NASCAR fans won’t be able to enjoy seeing their favorite driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., competing in the Xfinity Series next year. There was a lot of chatter regarding his future involvement as a race car driver, and it was almost an open secret that Dale Jr. could be stepping down from his role as a driver in 2025.

Ahead of his race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the veteran driver confirmed that he won’t return to his duties next year, leaving many fans confused about why he would make such a decision. It wasn’t that he lost the joy of racing or that it became too much for him with his growing age. Rather, this was a strategic call, one that would serve a bigger purpose for him as the JR Motorsports team owner.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has set his priorities straight for the next year

JR Motorsports is undergoing big changes ahead of next year. Brandon Jones will return to Joe Gibbs Racing, and Sam Mayer will join the new outfit of the Haas Factory team. Meanwhile, JRM has been proactive in signing new stars; Connor Zilisch will lead the charge in the #88 ride. Reports also suggest that late-model star Carson Kvapil could join Zilisch in forming a new robust driver lineup for 2025.

So you see, Dale Jr. has sorted out the team’s new plans and set new objectives. Moreover, unlike this year, in 2025, he will be back in the booth with Amazon Prime Video, thus adding an extra set of responsibilities. As much as he would like to continue running in the Xfinity Series, he had to take a step back from competing in races.

“Well, I’m not planning on racing next year. I’d be foolish to say I’m never ever run again because I don’t know well enough to stay away from it, and I’ll probably miss it next year. I’ve run this race for the last several years because of the big benefit it is to Junior Motorsports…I don’t have any responsibility or requirement for me to run that race next year. So I’m just gonna see how badly I’m going to miss it,” Dale Jr. said ahead of the Bristol race.

He stated that he is open to racing in the future, provided a partner or sponsor backs his entire team in a packaged deal. “Probably in 2026, find me somewhere that I can go compete. Right now I don’t have any plans, and that’s the way I like it. If a partner comes together with a package that helps the other cars fill out multiple races that we have some inventory. I’m absolutely on board to do a race for that reason alone.”

However, Dale Jr. isn’t quitting racing cars completely. Keeping the door open for a NASCAR race in the future, he confirmed that he will run the late-model stock car races, as he did this year.

Dale Jr. will continue running in the late-model stock car races next year

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We have seen the JRM co-owner transition into a more influential voice of NASCAR despite being away from competitive racing. He has time and again shared his thoughts and opinions, which have shaped the landscape for the sport. One of the biggest ones was the revival of North Wilkesboro Speedway. Which has led to massive changes at the once-forgotten jewel of NASCAR racing. He also keeps his fans in the loop with his thoughts on the constantly evolving trends in racing through his podcast.

Now, he has set his eyes on local and regional racing. “I love to be honest with you, driving that late model stock car. I could go to some grassroots race tracks and have a good time and enjoy what I love about driving the cars just the same. So I’m going to continue to do that next year as well,” Dale Jr. added.

As far as this weekend’s race is concerned, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has some unfinished business from last year’s event. From being in a winning position to seeing his race car up in flames, the 49-year-old will look to live up to his billing at the world’s fastest half-mile.