It’s no secret that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a massive fan of the Washington Football Team, now renamed as the Washington Commanders, the NFL team which has been going through a crisis of sorts.

And it’s also no secret that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the richest NASCAR driver today. He has an estimated net worth of over $300 million, which, regardless of the measure by which you measure money, is pretty rich.

But irrespective of these two factors, should an opportunity come to the former NASCAR driver to have ownership of the Commanders, Earnhardt Jr would simply walk away from it.

Why?

“I don’t have that kind of money,” he said in a recent interview. “This is billions of dollars.” 

He explained that he isn’t interested in having “a small fraction of ownership.” “I don’t know what I would get out of that,” he added.

“I love being a fan. I want to be in the stands with all the other fans, I want to wear the merch. And I wanna be mad when they lose, and I want to cheer when they win,” Earnhardt Jr continued.

“I want to go do that. I don’t want to be in the owner’s box.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr hit by nostalgia ahead of the Daytona 500

As NASCAR prepares for the Daytona 500 to start the 2022 season in a competitive sense, Dale Earnhardt Jr admits he is missing the action in retirement.

“I miss it so much,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I don’t shy away from that, I allow myself to miss it. I think that having some of that in my heart helps me in the booth.”

Regardless, Dale Earnhardt Jr continues to remain a huge, active part of the NASCAR ecosystem.

Yes, he isn’t racing anymore. But such is his passion and love for the sport, such an icon he is, that he’ll continue to be part of the sport irrespective of his direct involvement.

Also Read: Dale Earnhardt Jr Dismisses the Family ‘Gene’ Factor With Kyle Larson & Kyle Busch Examples