Dale Earnhardt Jr Was Left Crying On Account of This Person During “Retirement Mess” At Hendrick Motorsports

At the end of the 2017 season, Dale Earnhardt Jr announced his retirement from the Cup Series. Without a doubt, it was pretty much the end of an era, as there would be no Earnhardt name on the grid. Since he had been in the sport for nearly two decades, one could not blame him for being emotional. However, he only truly let himself weep because of one person in the paddock.

In conversation with Graham Bensinger in 2018, he confirmed that that person was none other than Rick Hendrick. Dale Jr confessed, “The only time I ever cried in the whole retirement mess was when Rick was around. I didn’t want to disappoint him. He was like a father to me, he was like a dad. I don’t say that casually.”

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Dale Earnhardt Jr left a massive legacy in the NASCAR scene

Although Dale Jr is no longer actively racing, he has left an indelible mark on the stock car racing arena. He is currently plying his trade in the commentary booth, and even has his own Xfinity Series team. Said team has also gone on to be incredibly successful and produced a number of top-class drivers. Some of them have even graduated to the Cup Series and one even went on to win the title.

One thing is for sure, Dale Jr is sorely missed in a racing capacity. Of course, he does occasionally step in to drive one-off races for JR Motorsports. However, that is only in the Xfinity Series, and he has not raced in the Cup Series since 2017.

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Admittedly, one of the biggest reasons behind his retirement was the toll that the racing was taking, on his health. Already, he had to miss most of the 2016 season due to a concussion, and he must have felt that it was time to hang up his boots.