The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WHY DALE JR. DECIDED TO END NASCAR CAREER
Staying healthy is major factor in decision to retire at end of season.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Earnhardt era of NASCAR opened its final chapter Tuesday when Dale Earnhardt Jr. said he would retire at the end of this season, his 18th as a full-time driver in the Cup series. It will bring to a close the golden days of the sport, when Lee and Richard Petty helped build a stock car series that they turned over to Dale Earnhardt to carry into the next phase.
When Earnhardt died in a crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, the burden fell on a young Earnhardt Jr. to fill a void and help heal the broken hearts of Earnhardt Nation. His decision to walk away did not come lightly for NASCAR’s most popular driver and is a blow to a series scrambling to hang onto its fans.
Earnhardt called the decision, revealed to team owner Rick Hendrick on March 29, “very bittersweet” and admitted he shed tears as he prepared for Tuesday’s announcement. But he wanted to go out on his own terms rather than have injuries dictate when he left. He missed the second half of last season because of concussion symptoms.
“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.”
Earnhardt had delayed talks on an contract extension to drive the No. 88 Chevrolet, and the two-time Daytona 500 winner will now call it quits when the season ends in November.
“You deserve everything, all the awards and all of the accolades,” said Hendrick, who did not name a replacement for Earnhardt in the No. 88. “There will never be another Dale Earnhardt Jr. You’re the one.”
The news shocked and saddened others in the industry.
“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,” said Jeff Gordon, a former teammate at Hendrick.
Steve Letarte, the crew chief tasked with rebuilding Earnhardt’s confidence during a lengthy slump in the middle of his career, said Earnhardt can’t be measured simply as a driver.
“Dale is all encompassing,” said Letarte, now an analyst for NBC. “He carried the popularity of a sport on his shoulders. Anyone who tries to separate what he does behind the wheel to what he does in the sport doesn’t know Dale Jr.”
Added NASCAR chairman Brian France, “His passion for the sport will leave an impact on NASCAR that will be felt over its entire history.”
Earnhardt turns 43 in October, is newly married and says he wants to start a family. He has become a vocal advocate for research into sports-related brain injuries, and the hit he took during a race last June led to months of rehabilitation that gave him a new perspective on life.
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 and self-awareness to make the decision to retire.”
Earnhardt has won NASCAR’s most popular driver award 14 times. He has 26 career Cup victories and is a two-time champion of NASCAR’s second-tier Xfinity Series, where he plans to race twice next year. But the son of a seven-time Cup champion has never won a Cup title after more than 600 career series starts.
He has one top-five finish in eight races this season and was 38th Monday at Bristol after crashing.
“I feel healthy. I’m having a really good time driving the cars and enjoying that with my team,” Earnhardt 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.”
Earnhardt pledged he won’t be far from the track in retirement. He said he wants to be part of the “future of this sport” for years to come.
“I do have ambition to work,” Earnhardt said. “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 think I can replicate that in the next chapter of my life.”
As for closing the current chapter, Earnhardt reflected on how he wanted to be a race-car driver but knew he could never match his father’s success.
“When my dad was doing so well and there were a couple of guys coming into the sport that were sons, it was difficult for them to replicate their dads’ success,” Earnhardt said. “I just saw even at an early age, before I was a driver, that growing up in that man’s shadow was going to be a real hard challenge.
“I wanted to race, but I knew racing would put me in that shadow. I knew the odds of me really having any talent at all and being able to do it were thin. They are for anyone. So at a very young age, all I wanted to do was be able to make a living driving cars. I didn’t set goals. I didn’t dream of winning championships or Daytona 500s or working with one of the best owners in the business, driving for one of the best organizations. I was afraid of not being able to do it. So I guess what I’m saying is I’ve accomplished way more than I ever dreamed — way more than I ever thought I’d accomplish.”
Hendrick listened to Earnhardt and responded:
“I knew your daddy pretty well. I knew him real well. He would be proud of the man that you are and what you’ve done for so many, all the charities and all the good will that you’ve done. He would be — and is — very, very proud of you.”