it not worth it to be race into old age. Or getting on the Announcer gravy train. I watch a lot of NBA and get a kick out Sir Charles, Kenny and Shaq so you can see where networks can build some fairly young crews and start doing what TNT does with NBA where the show after the last game often runs another hour. If the guys are funny and not wooden.
Kudos to Dale for making a smart decision. I’m sure he will enjoy his retirement as a race car driver, but I doubt he retires from NASCAR as others have pointed out. However, as a former long-time NASCAR nut (1990 to 2015), they lost me with the stupid GWC and the inane Chase, which definitely turned the “races” into staged events.
Good. Maybe that A-hole can now concentrate all of his time complaining about the Rebel Flag.
Saw this coming. A few weeks ago one of the commentators mentioned that Jr. said to them that he would have a hard time continuing racing if he won a championship. That mindset tells you that he is really not having fun at what he is doing. As a Jr. fan I am not upset about his retirement. If enjoyment could be found in it for him, I wouldn’t mind seeing him as an owner. He has shown he has a keen ability to scout talent. Enjoy your life Dale, you only get one.
He wasn’t as bad of a cheater as his dad was at least.