A holiday for NASCAR fans is finally here. On Friday, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will make his once-yearly start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Since 2017, Earnhardt has made one or two starts a year, but how has he performed in those starts?
Despite the year-to-year occasional races, Dale Jr has yet to fall off in his finishes. However, qualifying was Earnhardt’s Achilles heel at his later start. His poor starting spots make his outings all the more difficult, having to work his way through a volatile Xfinity Series field. Notably, Earnhardt keeps himself adjusted by racing in multiple Late-Model races a year.
Dale’s first race in this saga may have been his best bet to win. At Richmond in 2018, Earnhardt Jr. led multiple laps, won his first stage, and finished in the top five.
Dale Jr. took a throwback car to Darlington for his second race. Notably, this was Earnhardt’s first race in the No. 8 in any Series since 2007.
Dale Jr switched it up in 2020, heading out of the Coastal region of the Carolinas and Virginia to Homestead-Miami Speedway. In his return to the site of his 1998 and 1999 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship, Earnhardt battled hard throughout the day, but failed to stay out front.
In his 2021 return to Richmond, Earnhardt found his way to the front of the field but failed to keep up with what had been a closely-knit field. He still found his way to victory lane, with JR Motorsports driver Noah Gragson winning the race.
Earnhardt made a very chaotic choice for 2022, choosing Martinsville for his fifth race since 2017. It was a tough race. Earnhardt started 30th and, in the midst of working his way to the front, found himself caught up in three accidents throughout the day.
Bristol was an exciting choice last season for Earnhardt’s longtime fans. At a track he loved to race at, Earnhardt started 15th and led 47 laps. However, his night came to a swift end after a sudden fire erupted in his car. Earnhardt was fine despite a hole in his firesuit.
For the first time since 2017, Earnhardt started more than one race in a single season. Earnhardt went from 23rd to 5th in an impressive performance, showing that he still had it.
In what may be his final start in a NASCAR-sanctioned series, he finished top-ten and led a lap. Notably, Jr. stayed on track for hours after the race, celebrating the night with friends and drivers.
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Where do all the drivers stand after the first official points race in the standings table?
After winning the opening points race of the season at Daytona by leading one lap, Tyler Reddick made it to the top of the standings. Under the new rules, he managed to pull up 58 points. He pocketed 55 for the win and added three more by finishing Stage 2 in P8. He may have squeezed out at least one more had he landed inside the top 10 in Stage 1, but after getting swept into a Lap 5 crash, Reddick limped the Stage 1 in P20, giving him no extra points.
Rounding out the top 10 are Brad Keselowski with 39 points in sixth despite a P5 finish, followed by his driver, Chris Buescher, in seventh with 39, Bubba Wallace in eighth with 37, Carson Hocevar in ninth with 36, and Ryan Blaney in 10th with 36.
Atlanta could be a springboard for Elliott, who owns an average finish of 11.4 across 14 starts there, with two wins, including one in last year’s fall race, plus three top fives and nine top 10s. The track could also pull Kyle Busch back into contention. Having already shown his speed at Daytona by winning the pole, he may potentially pull it off at the 1.54-mile track. The RCR driver sits P14 in the standings, but with an average finish of 8.8 at Atlanta since 2023 across six starts, the place might finally snap his 94-race drought.
Then again, Connor Zilisch has only one start at the track and came home P11 last year when he made his third Cup start there, making Atlanta a stage where he could stamp his mark.
Ryan Blaney will also have a better chance than anyone else to climb through a win or even points alone at Atlanta. The No. 12 Team Penske driver has one win there from 2021, but consistency has been his strong suit, with seven top fives and nine top 10s in 15 starts. And that puts him in a position to move the needle when the field rumbles into Atlanta.
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The Daytona 500 and Speedweeks may be over, but that doesn’t mean the chaos will cool off for the stars of NASCAR’s three National Series, as they roll into Hampton, Georgia, to the high banks of EchoPark Speedway for one of the schedule’s most unique race weekends.
Note: This article will be updated as more information about the weekend comes out.
One race weekend is in the books, and a 36-week march back to Florida is underway for the three NASCAR National Series. Whether you are going to be at the track or home, what does the forecast look like for the race weekend in Hampton, Georgia?
Before the Races (10:00 AM – 2:00 PM)
During the Truck Race (2:00 PM – 5:00 PM)
During the OAP Series Race (5:00 PM – 8:00 PM)
After the Race (8:00 PM – 11:00 PM)
Before the Race (11:00 AM – 3:00 PM)
During the Race (3:00 PM – 7:00 PM)
After the Race (7:00 PM – 10:00 PM)
NASCAR got lucky at EchoPark in 2025, and, as a matter of fact, everywhere else, but that doesn’t mean weather hasn’t affected the track’s races in the past with spot showers and major showers taking on race weekends. Take the summer of 2023, when the race took on a large rain shower that resulted in the race ending after just 185 laps, with race winner William Byron the leader at the time of caution.
Note: This article will be updated with a more accurate and detailed forecast as the race weekend nears.
