Grateful Earnhardt Jr. is ready for normalcy at Darlington Raceway

DARLINGTON, S.C. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. is grateful to be back at Darlington Raceway preparing to drive two weeks after he and his family escaped a plane in flames following a crash in Tennessee.

Earnhardt, set to drive the Xfinity Series event here Saturday, said he and his wife Amy are still processing the frightening events Aug .15 at the airstrip in Elizabethton, where he had flown to call the Bristol race as an analyst for NBC Sports.

"I' m just thankful and ready to live our lives ," Earnhardt said Friday.

Earnhardt was with Amy, year-old daughter Isla, two pilots and the family dog. Investigators say the plane bounced multiple times during a crash landing and veered off the runway before ending upon a highway in flames. Everyone aboard was safe, though the 44-year-old Earnhardt received treatment on his sore back to ensure he could race at Darlington.

It will be his first time driving in NASCAR since finishing fourth at Richmond

last year.

Earnhardt said the crash was a scary experience, but one he hopes to get past.

"It was a very tough experience to go through," Earnhardt said. "I try not to get into that. Things happen for a reason. You just try to learn from it and move on."

Since retiring from the Cup Series in 2017, Earnhardt has since been a fixture in NBC's booth, bringing his wry, insightful perspective to audiences the past two years.

Earnhardt wouldn't discuss details of the crash, citing a continuing investigation into the accident. He also wouldn't go into his feelings at seeing video of the accident, a frightful scene where the family, pilots and the dog were seen rushing from the plane as the flames burned.

"We've just been taking some time for ourselves," he said.