“It’s been a while since I’ve been to a Cup race.” For Dale Earnhardt Jr, visits to NASCAR speedways were normal, but that evening, it was something special. The 1999 running of the Coca-Cola 600 was going to be Junior’s first qualifying attempt in a Cup car. Fans famously called it ‘Countdown To E Day’, and it was a promotion that ran unlike any other in NASCAR! It all came to a head as Junior sat in his No. 8 Bud car, ready to leave his mark. And that’s when it happened. Dale barreled down the straights with a lap that put him 8th on the grid for the race. More importantly, he started seven places ahead of his father, Dale Earnhardt Sr. Although he later finished 16th, little did he know he had just started the journey of our 600 Cup starts. Having since retired from sport, it’s time Dale looks back on one promise made to himself about his career from an interview from 2004.

The iconic 60 Minutes CBS series once featured Dale Jr., and at the time, he made something of a promise about his future. “I’ll race till I’m about 55 years old. But I’ll probably be out of the Nextel Cup Series when I’m 40 or 45. And then I’m going down to the Busch Series, run there for a while, and then late models, which is grassroots racing.”

Recalling the 2004 interview, one fan posted on X, saying, “Last night I was watching 60 minutes with Dale jr and at the end he talked about his retirement plan. Race in cup til he’s 40-45. Then dabble in Xfinity, then race late models and be done racing all together by 55. All these years later and so far he’s stuck to that plan.”

Little did they expect Dale to take notice, replying to the post with, “Damn if we didn’t.” To his credit, Junior stuck to his guns! At 43, Dale announced his retirement from the Cup Series. It wasn’t a flashy finish. Junior finished in 25th place at the Ford EcoBoost 400, capping it off with an impromptu pit road party with his Hendrick Motorsports team. Part of the reason he retired was the concussion from Michigan, the injury that forced him to sit out most of the 2016 season. Being forced out of the car because of injury wasn’t something Dale wanted, and it reflected in his retirement announcement.

He said, “As you know, I missed a few races last year and during that time I had to face the realization that my driving career may have already ended without me as so much getting a vote at the table. Of course in life we’re not promised a vote, and that’s especially true in racing. But, during my rehab, I was given something else that I wasn’t accustomed to, and that was time. Time to understand what’s important to me, time to realize the incredible support system I have in my wife, my team, and my doctors, and time to work like hell to wrestle back some semblance of say‑so in this whole matter. So that became my motivation. The opportunity to stand here at this podium to announce my choice rather than some fate that was decided for me.”

Retiring from Cup, Dale moved to Xfinity, making appearances in the JR Motorsports car. Just last year at Bristol, he showed he hadn’t lost his touch. The No. 88 car finished in seventh place during the playoff race. But keeping in track with his promise from all those decades ago, Junior is likely not returning to Xfinity, having reached fifty. Speaking about the Xfinity Series, he had said, “I’m not planning on racing next year. I’ll be foolish to say I’m never going to run again because I don’t know well enough to stay away from it, and I’ll probably miss it next year and be absolutely willing to sign up for anything that might be beneficial to JR Motorsports.”

With Dale sticking to his word so far, fans are impressed, and they aren’t afraid of showing it!

Fans show love as Dale Earnhardt Jr. continues decades old plan

While Dale has called it quits from Cup and Xfinity, racing is in his blood. And when Cleetus McFarland, a social media influencer, came calling about trying a drag car, Junior was excited. “I’m ready to go to a real strip,” the HMS legend said at the end of the session. It prompted one fan to say, “Then drag racing with Tony?” Well, Stewart already has a team in the NHRA, and if Earnhardt really wants to have a go at racing funny cars, he could reach out, right?

You might want to hold your horses there, because Dale might have different racing plans. While Dale said he would race till he was 55, his career in late models might go longer than that. Just a year ago, Junior said he plans on going for much longer than expected in grassroots racing. “I want to run my late model for a really long time. I imagine when I get to around 60, I’ll be probably considering that that’s probably too old to be out there battling with some of these younger guys.” That would make this fan, who said, “You’re racing late models past 55! I’ll put money on that!!” incredibly happy!

That sounds like Dale Jr. is following in the footsteps of other NASCAR greats. We’re talking about Kenny Wallace and Ken Schrader, drivers who were in their 50s when they decided to get away from racing. Is it any surprise that fans want him to be inspired by them? “Naw Jr gonna be racing like Kenny and Schrader.”

For Junior, the journey certainly hasn’t been easy. We’re not talking about losing his father, but losing his legacy. Not only was he not allowed to visit his father at his final resting place, but Dale also lost everything at Dale Earnhardt Inc. The No. 8 car. His Bud sponsorship. The racing team his father built. All of it went to Teresa Earnhardt, who refused to let go. And that’s when he had to move to Hendrick and rebuild. Losing the No. 8, a piece of legacy tied to his father and grandfather, couldn’t have been easy. This fan perfectly summarised that when they said, “This is legendary….considering all obstacles thrown in your way between that interview and now. You knew what you wanted to do and stuck to it.”

But it hasn’t been all bad moments for the driver, right? It’s not the victories or the money. Dale transformed himself. From the party-loving driver who stayed up playing video games all night with Martin Truex Jr., Dale became a father. He became a businessman, starting his own media empire, and continues to be a major voice in NASCAR. None of that would have been possible without Amy Earnhardt, his wife. That’s why this fan said, “Turned out very well I’d say. Managed to squeeze in a great wife and daughters somehow too.”

Let’s hope Dale continues to be the driver we all have come to love in NASCAR, even if he doesn’t race in the future.