Dale Earnhardt Jr: “I Really Want to Do a Truck Race”

What’s Happening?

NASCAR Legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. has done almost everything imaginable throughout his NASCAR career, except race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, which he discussed during the latest episode of The Dale Jr. Download.

Throughout Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 778-career NASCAR National Series Starts, he has 26 Cup Series wins, 24 Xfinity Series wins, and two NASCAR Xfinity Series titles. But one thing has notably eluded the Hall of Famer throughout his time in the sport: a start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

While plenty of drivers moonlighted in the Truck Series during their careers, Earnhardt mostly focused on the Xfinity Series, competing in at least one race every season since 1996. This streak extended past his retirement from full-time competition and the NASCAR Cup Series in 2017.

From 2018 to 2024, Earnhardt made one-off starts in the series. During his part-time racing, fans wondered if Earnhardt would finally make his first career start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. While there was speculation of a deal coming together, such as his desire to race at North Wilkesboro, this has yet to happen.

During a reflection on the past few years of racing part-time during the latest episode of his podcast, The Dale Jr Download, Earnhardt, who left the door open to race again, also addressed the fact that he has never attempted a Truck Series race.

While some fans have speculated that he never attempted a race because he, like some other drivers of his era, has no interest in racing a truck, Earnhardt, during this episode, flat out said, “I really do want to do a truck race.”

So, what’s holding him back? The 50-year-old went on to say that he can’t pick a track. Martinsville would be interesting, but he doesn’t “like the racing there.”

“I really do want to do a truck race, but I just can’t figure out where to run one that it’d be fun for me, right? I have certain things that I think are fun. And like Martinsville, my kind of track, but I don’t like the racing there. It’s a little short. You don’t even get into the bad side of the tire right? To wear the tire’s messing around.” — Dale Earnhardt Jr.

While a track like North Wilkesboro could also seem like an easy option, as he has expressed interest in racing there in the past, Earnhardt said earlier in the podcast that since the track’s recent repave, he has lost interest in making a NASCAR National Series start at the revived track.

But, this doesn’t mean that is off the board, as he claimed would be interested once that pavement wears down, joking that it could happen in the next 7 to 8 years. But, even though he said he might do that race at 57 or 58 years old, he doesn’t want to be held to that promise.

“Maybe I’ll run that truck race at 58 years old at Wilkesboro,” Earnhardt said. “Don’t hold me to it, people.”

Earnhardt’s Racing Career Post Full-Time Retirement

While his retirement from NASCAR marked the end of an era, Earnhardt has shifted his focus to ownership of both JR Motorsports and the zMAX CARS Tour, as well as his work in media. However, neither of these has limited his racing.

Alongside his eight Xfinity Series starts from 2018 to 2024, Earnhardt has become a regular part-timer in the CARS Tour and late model racing. He made his return to the division in 2022 at North Wilkesboro and has made a total of 14 late model starts since, averaging a 12.1 finish.

He has one more scheduled start this season with the CARS Tour at Tri-County Speedway on October 4.

While Earnhardt has no plans to race in the NASCAR National Series again, during this episode, he left the door open to doing so, given the right situation, saying he “probably should” enter “one or two more” Xfinity Series races before it’s too late.

Let us know your thoughts on this! Join the discussion on Discord or X, and remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more updates.