Former NASCAR driver, broadcaster, and JR Motorsports team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. has not ruled out a potential one-off Craftsman Truck Series entry in the future. Following his Cup Series retirement in 2017, Dale Jr. makes one Xfinity Series appearance every year.
However, his participation in an Xfinity race hasn’t happened this year, although he emphasized that he wishes to run more races, but has not decided on the specifics.
Dale Jr. is 50 years old, but the former full-time driver stated that he won’t mind racing select Truck Series races in eight years, as long as it is fun for him. Answering questions on his Dale Jr. Download podcast, he said:
“I should run one or two more [Xfinity Series races]. But, I don’t know if and when I’ll do that. North Wilkesboro, I don’t really want to run Wilkesboro with the new pavement but there’s a chance by the time I’m 55-to-58 years old that maybe that pavement is kind of worn out a little bit and I can just hop on out there and do it.”
Dale Jr. questioned why he should not race again in eight years. Revealing his wish to race at Bristol, North Wilkesboro, and Nashville, he added:
“I don’t have any problem with getting in my Xfinity car in eight years and running a one-off. What the hell? Why the hell not? I’d run Bristol again. I’d run Wilkesboro once the pavement wears out. If the Nashville (Fairgrounds) thing happens, I’d probably contemplate going and running that one as well.”
Speaking on his interest in racing in the Truck Series, Dale Jr. said:
“I really do want to do a truck race, but I just can’t figure out where to run one that’d be fun for me, right? I have certain things that I think are fun. I like Martinsville, but I don’t like the racing there. It’s a little short in that you don’t even get into the bad side of the tire … to where the tire’s messing around.
“I went to run an Xfinity race at Martinsville, and it’s miserable because of the tire … the stages are too short. You don’t get to take advantage of being better at driving a race car because of the tire, once your tire starts to fail, and you lose the rear drive and different things … the brakes get mad, and the tires blow up the air pressure.
“Like, if you’re smart, you can do good things early in the run that’ll make your car really great at lap 80 and 100, which is so much fun, but they never get to that point. They never do. The stage is over, and there ain’t enough power too in the Xfinity cars at Martinsville. You stand in the gas and it’s like stepping in a bucket of water.”
Dale Jr. jokingly asked fans not to take him too seriously. He said:
“Maybe I’ll run that Truck race at 58 years old at Wilkesboro. Don’t hold me to it, people.”
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