Earnhardt Jr.’s final season ends without championship run

JOLIET, Ill. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. received a stamp of approval from fans wanting to write letters to the retiring star, wishing him luck.

Jennifer Hoger has attended races at Chicagoland Speedway for 15 years and penned similar farewell notes to former NASCAR champions Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart in their retirement seasons. She stopped at the red mailbox with No. 88 on the door to drop off her letter: Dear Dale, Thank you for all the memories here (at)Chicagoland Speedway!! Good luck in your future endeavors!!! The Hoger Family Bridgeview, Illinois “It’s just something I really wanted to do for him,” she said. “He’s just a regular guy when you see the way he interacts with people on pit road. He’s just a great guy.”

Moments later, a track employee picked up the latest haul from the stuffed mailbox — she estimated 200 letters already had been written by Saturday morning — and promised they would be delivered to Junior by the end of race weekend.

Fan enthusiasm hasn’t waned for Junior even as he’s stumbled through a disheartening final season that will end without a NASCAR Cup championship in his 18-year career. Earnhardt, a two-time Daytona 500 champion, has just one topfive finish this season and hasn’t finished better than 12th in his last 10 races in the No. 88 Chevrolet. When NASCAR’s version of the playoffs open today at Chicagoland, Earnhardt starts with a more modest goal of finishing the season inside the top 20 in the standings.

“We should’ve run well all year and gotten ourselves into the playoffs for all of our fans,” he said.

Earnhardt has been feted at tracks all season, receiving donations in his name and framed photos of great moments. At Chicagoland, he cuddled a puppy as the track announced an $8,800 donation to a Chicagobased animal shelter.

He strides through the garage hounded by autograph-seekers who know this is their last chance to receive that favored souvenir on their die cast, hat or poster.

There are 16 drivers in the NASCAR playoff field.

There’s only one driver with the stature of Dale Junior.

Earnhardt has been plagued by concussions the past several years, and he missed half of last season recovering from a head injury. He delayed contract talks on an extension to drive the No. 88 Chevrolet, and the winner of 26 career Cup races decided in the spring to call it quits this season.

A third-generation racer, Earnhardt turns 43 in October, is newly married and has said he wants to start a family. He has won NASCAR’s most popular driver award a record 14 times.

He wanted to win a championship for himself, his team and owner Rick Hendrick, but also for the fans who have idolized him because of his aw-shucks charm, candor and deep NASCAR roots. His late Hall of Fame father, Dale, won seven titles and was known as “The Intimidator.”

Earnhardt is 22nd in points and qualified 20th for today’s race. He has one career win at Chicagoland.

Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney are the young playoff drivers expected to somehow carry that popularity torch held for so long by Earnhardt.