Dale Earnhardt Jr. on retirement: I wanted 'to go out on my own terms'
CONCORD, N.C. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. chose this season to be his last as a NASCAR Cup driver because he wants “to go out on my own terms,” he said Tuesday.
Earnhardt opened his retirement news conference at Hendrick Motorsports with a 10-minute prepared statement, thanking team owner Rick Hendrick, his deceased father, his team members, his legion of fans and other family members who have supported him through the health struggles of recent seasons.
Speaking before dozens of news media representatives, several NASCAR officials, his wife Amy, other family members and Hendrick team members, Earnhardt, wearing a coat and tie, smiled and joked but also seemed solemn and reflective.
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Earnhardt said he plans to stay involved in the sport and with the Hendrick team, where Hendrick said he will tutor younger drivers. Earnhardt also is expected to have several offers to work in the television industry.
Earnhardt said he plans to drive for Hendrick the rest of this season and added that he is contracted with sponsors to run two not-yet-selected Xfinity Series races in his JR Motorsports cars next year.
“I’ll definitely leave the book open and continue to do that depending on the (sponsor) packages that come across the table,” he said. “And I told Amy I might slip off and run a 40-lapper at Hickory Speedway one night. Other than that, I don’t have any plans.”
Hendrick said Tuesday that no decision has been reached about Earnhardt’s replacement.
“We’ve got a lot of people to consider — our partners, our sponsors,” Hendrick said. “We’ve been talking to them. Priority one is to get everything prepared, get today over with. We’ll take time to decide what we do there.”
After Earnhardt opened the press conference with his statement, he sat beside Hendrick on the stage as they fielded questions. Hendrick kidded Earnhardt, who is known for dressing very casually, that he agreed with Earnhardt’s idea that both wear coats and ties for the press conference.
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Earnhardt missed half of last season because of concussion issues, returning at the start of this season only after long and difficult rehabilitation.
“During my rehabilitation, I was given something that I wasn’t accustomed to, and that was time – time to understand what’s important to me, time to realize the incredible support system I have,” Earnhardt said.
“I’ve accomplished way more than I ever dreamed. So I’m good on that front. My heart loves being in the car. I love driving. I enjoy it as much as I ever have. It’s really emotional. I don’t like letting people down, disappointing my boss. We all depend on each other to be there every day.”
Earnhardt said he met with Hendrick March 29 to inform him of his decision to retire.
Although the recent retirements of Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart and the scheduled departure of Earnhardt are seen as big negatives for the sport, NASCAR executive vice president Steve O’Donnell, who attended the press conference, rejected thoughts of dire consequences.
“It’s cyclical in any sport,” he said. “Stars come and go. Certainly, bigger personalities come and go. We look at the future and some of the drivers coming up. I’m encouraged about the future of the sport.”
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Kelley Earnhardt Miller, Earnhardt’s sister and one of the owners of JR Motorsports, called Dale’s retirement “very sad. I’m sure the fans are sad, too. But he’s going to be around. He’s going to stay involved.”
One of the most popular drivers in the history of auto racing, Earnhardt has scored 26 Cup victories, including a pair of Daytona 500 wins.
The vacancy on his resume is a Cup championship, a title his father, Dale Earnhardt Sr., won seven times.
“To my father, Dale Earnhardt, I would not have been a race car driver if not for him. He believed in me,” Earnhardt Jr. said.
Earnhardt’s legacy will go far beyond the numbers he posted on track. From the day he drove onto the racing surface at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 1999 to begin his Cup career, through the 2001 death of his father, through the Xfinity Series championships and the split with his father’s team, it has been a dramatic 18 years.
After Earnhardt Sr.’s death on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, Junior raced on, taking on not only the at-track responsibilities but also becoming the new face of Earnhardt Nation, one of the biggest and loudest fan collections in the sport’s history.
After Tuesday’s hour-long press conference, Earnhardt stopped to sign autographs for fans who were waiting in a Hendrick parking area.
Follow Hembree on Twitter @mikehembree
PHOTOS: DALE EARNHARDT JR. THROUGH THE YEARS
