CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s announcement that he will retire from racing at the end of the season:
3:50 p.m.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. ‘s retirement follows those of Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon in the past two years, creating a major void in NASCAR star power.
Yet Earnhardt says the “sky’s the limit” for NASCAR, and he is “super excited” about the stock car series’ future, given its promising young drivers.
“Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, just to name two of probably a dozen guys that I’m excited about,” Earnhardt said. “That’s all I read about on Twitter yesterday was how awesome the race was and how much fun it is to watch Larson. It’s true. He’s a real talent
“All those guys have great attitudes, great personalities. I know them well enough to be excited about how fans are going to know them in the future.”
___
3:30 p.m.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he wants to stay involved in racing in some capacity after he has finished driving.
“I do have ambition to work,” Earnhardt said. “I’m not going to quit working. There’s a feeling to being an asset to something. I don’t have to be the guy holding the trophy, but being a part of that success, I really enjoy. I really enjoy making people happy and doing stuff as a team. I think I can replicate that in the next chapter of my life.”
Earnhardt is a third-generation racer.
He has 26 career Cup victories and is a two-time champion of NASCAR’s second-tier series. But the son of the late champion has never won a Cup title. The Kannapolis, North Carolina, native in his 18th full-time season at the Cup level and he made his 600th career series start earlier this year.
Earnhardt partially owns JR Motorsports.
___
3:25 p.m.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is retiring at the end of the season, is encouraged about the remainder of what will be his final full season as a driver.
He says he’s now excited about going to the early morning practices that he used to dread.
“I feel healthy. I’m having a really good time driving the cars and enjoying that with my team,” he said. “We spoke this morning, and that was the real message, really, that we feel competitive. We feel like we can go out there and do well. We’ve had some odd luck, but when the luck’s been there, the results have been there. … I’m excited about the races we have left.”
Earnhardt is not off to the greatest start this season, with only one top-five finish so far. He took another hit Monday at Bristol Motor Speedway when a mechanical issue caused him to crash.
___
3:20 p.m.
Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick is thanking the retiring Dale Earnhardt Jr. for everything he’s done personally and professionally for him.
“You deserve everything, all the awards and accolades,” Hendrick said. “There will never be another Dale Earnhardt Jr. You’re the one.”
Earnhardt has driven for Hendrick since 2008 after a nasty split with Dale Earnhardt Inc., the team founded by his late father but run by his stepmother. He was unhappy with the direction of DEI since his father’s 2001 death in a last-lap accident at the Daytona 500, and a frosty relationship with his stepmother led him to bolt to NASCAR’s most powerful team.
___
3:15 p.m.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he is committed to participating in two Xfinity Series races in 2018 and that “even after this season, you have not seen the last of me on the racetrack.”
Earnhardt says he wants to be part of the “future of this sport” for many, many years to come and that he would stay involved in racing at some level.
“I don’t see myself really detaching,” Earnhardt said.
___
3:10 p.m.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he informed Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick on March 29 of his plans to retire. Earnhardt said that “without a shadow of a doubt,” the toughest part of his decision was informing Hendrick.
Earnhardt has driven for Hendrick since 2008 after a nasty split with Dale Earnhardt Inc., the team founded by his late father but run by his stepmother. He was unhappy with the direction of DEI since his father’s 2001 death in a last-lap accident at the Daytona 500, and a frosty relationship with his stepmother led him to bolt to NASCAR’s most powerful team.
___
3:05 p.m.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he is retiring at the end of the season because he “wanted the opportunity to go out on (his) own terms.”
Earnhardt missed much of the 2016 season due to concussion-like symptoms, and he acknowledged Tuesday that the time off played a role in his decision. He wanted his retirement announcement to be his choice, rather than something that was decided for him.
“Having influence over my exit only became meaningful when it started to seem most unlikely,” Earnhardt said. “As you know, I missed a few races last year and during that time I had to face the realization that my driving career may have already ended without me so much as getting a vote on the table. Of course, in life we’re not promised a vote, and that’s especially true in racing.”
___
2:15 p.m.
Fellow drivers are offering tributes to Dale Earnhardt Jr., who announced Tuesday that he plans to retire at the end of the season.
