Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Uncut Diamond Hints at Early Retirement Despite Recent Success

A product of Dale Earnhardt Jr‘s driver development program, his team, JR Motorsports, launched the careers of many budding racers. Among them, Brad Sweet is the four-time World of Outlaws Series champion. With his new business endeavor with NASCAR star Kyle Larson, Sweet unfolded the next phase of his life.

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Brad Sweet began his NASCAR journey with the Camping World Truck Series, where he eventually joined JR Motorsports to learn the tricks of the trade. But when he couldn’t find his footing in the restricted NASCAR events, Sweet found solace in sprint car racing, a passion shared by his brother-in-law and 2021 Cup Series champion, Kyle Larson.

The duo joined together to launch the High Limits Sprint Car Series to make racing more affordable for drivers across the land. In his podcast, The Dale Jr Download, Junior was curious about Sweet’s future plans. He asked, “So when you’re not driving, you’re literally just a series owner navigating around?”

Brad Sweet did not hesitate before responding, “Yeah, I really enjoy it. It’s kind of the next chapter of my life.” The statement was underlined with a tone of finality. This prompted Dale Jr to ask, “So what, were you going to retire soon?” 

To which Sweet answered with a resounding yes. He said, “Yeah, I mean honestly, from driving. I don’t see myself racing too many times.” Clearly, Dale Earnhardt Jr did not expect a confirmation because he could only utter a stunned “I don’t believe it!”

Junior was particularly dismayed because of Sweet’s incredible performance at Lernerville Speedway recently. Larson took time out of his intense playoff battle to participate in the Commonwealth Clash of his Sprint Car Series, along with Brad Sweet. Although they couldn’t grab the checkered flag, Sweet broke the track’s 21-year-old record during qualifying. However, the seasoned racer had a heart-touching reason for slowing down.

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At the moment, Brad Sweet is busy defending his title en route to a consecutive 5th World Outlaws Sprint Car Series championship. He marked his eighth win of the season in the Tom Tarlton Classic sprint race at Kings Speedway. With the 87th win of his Outlaws career, it would be an unconventional time to slow down for any racer. But in the excitement and thrill of innumerable motorsport events, the personal life of athletes often takes a backseat.

Sweet highlighted that in his conversation with Dale Earnhardt Jr, “I’m 37 now. Having a little girl and being away on the road, I’ve been on the road racing for 10 years.” He would prefer the next phase of his life to be surrounded by family and focused on the mammoth venture undertaken with Larson. The face of the series, Larson, would not be able to devote sufficient time due to his exceptional stock racing career. It would be Brad Sweet who would undertake the primary responsibility of shaping the sidelined race form.

He continued, “I really enjoyed the art of the show. I really think there’s some innovation. I really love our product and I really think it could be showcased a lot better, more efficient. I just think it’s my turn to take my shot here. I’ll keep racing for as long as I need to keep racing.”

Although disappointed, Dale Earnhardt Jr would surely find comfort in the admirable ambition and outstanding accolades garnered by this talented driver.

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