When Dale Jr. strapped into the No. 88 Chevrolet for his final Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami on November 19, 2017, he wasn’t focused on winning but on savoring the moment. He said, “I want to run all the laps and finish the race. And I want to have a good time doing it.” A leaky tire left him 25th, but the finish didn’t matter; what stuck was the way he laughed, hugged his crew, and let the weight off his shoulders. However, not every driver gets the same blissful exit. An exhibit, you may ask? That’s David Reutimann.

His final bow in the NASCAR Cup Series came at Richmond’s Toyota Owners 400 in 2014, where he piloted the No. 35 Ford for Front Row Motorsports and ultimately finished 29th. Since hanging up his helmet, Reutimann walked away entirely, not just from driving but from watching the sport, opting instead to immerse himself in building dirt cars at his own Beak Built Chassis shop and racing when the mood strikes. And he has no regrets about it.

Speaking on Dale Jr.’s Dale Jr. Download, the 55-year-old said, “I think very few of us get to go out the way we want to. I didn’t feel like I did. And it’s not because I’m mad at NASCAR or Cup racing. It’s just self-preservation, really. If you’re a d— a—– trying to get clean, you don’t hang out with people doing d—-. That’s the same thing here.”

Reutimann carved out a solid NASCAR career across 235 Cup Series starts, scoring 2 Cup wins, including the iconic rain-shortened 2009 Coca-Cola 600, along with 4 poles and 26 top 10s. His early years were marked by a terrifying crash in California in 2007, where a head-on collision left him unconscious and airlifted to the hospital with a concussion and a cracked rib. Nevertheless, he showed remarkable resilience, quickly returning to competition the following weekend.

What Reutimann said now shocked Dale Earnhardt Jr. “That’s very powerful. A lot of guys I’ve had on here, some got to end it how they wanted, some didn’t. A lot of us don’t end our careers in the best place. Some guys win championships, then gut out two or three tough years at the end…I’ve had this conversation with a lot of guys. I want to talk to you about the crashes and about not ending it on your terms. But beyond that—how do you move forward? Even today, I still struggle with not hanging out with the “dr– ad—–.” At some point, I have to say goodbye or shut the door on this idea of me as a race car driver.”

But for Dale Jr., it’s not time to drop the flag just yet. In fact, Dale Earnhardt Jr. updated his racing stint in the CARS Tour. With NASCAR rolling into Bristol Motor Speedway, Jr. left no room for speculation about whether fans will see him back behind the wheel there this year.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. dismisses claims about his return to Bristol Motor Speedway this year

Despite hanging up his helmet years ago, Dale Earnhardt Jr. still commands the kind of love and loyalty most drivers can only dream of. His name moves merchandise, his words carry weight, and his presence, whether on pit road or behind the wheel, still whips fans into a frenzy. But the million-dollar question remains: will Junior keep spoiling us with these surprise returns? On a recent episode of the Dale Jr. Download, a fan asked exactly that, and the answer was as clear as it was bittersweet. Junior has no plans to race again. For him, the thrill has already been fulfilled, and now he is content watching from the sidelines.

He said, “I’ll be honest. In those races, driving that car, I’d be running along Stage 2, halfway through the race, and I’m sitting there thinking to myself, ‘I wanted to do this. I’m here. I got in the car, and I drove it, and I’m good,’ you know. And so, nothing about it was, I guess, you know, sitting there running around and going, ‘Man, you know, I’ve had fun. I’m pretty content. I could pull over, get out, and not care about the end result. But I’ve no plans to come back and do it.”

That contentment didn’t stop him from saving the fight at Bristol last year. The 50-year-old legend overcame one issue after another—radio static, a helmet swap, wiring harness changes, and even the absence of his glasses — and yet muscled his No. 88 Chevrolet to a hard-earned seventh place. And the checkout flag fell, and Junior stood grinning on the frontstretch; it was clear he’d wrung every ounce of joy from the 300-lap battle in the Xfinity Series, which he once dominated.

And now, even a few recent stats highlight Dale Jr.’s near miss in the Xfinity Series. However, then just as quickly, he drew a line in the sand. And while Bristol may forever hold a special place in his heart, it seems that chapter is officially closed, at least for now.