Dale Earnhardt Jr. Drops Bombshell on NASCAR Racing Future

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has made a surprising announcement regarding his future in NASCAR. In a discussion on his widely-followed Dale Jr. Download podcast, the racing icon revealed that he currently has no intentions to compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, or any other series for that matter, for the upcoming 2025 season. Admitting that the flexibility is something he’s looking for, he said the following:

“I don’t have any plans. I like it that way. If I want to run one, I will. If I don’t, I won’t,” he said, leaving the door ajar for something that could come his way in the future. This news comes on the heels of an impressive performance, where he finished seventh at the Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway. This strong showing unsurprisingly fueled conversations about whether this race would mark the conclusion of his NASCAR appearances.

Since stepping back from full-time Cup racing in 2017, Earnhardt has been selective in which Xfinity Series events he takes part in, with his choices mostly driven by personal wants, but also sponsorship collaborations with JR Motorsports, of which he is co-owner.

Earnhardt is now looking at further extending his sights to a broadcasting role in 2025. His new commitments will see him lending his experience to Amazon and TNT Sports, as they cover several NASCAR Cup Series races. In his capacity as a commentator, Earnhardt will kick off his broadcast tenure with Amazon from the Coca-Cola 600 and later transition to TNT Sports for additional race coverage. Nevertheless, racing remains tantalizing for Earnhardt. Despite his focus on broadcasting, he might not last too long not being behind the wheel.

But knowing me, I’m probably going to go, ‘Man, I missed running.’ When ’25 is over…I’ll probably be sitting there going, ‘I should have run that race.’ “It looks fun as a viewer and I enjoy tracks where a driver can run against the wall,” he said. With 147 Xfinity Series starts and 24 career victories, his contributions to NASCAR are substantial. 2024 NASCAR XFINITY FOOD CITY 300 RESULTS Cole Custer Sheldon Creed Chandler Smith Jesse Love Ryan Truex Brandon Jones Dale Earnhardt Jr Ryan Sieg Sam Mayer AJ Allmendinger Anthony Alfredo Jeremy Clements Riley Herbst Austin Hill Sammy Smith Parker Kligerman Brennan Poole Shane Van Gisbergen Joe Graf Jr Josh Bilicki Josh Williams Blaine Perkins Kyle Sieg Ryan Ellis Jeb Burton Kyle Weatherman Logan Bearden Carson Ware Greg Van Alst Justin Allgaier Leland Honeyman Chad Finchum Stefan Parsons Matt DiBenedetto Jeffrey Earnhardt Garrett Smithley Parker Retzlaff Austin Green