Dale Earnhardt Jr may have hung up his NASCAR racing boots in 2017, but he never really cut his ties with the sport. Wearing many hats—as a commentator, analyst, team owner, and even occasionally slipping back into the driver’s seat—he has stayed in the thick of it. But the past seven months have seen him out of the driving spotlight, with nary a chance to burn rubber on the track. But that changed, again. 

When fortune knocked on his door, he didn’t let the grass grow under his feet, even if it meant navigating a few speed bumps along the way. Recently, on his podcast, he shed light on the uphill battle of handling today’s new breed of cars.

Dale Earnhardt Jr takes a trip down memory lane at Florence Motor Speedway

Stepping back into the limelight at Florence Motor Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr must’ve felt a rush of nostalgia. It was at FMS that he clinched a victory in the Late Model Stock Car race back in ’96. Moreover, Darlington, a stone’s throw from Florence racetrack, has been kind to him, seeing him in its top 5 not once but four times.

A tweet from the horse’s mouth earlier last week had fans in a tizzy: Junior was gearing up for another spin at the Florence Motor Speedway. Fresh from the South Carolina 400 and a February race, Earnhardt had set his sights on the Locked In 200. Yet, in a candid confession on his podcast, he revealed he hadn’t initially intended to race. And that was even confirmed by his co-host Mike Davis, who called Dale Jr. racing on the Florence Speedway “a secret covert operation.”

Dale said, “We weren’t planning on running it. I wasn’t planning on running it. But the race was rescheduled from Wednesday to Friday, and I said, Hey guys! You all should go; I would go watch.” But a chat with Amy, his wife, saw him singing a different tune, and he soon found himself deep in the throes of race prep, from revving up his motor to last-minute tweaks.

However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Sharing the behind-the-scenes drama, he mentioned, “We started out of the truck and the clutch started slipping real bad, had some oil on it, and we had to change that. While we were changing the clutch, the car fell off the jack and turned the right side of it.”

Reflecting on the race, Junior didn’t mince words. He tipped his hat to the new-gen cars, noting their knack for speeding up isn’t for the faint-hearted. He remarked, “It’s hard to get those things to go fast. It should come back to you pretty quickly, but it’s just that they are good. The guys that are driving every weekend are really good.” Perhaps that’s why he felt the race’s aftereffects, which he later shared with his eager fans.

Watch This Story: Denny Hamlin Accuses Joe Gibbs’ Grandson of Invoking Dale Earnhardt’s Tragedy on Ryan Blaney No Place To Hide

Dale Jr feels the rust of being out of the racing loop

Trending

Rick Hendrick Lending a Helping Hand to Stewart-Haas Racing Amid Dire Times Leaves Insider Infuriated

May 19, 2024 06:50 AM EDT

Chase Elliott Refuses to See Eye to Eye With Dale Jr’s NASCAR Vision With 9-Words

May 18, 2024 06:25 PM EDT

Chase Elliott Skeptical of Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Revival of NASCAR’s “Lost Relic” After Years of Deliberation

May 18, 2024 07:11 PM EDT

HMS’ Class Act Backfiring on Tony Stewart & Co. Leaves Kevin Harvick’s Former Crew Chief in Shock

May 19, 2024 07:14 AM EDT

Rick Hendrick & Co.’s Partnership with Tarnished Sponsor Triggers Bitter Outburst- “F*CK Liberty”

May 17, 2024 04:29 PM EDT

Get instantly notified of the hottest NASCAR stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

The race at Florence Motor Speedway did affect Dale’s health and it even led to the fans asking some unsavory questions. As a fan asked, “Is @DaleJr hungover from last night? He sounds like me trying to hold a conversation with my wife on a morning after streaming,” Dale was quick on the draw. He candidly revealed that a pesky sinus cold was the culprit behind his gravelly tone.

It tugs at the heartstrings to see our NASCAR giants show signs of wear and tear after hanging up their racing boots. Still, Dale Jr.’s comeback spirit, burning rubber on the track once more, definitely revs up the fans’ spirits. Here’s hoping for an encore! Fancy seeing more of him burning rubber? How about you?

Read More: Massive Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Underdog Announcement Has the Racing Community Going Bonkers