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It’s no secret that my personal favorite driver of all-time is none other than NASCAR favorite son, NASCAR Hall-of-Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr., And we here at the Daily Downforce have taken a look back at some of the great moments of his career. But this week, with him making what might be his final start of any kind in NASCAR, we thought it’d be cool to take a look back at his career in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. While his Cup Series stats spark some debate amongst fans, nobody can deny that in the second-tier series of NASCAR, Junebug is one of the all-time greats. So, with no further ado, here are the greatest moments of Dale Jr.’s NASCAR Xfinity Series career.

A Few Things To Note:

• Since retiring from full-time racing in 2017, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has run at least 1 race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series every year. In 2018, he qualified on the outside pole at Richmond and led a race-high 96 laps on his way to a 4th place finish. He followed that up in 2019 with a 5th place run at Darlington, driving a No. 8 throwback. In 2020, Dale Jr. raced at Homestead to a 5th-place finish. In 2021, he came in 14th at Richmond. At Martinsville in 2022, he placed 11th after a few wild restarts. Then, in 2023, he made 2 starts. His first was at Bristol, where he led 47 laps and was in contention to win before a freak electrical fire cut his race 30 laps short of the finish. He bounced back, however, weeks later at Homestead, where he wheeled his number 88 Chevy to a 5th place finish.
• There have been several reports throughout the year that this race at Bristol might mark the last ever for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in NASCAR. If that’s the case, let’s look at his stats. In 146 starts, he has visited victory lane 24 times. He scored 71 top-5s, 95 top-10s, and 121 top-20 finishes. He has led 3,716 laps. In 1998 and 1999, we went back-to-back as the series champion.
• Some of the moments on this list will be fan-favorite moments, while others may be more obscure/forgotten. This should be a fun trip down memory lane for us Junior Nation diehards!

Honorable Mention: The Bristol Sweep (2004)

Since he raced at Bristol last year and may be making his final NASCAR start at the track this weekend, it’s only fitting that we kick off this list with an honorable mention. By August of 2004, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was having the best season of his career. When 2004 was all said and done, Jr. won 6 races on the Cup side on his way to a 5th place points finish. But he was also a force to be reckoned with in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. One of the year’s finest moments was when he swept the races at Bristol Motor Speedway. Driving the number 81 Menards Chevy for Chance 2 Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt Jr. dominated the fall Xfinity Series race at Bristol, winning the race over friendly series rival Matt Kenseth. Saying you’ve swept a race weekend is an amazing feat for any driver. Dale Jr.’s sweep of the 2004 Bristol races is one of the finest moments of Little E’s racing career.

Fun fact: it was this weekend when he coined the “It’s Bristol, Baby” slogan. In my humble opinion, BMS owes Junebug a debt of gratitude just for that.

#5: The Daytona Sweep (2004)

As stated above, 2004 was the greatest statistical year of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s career…and it started off hot. While this race started on the Saturday before the Daytona 500, Florida showers moved in and postponed the Xfinity race to the following Monday. Less than 24 hours after winning his first Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the NASCAR Busch/Xfinity Series race in his number 8 Oreo Chevy for DEI, sweeping the weekend. This came during a stretch where Dale Earnhardt Jr. was perceived as unstoppable at Daytona and Talladega. When it comes to Jr.’s best career Xfinity Series moment, this one is a special one indeed.

#4: Shutting Out the Field in Daytona (2006)

Perhaps the most dominant race of Dale Jr.’s career was the 2006 Winn Dixie 250 at Daytona. Junior was driving a bright orange Menards-sponsored number 8 for DEI, and he absolutely whooped the field. Junior led an unheard-of 88 of the 103 laps and was even able to pass cars without the assistance of the pack. Heck, there were a couple of times when he completely drove away from the pack all on his own. He absolutely obliterated his competition on his way to capture his 21st win in the series.

Our friend, The Iceberg, made a great video remembering this race. Check it out in the link below.

#3: The 3 Revisits Victory Lane at Daytona (2010)

The most sentimental moment on this list is the 2010 Subway Jalapeno 250. This was amidst a really dark time for us members of Junior Nation. The Lance McGrew stint was a stretch between 2009 and 2010 that I think all of us would rather forget. We needed a pick me up and we got it with this race. To honor his father’s induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Dale Jr. reunited with Dale Sr.’s long-time car owner, Richard Childress, to run a number 3 Wrangler throwback. Junior said himself that there was no other option: they either won the race or it was all for nothing. Junior started the race, fittingly, in the 3rd position, and he took the lead in a hurry. He led a race-high 33 laps and was able to hold off Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Joey Logano to score his 23rd NASCAR Xfinity Series win.

Relive this special moment in the video below.

#2: Back-2-Back Championships (1998 & 1999)

Before making the jump to the NASCAR Cup Series, where he enjoyed a Hall-of-Fame-worthy career, Dale Jr. ran 2 full-time seasons in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In the second-tier series, he drove for his father’s team of DEI, sporting the number 3 AC Delco colors. He went on an absolute tear during these two years, scoring 7 victories in 1998 and 6 wins in 1999. During these years, he won back-to-back Xfinity Series championships, which has tied him for most of all time. Until recently, he was almost amongst the top 10 all-time winners of the series. He has had a great career as an Xfinity Series driver, and it all started during the ’98 and ’99 seasons.

Our friend, Black Flags Matter, did a Championship Seasons video for these two years. Check that out in the video below.

#1: The Last NASCAR Win (2016)

We’ll conclude this list with his last NASCAR win (so far). Dale Jr.’s 24th and final NASCAR Xfinity Series win came amidst his career resurgence in the early-to-mid 2010s. The race was at at Richmond Raceway in 2016, where he rolled off 3rd and finished 2nd in his heat race. This race also marked his first and only (so far) win for his own team of JR Motorsports. He drove the familiar number 88 Helmann’s colors and led a total of 128 laps of the 149-lap main event, winning the race in dominating fashion. Thus far, this is the last win of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s career. It certainly is a special moment for all of us in Junior Nation.

Conclusion

That does it for this list, Daily Downforce readers, and fellow Junior Nation members. What are your favorite Dale Jr. moments in the NASCAR Xfinity Series? What would you add to this list? What might you take off? Let us know! Be sure to tune back in here at DailyDownforce.com for our coverage of the races at Bristol. And keep checking back throughout the week for all the latest news and silly season rumors in the world of NASCAR!