What’s Happening?
While Dale Earnhardt Jr. may not race in NASCAR full-time, that doesn’t mean the Hall of Famer has stopped racing. In 2026, the 51-year-old has plans to race part-time in Late Models as he has done over the past few seasons.
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. stepped away from full-time Cup racing at the end of the 2017 season, a year after a concussion forced him to sit out half of 2016. Medical advice pointed him away from continued competition, and he chose to call time on his own terms instead of waiting for the sport or the team to make that call for him.
- From 2017 through 2024, he made at least one start each season in the O’Reilly garage. That streak came to a halt in 2025 when he did not take part in any race in the series. The move led many to believe he had walked away for good.
- Despite this, he continues to hint at a possible return in 2026, leaving the matter hanging in the air. As things stand, there has been no word on whether he will add any O’Reilly races to his schedule.
- Away from NASCAR’s top tiers, Dale Jr. has stayed busy in the CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour. Last season, he made four starts, finishing 21st at Cordele Motor Speedway, 10th at Anderson Motor Speedway, 18th at Florence Motor Speedway, and 12th at Tri-County Motor Speedway.
- For now, Dale Jr. has confirmed he will be back behind the wheel, just not in NASCAR machinery. He announced that he will compete in a CARS Tour race at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway on April 11, though he will likely add one or more races to his schedule for 2026.
- This article will be updated should Earnhardt add races to his schedule.
Dale Jr.’s 2026 Schedule:
CARS Tour
- Saturday, April 11: Nashville Superspeedway | Finish: 37th
- Saturday, October 3: Newport Speedway
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. has once again found himself at the center of talk about his return to the track. On a recent episode of The Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt Jr. shared a conversation with his wife, Amy Earnhardt, who floated the idea of him taking another shot at the Daytona 500 next season after the event’s success this year. While he brushed it aside at first, he later shut the door through a post, making it clear he has no plans to return to the NASCAR Cup Series.
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