Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Disastrous Bristol Goodbye: From Lost Glasses to Driving Without a Spotter

What is it with Dale Earnhardt Jr and the Bristol Motor Speedway? Last year when he ran the 0.533 mile track, he was off to a good start but with just 30 laps to go, smoke filled his cockpit as his car caught on fire. Post the incident, he had said, “We got a hole in my pants,” and had burns on his firesuit.

And now that the two-time Xfinity champion is back on track for a race that could be his last, things were not off to a good start. After a fast, qualifying, the veteran was set to start the race in the 13th position. But as the Food City 300 kicked off, Earnhardt Jr. experienced issues in radio communication, especially when maneuvering from Turn 2 to Turn 4. This left Jr frustrated as he had to pit early to fix the issues, dropping track position. Little did the #88 know about the mountain of problems that were waiting.

Dale Earnhardt Jr got frustrated by his comeback race

The 49-year-old got annoyed as during the initial stages of the race, his radio gave in and he couldn’t hear what his spotter, TJ Majors, was saying. Junior later confirmed that he ran the whole first run spotter-less. He jokingly said, “I don’t know what that says about T.J.” They then gave him a new helmet on the pit road, but that did not solve things either. According to Earnhardt Jr, they needed a new wiring harness.

From there, the problems only continued as Junior’s radio fell down into the rocker panel and turned way up. He had to tell Majors not to yell because it sounded extremely loud to his ears. The myriad of issues did not stop with the radio. Even his glasses fell on the floorboard, causing issues with his visibility. On the next pit stop, he got a new pair of glasses and continued the race. In the end, thanks to a few cautions, he could climb back up to the top 10, eventually finishing 7th in the race.

Although initially frustrated with the problems, he was delighted that it all ended well. In the post-race interview, he said, “Yes, yes I did (have fun). I was worried. I was having some problems with my helmet and stuff, the wiring earplugs, and the late-model stuff. There might be something in this harness, it was a winning harness. Could have got some champagne from Martinsville or Watkins Glen, you do your best, right? We try not to lose any laps, and try to figure out how to get it right.”

This might be Dale Earnhardt Jr‘s last Xfinity Series race, as he thinks he is getting too old for this. “I’m thrilled. To come out here and be competitive. I don’t know how much longer can I be competitive, I can come out here for another 20 years but eventually these young kids will be so good. It’s fun to be able to roam with them tonight,” He added.

Jr wants to shift his focus more towards his podcast, getting back to the booth and in the affairs of managing his team. If this won’t take up all his time, He has the CARS Tour to handle as well.

Dale Earnhardt Jr on his future plans

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After 24, Xfinity Series wins, 26 Cup Series wins and two back-to-back Xfinity Series titles (1998 and 1999), Earnhardt Jr might finally be ready to fully retire from racing. Ahead of the Bristol race, he had said, “I’m not planning on racing next year. I’ll be foolish to say I’m never going to run again because I don’t know well enough to stay away from it, and I’ll probably miss it next year and be absolutely willing to sign up because of anything that might be beneficial to JR Motorsports.” 

Partly he won’t be racing the #88 is because he’s handed the keys to Connor Zilisch the next season. And Jr has no doubt, that Zilisch would continue the honor of his car as he already did at Watkins Glen. Where Zilsich won his debut race of the Series. However, this would not stop him from racing if he wished to. He’ll be continuing to race the Late Model and wants to focus more on his other interests.

Post the Bristol race, he said, “I gotta work on my broadcasts and new partners and all that, so I want to be great. I feel like I need to really focus on that, that’s priority, I want to do well in the booth and maybe I will get back.” Time will tell if we get to see the veteran back in the series or not. What are your thoughts? Do you want him to come back for more races? Let us know in the comments below.