Dale Earnhardt Jr on Daytona 500 Appearance Talks: “Take a Guy Like William Byron, He’s Young. He’s a Risk-Taker and I’m Done Taking Risks”

When the NASCAR Cup Series drivers took to the Daytona International Speedway, there was a familiar face. To be precise, the Hendrick Motorsports team roped in Dale Earnhardt Jr to drive the #5 car. This is largely because Kyle Larson is a little busy trying to defend his Chili Bowl Nationals title. Of course, with Dale Jr.’s presence, there were speculations that he could be back in a racing capacity.

Speaking after the test, he said, “No impact. It’s a long story, but I’m old. 47 years old, and take a guy like William Byron, he’s young. He’s a risk-taker and I’m done taking risks. I got two little girls that I love being around and I put my wife through a lot, to race. Half of my career, she was with me. She put everything in her world on pause for eight or ten years… I just don’t know that at 47 years old, I would be willing to take the necessary risks down on the race track, that a young guy like William Byron is able to do.”

Watch Story: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Voices His Disapproval With NASCAR HoF’s Policies After Recent Backlash

What else did Dale Earnhardt Jr. say?

The veteran driver confessed that he often wondered what happens when drivers’ performances start to dip. He observed that wins slowly turn into Top 5s and gradually go down to Top 10s, before fading off. A lot of times, the veteran drivers try to stretch their careers well beyond their successful years. So, Dale Jr wondered about the reason behind the drop in performance. Sometimes, it could be the car or the team, but he believes that the biggest reason is the driver’s ability to take risks.

In other words, he is talking about their willingness to repeatedly place themselves in dangerous situations. As the years pass, younger drivers enter the sport and display raw speed. According to him, whenever he raced, he used to watch the younger drivers often be a touch overzealous. In fact, when he came for the test, he was under the impression that he would be alone on the track. One thing is for sure, he is not going to compete in the Daytona 500.

READ MORE: Dale Earnhardt Jr Reveals One Aspect of Next Gen Cars that Makes it Difficult to Drive