Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s final NASCAR Cup Series race was in 2017 at Homestead-Miami, where he finished in 25th place. Like many retired NASCAR drivers, he finds himself missing the competitive rush, which likely explains why he occasionally returns to compete in the Xfinity Series and participates in Late Model races. However, he recently shared an unexpected aspect of racing that he surprisingly misses now.
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During an interview with “Bussin’ with the Boys,” Dale Jr. confessed that while he originally despised “Practice” sessions, they are what he yearns for the most today.
He elaborated, “Yeah, I hated practice because practice was a lot of times like testing was testing and practice are very similar. In testing, you go to a racetrack in the middle of the week, way before weeks before you’re going to race there and you’re by yourself usually.”
Junior explained that although the process felt tedious, with the team diligently working through their two-day plan, from a driver’s perspective, it was just endless solitary rounds around the track.
This routine, once a source of boredom, has become something he nostalgically misses, stressing how perspectives can shift over time. He also reflected on how his mid-week practice sessions often disrupted his personal schedule. Yet, he revealed a moment from last year at Kansas Motor Speedway that shifted his perspective.
As he sat in his car, watching his team drivers practice, the JR Motorsports co-owner realized that there would soon come a time when he wouldn’t be present to witness these scenes or participate in the practices himself.
He narrated, “I’m in my garage stall, it’s every other car is in their garage stall, people are pulling in and outgoing, running laps, and it’s busy, and I was just sitting in there, I was like yeah I’m gonna miss this part. I hated this part, and I should have appreciated it more. But I’m going to miss watching my guys.”
How did Dale Jr. celebrate his final Cup race?
While it might have been extra special to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. cap off his NASCAR Cup Series career with a championship, his aspirations for his 631st and final race were grounded in modesty — he aimed to complete all the laps and cross the finish line. Unfortunately, he fell short of this goal, finishing three laps down due to a leaky tire.
Nevertheless, Dale Jr. embraced his final moments on the track with joy and celebration. Surrounded by legions of devoted fans, he and his crew popped open beers on the pit lane, reveling in the connection for nearly an hour post-race before he moved on to congratulate his friend and former employee, Martin Truex Jr., who was celebrating his NASCAR Cup Series championship nearby.
Now, with his own team having debuted in the Cup Series with the Daytona 500, it would be fascinating to see whether Dale Jr. might once again don the driver’s suit to pilot his team’s car in a Cup race.
