Everything We Learned at Dale Jr.’s Bristol Press Conference
What’s Happening? Dale Earnhardt Jr. faces a tough task tonight at Bristol Motorspeedway in his first NASCAR race in almost a…
Though he is technically retired from NASCAR, Dale Earnhardt Jr has laid out the terms for a future return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In his eyes, one change to the NASCAR Xfinity Series calendar would get the Hall of Famer behind the wheel.
During Thursday night’s ZMAX CARS Tour events at North Wilkesboro Speedway, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr joined the CARS Tour broadcast for qualifying and the Tour’s Pro Late Model race. While the race saw Kaden Honeycutt lead 99 of the 100 laps at the famed speedway, what Earnhardt said was even more notable.
Earnhardt claimed that if NASCAR added a North Wilkesboro Speedway race weekend to the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule, he would add it to his racing schedule. Currently, NASCAR only hosts two NASCAR National Series events at North Wilkesboro Speedway: a Truck Series race and the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race, a non-points-paying event.
The two-time Daytona 500 champion has pleaded for an Xfinity Series date since Earnhardt helped lead the grassroots campaign for Speedway Motorsports to revive the track in the early 2020s. He even pushed for it to replace Circuit of the Americas to happen last season after last year’s track limits drama at COTA.
It’s not out of character for Earnhardt to issue such a challenge to the sport like he did Thursday. With the star power his presence would bring to a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Wilkesboro, many, including Earnhardt’s former colleague, Mathew Dillner, who joked that NASCAR will jump to schedule the event as soon as possible.
Earnhardt has not raced at Wilkesboro in a NASCAR National Series event, and the track has not hosted a NASCAR Xfinity Series event since 1985. However, Earnhardt has raced at the famed 0.625-mile oval since its recent revival.
Earnhardt, in a paint scheme dedicated to the one he drove at North Wilkesboro in 1993, participated in the CARS Tour race at North Wilkesboro in 2022 as part of what was supposed to be a slow revival of the track. This race, in front of a packed house, not only ushered in a new era for the speedway, accelerating NASCAR’s return to the track, but also for Earnhardt Jr., who was making his return to late model racing.
Since this race, Earnhardt, who retired from NASCAR Cup Series competition after the 2017 season, has turned his part-time efforts away from the NASCAR Xfinity Series and more towards his late model efforts. His infrequent starts across the East Coast are highlighted by solid runs and nostalgia, with him bringing along long-time sponsors like Bass Pro Shops, Budweiser, and Sun Drop.
After his most recent Xfinity Series start at Bristol Motor Speedway last fall, Earnhardt has not announced any further plans to race in the series. Though he left the door open, that evening felt like the end of his occasional Xfinity Series starts and his time racing in NASCAR. He even gave his No. 88 away to rookie Connor Zilisch for the 2025 season.
However, if it appears that NASCAR adds Wilkesboro to the schedule, NASCAR fans could get to see Earnhardt Jr in an Xfinity Series machine one more time.
What’s Happening? Dale Earnhardt Jr. faces a tough task tonight at Bristol Motorspeedway in his first NASCAR race in almost a…
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