Dale Earnhardt Jr hung up his racing helmet almost six years ago. Yet he continues to top the charts. The racing community cannot help but look up to Dale Jr as a legend. So, when the 15-time Most Popular Driver winner announced his comeback into NASCAR’s broadcasting booths, fans were ecstatic.

Dale Earnhardt Jr lent his captivating voice first in 2018 in the NBC Sports booth. Soon he skyrocketed in demand as racing fans tuned in to listen to him. This golden status also came into being because Dale Jr’s NBC superiors guided him every step of the way. As he prepares to join other media giants, Dale Jr saluted his former employer.

Dale Earnhardt Jr tips his hat to his former broadcasting partner

Early this year, Dale Jr’s contract with NBC expired and he announced his uncertainty about picking up the racing microphone again. After what seemed like an eerie silence, TNT Sports and Amazon Prime announced a day ago that the NASCAR Hall of Famer will grace their 2025 plans. This comes in light of NASCAR’s recent 7-year media rights signing. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr broke the news on a recent episode of Dale Jr Download. “I’ll be working for Amazon and Turner next year…I’ve got to go to New York City in a couple of weeks to do some work for both of them.”  He added more information about his schedule. “It’s 10 races, and it’s not as much as I was doing in the past. I think half a season was perfect. I don’t wanna work a whole year….So I feel very lucky, because I get to stay in the broadcast booth, I get to continue doing that that I enjoy. Amazon’s June, Turner’s July.”

However, the ever-humble Dale Earnhardt Jr did not hesitate to salute his former employers. The first time he sat in an NBC Sports booth, it was with announcer Rick Allen and analysts Steve Letarte and Jeff Burton. Dale Jr instantly charmed his colleagues with the famous commentary “Slide job!” at the Overton’s 400 race in 2018.

Now he fondly remembers his time with the NBC people. “I had a great run at NBC. I’m very thankful for what they did to help me grow and improve. I was raw, had no experience. I wasn’t a journalist, wasn’t a radio guy, hadn’t done any broadcasting in my life…But nothing like real work. I’ve learnt a tremendous amount over the past several years thanks to the people that I’ve worked with at NBC.”

As Dale Earnhardt Jr prepares to move toward a new broadcasting journey, his objectives remain intact. The 26-time Cup winner upholds the fan perspective, as he has done earlier.

Fans occupy the front seat in Dale Jr’s plans

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Dale Earnhardt Jr was initially known to be a reserved racer, too shy to appear in front of the camera. But after he won his second Daytona 500 race in 2014, the winds of change came. Dale Jr opened his own media franchise, Dirty Mo Media. He also saw an uptick of fans on social media, mainly because he represented the unheard voices of motorsport. So considering that fans have been his loudest supporters, Dale Earnhardt Jr prioritizes them in his new broadcasting career as well. 

He outlined his fan-centric approach on his podcast: “We’re having conversations with Amazon and Turner about how we’d love for this to look, and how we’d love to create. I’m hoping that we’re checking all the boxes that the fans have…what do they want? Pre-race is cool, they love post-race, they want the interviews, they wanna hear from everybody…I’m on Reddit and social media, reading comments about fans and their opinions on broadcasts.”

So, the most popular driver of NASCAR will inarguably whip up an exciting show for fans in the 2025 races.