Dale Earnhardt Jr. has announced he will retire from his position behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet SS in the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series following the 2017 season.
Earnhardt Jr. has enjoyed more than 18 seasons in NASCAR and has more than 600 race entries to his name. The 42-year old made his Cup Series debut on May 30, 1999, at Charlotte Motor Speedway and has since captured 26 race wins and been voted as NASCAR’s most popular driver a record 14 consecutive times.
Hendrick Motorsports said Earnhardt will discuss his decision at greater length during a press conference this afternoon. The two-time Daytona 500 winner will be joined by Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick in the conference, for whom Earnhardt has driven since 2008. The team says Earnhardt and Hendrick first discussed his decision to retire on March 29th.
Hendrick Motorsports will announce plans for Earnhardt’s 2018 replacement at a later date.
Comments
Wow! There go NASCAR ratings.
NASCAR ratings have been in a death spiral for the past 3-4 years and the changes they’ve made this year in the format of races hasn’t helped as it’s why Carl Edwards decided to retire as NASCAR isn’t as much fun as it was; Dale Earnhardt Jr’s retirement announcement is another nail in the casket.