USA Today via Reuters
May 8, 2021; Darlington, SC, USA; Former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. poses for a picture with the restored 1984 Chevy Nova driven by his father the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. on pit road prior to the Steakhouse Elite 200 at Darlington Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
May 8, 2021; Darlington, SC, USA; Former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. poses for a picture with the restored 1984 Chevy Nova driven by his father the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. on pit road prior to the Steakhouse Elite 200 at Darlington Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
The NASCAR Xfinity Series race saw one of the biggest names in the sport returning to the paddock – Dale Earnhardt Jr. The son of the late great lead the pack at the start of the race. Undertaking the role of the pace car before the Xfinity race began, the veteran driver had the honor of driving his late father’s restored Chevrolet Nova car.
It truly was a spectacular sight, seeing the iconic #3 Chevrolet Nova leading the modern Xfinity cars.
While the race began with Dale Jr leading the pack, it ended with Justin Allgaier emerging at the victor at the end, ahead of Josh Berry and Brandon Jones. Meanwhile, the usual suspects, Austin Cindric and Daniel Hemric had contrasting fortunes.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Hemric was able to finish in fourth place, but poor old Cindric crashed out of the race. Luckily for him, he has built up enough of a lead to still lead the Xfinity Series standings. It is worth mentioning that Allgaier led a JR Motorsports 1-2, which made Dale Earnhardt Jr a very happy man.
Still thinking about @DaleJr pacing the Xfinity field in his dad's restored Chevy Nova.
Beautiful.#NASCARThrowback | #NASCARonFS1 pic.twitter.com/c0Vy19YiVg
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 8, 2021
Dale Earnhardt Jr has plans to establish a Cup Series team
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
All in all, it was a great day in the office for Dale Earnhardt Jr. The former NASCAR driver recently admitted that there were talks within the JR Motorsports camp on the possibility of competing in the Cup Series in the future.
USA Today via Reuters
May 8, 2021; Darlington, SC, USA; Former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. paces the field in the restored 1984 Chevy Nova driven by his father the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. prior to the Steakhouse Elite 200 at Darlington Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
For the moment, Earnhardt Jr is just focusing on the 2021 Xfinity Series season. He is happy that Allgaier is in excellent form, with Darlington being his second win of the season. This win has propelled the JR Motorsports driver to seventh in the championship and with a stronger chance of moving up.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Meanwhile, his rookie teammate Josh Berry has sneaked into the Top 16, placing himself in the running for the Playoffs. While all that was going on, Noah Gragson endured a nightmare, after he got disqualified. Apparently, this was on technical grounds and he lost a $100,000 bonus.
