Almost seven years after hanging up his firesuit, Dale Earnhardt Jr still finds his hands itching for the wheel. But the 26-time Cup Series winner does not go back to the booming NASCAR garages. Instead, he finds himself retracing his steps back to his roots. The racer started out his ambitions in Late Model events as a teenager, and that habit has not yet gone away.

Recently, Dale Jr watched his CARS Tour pupil soar to victory while he notched an impressive finish. The veteran’s presence enthralled the folks at Langley Speedway, even more so after Dale Jr beamed with enthusiasm post-race.

Langley rivalry fascinates Dale Earnhardt Jr

The 49-year-old NASCAR Hall of Famer announced his arrival at the 16th Annual Hampton Heat race over a month ago. Earlier this year, Dale Earnhardt Jr finished 4th at the Florence Icebreaker. Then at his New River All-American Speedway debut, he got caught in a crash with Landon Huffman and finished 14th. Dale Jr luckily did not engage aggressively in Langley, but he got a first-person view of some of his tough rivals battling it out.

Brenden “Butterbean” Queen outlasted two NASCAR Weekly Series national champions, Connor Hall and Peyton Sellers, to grab the checkered flag in the end. Dale Earnhardt Jr finished fifth and hailed his rivals post-race. “Yeah, I’m really proud of it. A lot of fun watching them guys duke it up there…We just didn’t have enough of a car to get up there. Congrats to Butterbean, William, and his team. They represent Late Model Stock Racing, really good.”

Mark Wertz won the pole for the Hampton Heat and led for 130 laps initially. Then Queen and Hall crossed him, scripting the next storyline of the race. They ran side-by-side for most of the final 33 laps and found Sellers taking advantage of their feud at times. But eventually, Queen executed his winning bump-and-run on a lap 194 restart, tying with former Langley star C.E. Falk, also a three-time Heat winner.

And the 6,500 fans in attendance on the track were thrilled. Despite the storm cell that pushed the race from 6:30 PM to around 11 PM, Late Model fans were dedicated. And Dale Earnhardt Jr could not thank them enough: “Thanks to all the fans who showed up, man. You guys are awesome…Had an awesome crowd tonight, and great support from the community. Langley’s special, I had a blast, I’ll be coming back.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr’s top-five showing may be enough motivation for him to book his slot for Langley next year. However, there are more reasons for him to come back.

Dale Jr has intimate ties and interests

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Tapping into his childhood interest in Late Model racing, Dale Earnhardt Jr inevitably makes room for these events in his yearly schedules. He runs up to six Late Model races per year, adjusting them with multiple duties as a broadcaster, podcaster, car series owner, businessman, and dad. This year, Dale Jr’s presence in Langley drew a gigantic crowd. It was reckoned to be one of the largest at the track since the memorial gathering for his father, seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt in 2001.

Dale Earnhardt Jr holds Langley close to his heart for another reason. His late mother, Brenda Jackson, lived in Hampton Roads for about 25 years. On his visits, Dale Jr’s stepfather Willie Jackson, who competed for a time at the track, would bring him to Langley. So the veteran driver honed a desire to race at the track since his childhood days. “I’ve always had this really cool admiration for the track,” he said. I loved coming here. I’ve never even run a lap here, so I was anxious to check that box off at some point.”

And Dale Jr has finally checked off that box and in a dominant fashion. Basking with some Late Model experts in the top five, Dale Jr is sure to come back to Langley Speedway to make more fond memories.