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JOLIET, IL – JULY 15: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Insurance/Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet, puts in his earpiece in the garage area during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series testing at Chicagoland Speedway on July 15, 2015 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)
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JOLIET, IL – JULY 15: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Insurance/Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet, puts in his earpiece in the garage area during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series testing at Chicagoland Speedway on July 15, 2015 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)
When the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series wrapped up, Dale Earnhardt Jr announced his full-time NASCAR retirement. Although he had never quite reached the level of success that his father enjoyed, he carved out his own legacy. During the Playoff stage in the 2017 season, NASCAR made sure to honor Dale Jr. Safe to say, he and his sister Kelley Earnhardt were hugely flattered.
The former Daytona 500 winner was expected to hang up his racing helmet at the end of the season. In addition to that, he was also trading them for a commentary booth. In light of the occasion, Kelley paid tribute to her brother and made some incredible comparisons.
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She said, “He’s such a humble person. I even have to tell him sometimes, ‘you are the caliber of a Derek Jeter retiring. You are the caliber of a Tom Brady doing something.’ He just kind of rolls his eyes sometimes and shrugs his shoulders because, on the flip side of that, he’s just an everyday guy.”
READ MORE: Dale Earnhardt Jr & Others “Sh*t” Themselves in Excitement as Another Old NASCAR Track Gets Revived
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How did Dale Earnhardt react to the tributes to his legacy in the sport?
To be perfectly honest, he felt that the tributes were a bit much. This was why his sister had to be the one to let him know how much he has impacted the sport. Furthermore, the fans love how genuine he is, and that makes him one of the most popular drivers in the sport.
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NORTH WILKESBORO, NC – AUGUST 31: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (3) smiles on the starting grid just before the Cars Tour LMSC 125 on Aug 31, 2022, at the North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, NC. (Photo by David Jensen/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Of course, Dale Jr continues to be involved in the sport, through his commentary. In addition to that, he even has his JR Motorsports Xfinity Series team. The organization has been pretty successful in the intermediate category, with a few titles under its belt. Who knows, maybe in the future, the team could try and expand its operations into the Cup Series. When that does happen, it would be absolutely incredible.
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