Earnhardt to retire at end of season
SAN FRANCISCO: Dale Earnhardt jun, Nascar’s most popular driver, said yesterday he would retire after the 2017 season, a major loss to a sport already suffering from diminished star power and waning popularity.
Earnhardt’s career includes a record 14 consecutive Nascar Most Popular Driver Awards in addition to two Daytona 500 victories and 26 overall Cup pointspaying victories.
But a severe concussion kept the 42yearold out of the driver’s seat for the last half of the 2016 campaign and he told reporters yesterday he had time during his rehab to consider how and when to end his storied career.
‘‘I just wanted to opportunity to go out on my own terms,’’ he said.
He stressed he would not be detaching himself from the sport completely.
‘‘I want to be part of the future of this sport for many, many years to come,’’ said Earnhardt, the son of Hall of Fame Nascar driver Dale Earnhardt sen, who died in a crash at Daytona in 2001.
Earnhardt is the latest in a string of Nascar stars to call it quits, including Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart.
Earnhardt’s retirement comes as Nascar struggles to attract new fans to a sport with an ageing fan base and declining attendance and television ratings.
Nascar’s television viewership from a decade ago is down 45%, according to an analysis of Nielsen ratings by SportsBusiness Daily, a trade publication quoted in an article in the Wall Street Journal in February.
In December it was announced Monster Beverage Corp would replace telecommunications company Sprint as the new title sponsor of the cup series, a move designed to broaden the appeal of stockcar racing to the millennial generation.
But the energy drink maker got in at a deep discount, settling on a twoyear deal worth about $US20 million per season, less than half the nearly $US50 million Sprint had been paying, according to media reports.
Earnhardt rejected the idea Nascar was in decline and cited upandcoming drivers Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott as examples of talented drivers with colourful personalities. He said the ability of the new drivers to connect with fans on social media was critical in an age when fans expect to have a more personal connection to their athletes.