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“Dale Earnhardt Jr Is the New Kyle Larson”: NASCAR Veteran Makes Bold Claim Ahead of Major Contribution by Jr in This Racing Aspect

Published 11/29/2022, 11:45 AM EST

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Dale Earnhardt Jr carries the legacy and power of attraction, like not too many other NASCAR drivers have ever had. The driver is definitely one of the most famous and well-known drivers ever to race in NASCAR.

But what makes it even better is that he uses that power to help NASCAR. On the Kenny Wallace Show, he compared Earnhardt to Kyle Larson. “There’s one man right now that is creating a comeback for local asphalt racing and it’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt Jr is the new Kyle Larson.”

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“So Kyle Larson, what he did for dirt racing 3 years ago… I mean they were packing them in everybody had to watch Kyle Larson run dirt… And he just kept setting the bar higher and higher.”

“And he took dirt racing through the roof. Now I’m so excited that my dear friend, Dale Earnhardt Jr is doing that with asphalt racing late model stocks in the South, around the Charlotte area, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia.”

Dale Jr’s attempts to save local tracks come at a time when there are fewer and fewer such tracks being opened, and more of them closing down due to lack of funding.

What is Dale Earnhardt Jr planning to do to save these tracks?

Dale Jr raced a lot at the Myrtle Beach 400 in South Carolina. Unfortunately, that track didn’t survive time, but its successor exists just a few miles inward.

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He took part in the race, now called the South Carolina 400, held in Florence. The race in the sleepy and small town was intended to attract loads of people to the track and help bring in revenue, as well as generate viewer interest.

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In that aspect, it worked out successfully. The track saw a very strong showing of people who came in to watch Dale Jr. race. However, on a more competitive level, it wasn’t a fairytale return by any definition.

Dale Jr finished the race in 9th place. He was involved in two contact incidents, which meant penalties that pushed him to the back of the pack both times. 

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Watch This Story: NASCAR World In Disbelief Over Brawl In Race Amid Bubba Wallace-Kyle Larson Cloud Over Driver Behaviour

Hopefully, Dale Jr’s attempts to revive these tracks work out. NASCAR would be losing out on a lot of heritage if these tracks cannot survive.

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Written by:

Abhay Tyagi

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Abhay Tyagi is a Formula 1 Author at EssentiallySports. Although he has completed his undergrad in Law and Management, he has always been eager to venture into the exciting field of sports journalism. With a special affinity for Engineering and Speed, Abhay has always found the world of Formula 1 quite exhilarating.
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Edited by:

Akash Pandhare