“I’m proud of my great friend @DaleJr for everything he’s done for this sport,” tweeted Tony Stewart , who retired at the end of the 2016 season. “I’m even more proud of who he is as a man. Love you friend.”
Jeff Gordon issued a statement through Fox Sports, where he works as an analyst. Gordon retired after the 2015 season but filled in as the No. 88 driver last year for part of the season when concussion-like symptoms prevented Earnhardt from racing.
“Dale Jr. has had a huge impact on our sport — and you can see that every week with his legion of fans and Junior Nation,” Gordon said. “He has a tremendous sense of the history of NASCAR and, while he shares his father’s name, Dale has made a name for himself with his accomplishments in racing. While we will miss Dale on the track next year, he loves this sport, those working in the industry and the fans too much to ever be too far away.”
Jimmie Johnson, a seven-time points champion, paid tribute to his Hendrick Motorsports teammate on Twitter , calling him “a hell of a friend and teammate.”
___
9:37 a.m.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. abruptly announced his retirement at the end of the season Tuesday, a decision that will cost NASCAR its most popular driver as the series scrambles to rebuild its fan base.
Colorful, candid and talented, Earnhardt has been plagued by concussions the last several years and he missed half of last season recovering from the latest head injury. It caused him to delay contract talks on an extension to drive the No. 88 Chevrolet, and the two-time Daytona 500 winner with deep family roots in auto racing appears ready to call it quits.
A third-generation racer, Earnhardt turns 43 in October, is newly married and has said he wants to start a family.
His wife, Amy, posted on Twitter shortly after the announcement: “I’m so proud of Dale for working so hard to get back and even prouder for his courage & self awareness to make the decision to retire. I’m sure God has many other great plans for him and us!”
Earnhardt has become a vocal advocate for research of sports-related brain injuries, and the hit he took last June led to months of rehabilitation that gave him a new perspective on his life. The concussions left him with nausea, double vision, anxiety and a multitude of other symptoms that he’s discussed in great detail.
Earnhardt is not off to the greatest start this season, with only one top-five finish so far. He took another hit Monday at Bristol Motor Speedway when a mechanical issue caused him to crash.
In a typical Earnhardt move, a fan tried to take a selfie with Earnhardt as the driver made his way to the care center for the mandatory checkup after his hit. Although the fan was pushed away at the time, Earnhardt found him after his stop in the care center and later posted on Twitter the fan got his picture.
He did not seem fazed by Monday’s crash.
“I feel good. We’ll get in here and find out,” he said as he walked to the care center.
Earnhardt set an afternoon news conference with team owner Rick Hendrick to discuss his decision. Hendrick Motorsports said in a news release that Earnhardt informed his team of his decision early Tuesday. Hendrick Motorsports said Earnhardt first discussed retirement with his boss on March 29.
Earnhardt has won NASCAR’s most popular driver award a record 14 times. He has 26 career Cup victories and is a two-time champion of NASCAR’s second-tier series. But the son of the late seven-time champion has never won a Cup title.
Earnhardt has driven for Hendrick since 2008 after a nasty split with Dale Earnhardt Inc., the team founded by his father but run by his stepmother. He was unhappy with the direction of DEI since his father’s 2001 death in a last-lap accident at the Daytona 500, and a frosty relationship with his stepmother led him to bolt to NASCAR’s most powerful team.
Earnhardt made his first career Cup Series start on May 30, 1999, at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Kannapolis native is in his 18th full-time season at the Cup level and he made his 600th career series start earlier this year at California.
His retirement is just the latest in a series of veterans stepping away from the sport after long and popular careers.
Jeff Gordon called it quits after the 2015 season, but he was a fill-in last year as Earnhardt recovered. Tony Stewart retired at the end of last year.
Now Earnhardt, the last of the true country boys, is following their exit. Born and raised in North Carolina, his roots for NASCAR run deep. His Hall of Fame father Dale won seven titles and, known as “The Intimidator,” was one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history.
Earnhardt’s grandfather, Ralph, ran 51 races at NASCAR’s highest level.
