NASCAR Rumor: Dale Earnhardt Jr Poised to Replace Kyle Larson at North Wilkesboro for the All-Star Weekend

Last year when the news of the NASCAR All-Star race returning to North Wilkesboro was announced, Dale Earnhardt Jr welcomed the decision. And now fans may get to see him on the track for the event. The latest tease by Hendrick Motorsports on X suggests something big coming up. Is Earnhardt Jr gearing up for another lap at the All-Star race?

In 2023, Kyle Larson came out on top in the All-Star race but it is possible that HMS could replace him with Earnhardt Jr for the All-Star weekend in May.

Ready to see Dale Earnhardt Jr hit the track for an All-Star race?

Hendrick Motorsports stirred the pot on Twitter with a short 11-second clip, teasing, “Something’s coming. Tomorrow. 9 a.m. ET. Dale Jr. Download.” The video gave the audience a peek at the bottom half of a driver strutting towards the lens in a National Guard racing suit, tweaking his pant cuff, all while rocking those unmistakable skeleton gloves.

Piecing together the clues, it looks like Dale Jr might just jump back into the driver’s seat for a NASCAR Cup Series event, and odds are it’s the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro happening May 17–19. It’s all adding up: he could be filling in for Kyle Larson, who’s probably going to be tied up with the first two days of qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 on May 18 and 19.

There’s also a shot Dale Earnhardt Jr could be showing up at Darlington Raceway for the races on May 10–12, especially since the Darlington Raceway folks dropped a pair of eyes emoji under the post, joining in on the hype. Still, throwing all guesses on the table, Dale Jr replacing Kyle Larson at the North Wilkesboro race just fits the puzzle better.

Not to mention, even Kyle Larson had a pretty intriguing response to all the gossip. When a fan tossed up that HMS video on Twitter, wondering out loud, “what if dale jr is replacing kyle larson at north wilkesboro while kyle qualifies for the indy 500?” Larson himself caught wind of it and hit retweet with a “🤔” emoji. Looks like he’s keeping us all guessing too.

The last time Dale Earnhardt Jr went full throttle for a whole season with Hendrick Motorsports in the Cup Series was back in 2017. Since hanging up his full-time racing gloves, he’s popped back for a race or two in Xfinity each year, but nothing as headline-grabbing as this seems to be shaping up.

Last year, when NASCAR announced that they would return to North Wilkesboro, Earnhardt Jr shared his delight on X and posted, “Great news. This year’s event was the most fun I’d had at a racetrack in many years. Fun concerts, parties, food, cold drinks, and @CARSTour racing midweek. I’ll be sure to take it all in again next year. All that AND a repaved surface to mix it up.” It looks like he could be part of the event in a much bigger capacity this year.

After the Bristol Xfinity race in 2023, Earnhardt Jr said, “I could see myself running that car long into my 50s if I wanted to because I wouldn’t care as much about how competitive I am.” So it looks like Earnhardt Jr returning for the All-Star weekend remains a possibility.

And get this—he’s rocking a clean-shaven look lately, just as he’s mentioned on recent episodes of Door Bumper Clear and his own podcast episodes. Apparently, back in the day, it used to be a hit with both his mom and the sponsors.

Earnhardt Jr sporting a clean shave could hint at a return to Cup racing

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On his latest podcast episode, Dale Jr showed up without his usual facial hair, something we haven’t seen in a long time. He brushed it off, saying his wife booked him a haircut, and he figured, why not go for a full refresh? But back in 2012, he mentioned the only times he’d go clean-shaven were for his mom or the folks footing the bill for his rides. 

As per ESPN.in, he said, “She [his mother] and my sponsors like me to stay clean-shaven. […] If I have a lot of sponsorship appearances coming, I’ll trim it up. Fans either hate it or love it, and they tell me all the time. It can be really annoying inside the helmet because it’s itchy, but otherwise, it’s great. And we’re running good, so I ain’t shaving it.”

Read More: ‘I’m a Pain in the A**’: Dale Jr Hilariously Takes a Revolting Stance on His Latest Look That Startled His Close Ones

This little makeover might just be Dale Jr hinting that he’s ready to slip on the helmet again. How do you feel about the possibility of Dale Jr making a comeback with Hendrick Motorsports? Let us know in the comments below.