What is Dale Earnhardt Jr. Doing Now?

1 May 2022

Dale Ernhardt Jr. is one of the most prolific and popular professional racers to ever enter the raceway in 1996. Since then, Dale Jr. has coveted 24 Xfinity Series races and 26 NASCAR Cup Series races throughout his entire career. This impressive feat alone has earned him plenty of praise and recognition all across the globe.

Dale Jr. after Retirement

After recently being inducted into the 2021 NASCAR Hall of Fame, little is known about Dale Jr.’s future plans and present ventures. Currently, Dale works as a full-time race analyst for NASCAR on NBC sports.

Since his retirement, he has pursued a broadcasting role with the channel and is due to return this year for the fifth season.

Dale shared that despite retiring, he claims that there’s a part of him that misses the sport. Even so, he’s adamant about not returning to high-stakes racing again, especially since he wants to prioritize his family this time.

At 47 years old, Dale said that he’s done with taking risks, particularly when it comes to racing.

However, his deal with the Hendrick team allowed him to run laps during the tests in Daytona to become more acquainted with the latest NextGen car. He also has plans to continue running occasional races for his own team in the Xfinity series.

Moreover, Dale and his wife are also excited about launching a nationwide business venture called High Rock Vodka this upcoming spring.

The couple claimed to have been searching for a business opportunity that they could share together, which turned out to be a vodka-related venture.

The couple is thrilled with their new project since it was something they can do on their own terms and enjoy doing simultaneously. On another note, Dale Jr. continues to be a TV analyst for NBC, a co-owner of the JR Motorsports Race team and writing books that make it on the best-selling list.

He’s also exploring further in the business world, which is kickstarted by the High Rock Vodka – all these while he spends most of his time with his loving family.

Who is Dale Earnhardt Jr.?

Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr., more commonly known as Dale Jr., is a semi-retired American professional car racer, author, team owner, and 2021 Hall of Fame inductee. Born on the 14th of October 1974 in the city of Kannapolis, North Carolina, Dale was already exposed to plenty of racing due to his father’s profession.

He is Hall of Fame inductee Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s son, and also Ralph Earnhardt’s grandson, who was a driver at NASCAR as well. Dale Jr. drives the no. 88 Chevrolet Camaro in the Xfinity Series for his team called the Jr. Motorsports.

Servicing cars at his father`s dealership

Due to Dale Jr.’s exposure and family history of car racing, it’s no surprise why he was considered a force to be reckoned with while he’s in his element. Before he even ventured into racing, he started by servicing cars at his father’s car dealership, where he performed maintenance tasks.

He began racing at 17 years old, pooling his money with his brother, Kerry, to purchase a 1979 Monte Carlo, which they eventually raced for the Street Stock division. This went on for two years until he moved to the Late Model Stock Car category.

His passion for cars made him earnest in learning more about them through working as a mechanic and getting racing experience whenever he could.

His career started in 1996 when he finally got a chance to participate in NASCAR. Dale gradually carved a name for himself in 1998 when he won the Busch Series Championship, coveting one success after the other.

Daytona International Speedway

Dale’s career especially reached its peak when he garnered success at the Daytona International Speedway, where he was notably dubbed the “Pied Piper.”

More than that, he’s also won Daytona 500 two times in 2004 and 2014, respectively, and received the Most Popular Driver Award consecutively fifteen times from 2003 up until 2017.

In 2008, Dale eventually switched to Hendrick Motorsports after driving the No.8 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for his father’s team throughout his early career in the Cup.

He stayed with Hendrick Motorsports until he finally retired in 2017 from full-time driving. Earnhardt left the professional driving scene bagging 26 Cup Series wins – a staggering total that earned him the 31st rank in the history of NASCAR in March 2021.