Dale Earnhardt Jr. is making his first and closing begin in the Xfinity Series this season in Friday’s Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Ahead of qualifying, Earnhardt mentioned the challenges that Bristol presents this yr, versus final yr when he led 47 laps earlier than a mechanical concern ended his evening early.
“The track’s a lot different than it was last year, car’s real chattery, skipping around back and the front,” Earnhardt informed NBC Sports. “Felt like I needed to underdrive the automobile much more this yr simply because it will slide the rear end or the entrance by way of the heart. We’re not going to have the backside of the track this yr. I liked it final yr, working on the backside and I don’t know if that’s gonna be there. I used to be shocked final evening that the tracks held on the means it did, however we’ll see the way it goes.
“We’ll have to go where the speed’s at and hopefully, that’s the bottom and the top.”
The 49-year-old has been lively this yr in racing Late Model Stock Cars, however it’s been a bit since he’s been again in a inventory automobile in NASCAR. Earnhardt, the NASCAR Hall of Famer, is making his 147th begin in the Xfinity Series however first since October 2023 at Homestead-Miami.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. seeking to discover velocity in No. 88 automobile at Bristol
Even for a driver as skilled as Earnhardt, Bristol is not any straightforward job.
“You gotta learn so much in every corner very quickly and process it as much as you can and hopefully you do a good job and don’t slip tonight,” Earnhardt stated.
The No. 88 Chevrolet has been quick this yr irrespective of who’s been behind the wheel. Connor Zilisch gained in his Xfinity Series debut at Watkins Glen final Saturday, and Earnhardt is hopeful that velocity interprets to Bristol.
“Had a great car last year. Really, really great car,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said at the Bristol media heart. “And no surprise the 88 has been fast every time they take it to the racetrack, no matter who’s driving it this year. So, I feel pretty good about the car being good again. It’s the same car ran last year. They took it home, tore it apart, put it back together, and nobody’s drove it since then. So, hoping it’ll drive as good as it did last year.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. reveals 2025 plans for Xfinity Series
For followers of the 15-time Cup Series Most Popular Driver, the most important goal will merely be taking in what might be Earnhardt’s swan music in NASCAR. Earnhardt has competed in no less than as soon as Xfinity Series race yearly since 2001, however stated Friday he has no plans to race in 2025.
“Well, I’m not planning on racing next year,” Earnhardt stated. “I’ll be silly to say I’m by no means going to run once more as a result of I don’t know properly sufficient to avoid it, and I’ll in all probability miss it subsequent yr and be completely prepared to enroll as a result of of something that may be helpful to JR Motorsports. I've to remind followers and folks that observe us that I run this race and have ran this race over the final a number of years as a result of of the massive profit that it's to JR Motorsports.
“It’s a package deal where Hellmann’s and Unilever has put their logos on Justin’s [Allgaier] car and it’s helped fill out that car. And I don’t have a requirement to run next year, so I may just not do it. And I will miss it terribly, regret that I didn’t race and probably in 2026 find me somewhere that I can go compete in the Xfinity Series again. But right now, I don’t have any plans.”
