Dale Earnhardt Jr Returns for His Annual NASCAR Xfinity Outing at Richmond Raceway

At the end of the 2017 season, Dale Earnhardt Jr walked away from the Cup Series. However, this does not mean that the sport has seen the last of him in the paddock. He still plies his trade in the Xfinity Series on a part-time basis and is expected to make an appearance at Richmond.

Recently, NASCAR unveiled the preliminary entry lists for the Xfinity Series race at the Richmond Raceway. It is worth noting that in the coming weekend, the Cup and Xfinity Series is hosting a doubleheader. This is also the penultimate race in the regular season before the Xfinity Playoffs commence. With this reveal, the NASCAR Hall of Famer will make his lone series start of 2021.

According to reports, the 46-year-old will pilot the #8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. In his Xfinity career, Dale Earnhardt Jr boasts of 24 wins, with his most recent one coming in April 2016 at Richmond. Considering that he is making his one-off appearance at the very same track, he could be a dark horse.

There are other new faces on the grid alongside Dale Earnhardt Jr

On an interesting note, Dale Jr will not be the only new face on the Xfinity paddock. Patrick Emerling will hop into the #23 Our Motorsports Chevrolet. There are also a few Truck drivers, like John Hunter Nemechek, Josh Berry, and Akinori Ogata. Finally, part-time drivers Ty Gibbs and Sam Mayer will complete the grid.

Of course, Dale Jr has nothing to lose, so he can simply go out on the track and enjoy himself. Whether he will win is anybody’s guess, but he will be certain to try his best. The coming race at the Richmond Raceway will be his 143rd race start, over a period of 25 years. Aside from him, the real battle will be between Austin Cindric, AJ Allmendinger, and many more drivers.

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