That picture behind Dale and Rick was really choking me up. It's a shot of the rear of Dale Jr's car, almost like he's peacefully driving off into the sunset.
The sport has survived the retirement of Petty, Allison, Pearson, and many other legends, it will survive losing Jr. It sucks, but at least he's choosing to go out on his own terms and not being forced out due to his health. Thank you, Jr., for all you've done for the sport and for entertaining us all.
Jr may not have the wins or championships as his father or Jimmie or Jeff has. But, Dale Jr has been the face of NASCAR, and does more for NASCAR. Bringing up young talent and giving them the opportunity to drive.
never thought he was a top notch talent, but he was and is a top notch representative of the sport, I'll always respect him as a person and for being a good guy. He could have easily let money and fame ruin his integrity, but he always stayed humble and I respect that
Yeah, he had big shoes to fill, and made a fair go at it. Never lived up to his dad's legend, but did well enough on his own. He's basically NASCAR Jesus, isn't he?
Will Jolly he was a great driver when he was racing with the number 8 Bud car at DEI. To me it seems like when he had that near-death experience in that Corvette that caught on fire when he was racing he was never the same after that incident.
Why would that reporter ask Dale Jr about when and where he cried? It ain't none of our business. I think that is personal. True fans want him to be healthy and happy first and foremost.
When your Father dies in your rear view mirror and he also stated his major reason for racing at all was to get the attention of his Daddy he never could achieve as a child then anything he achieved afterwards is honorable and still stayed humble. I watched his career pre 02-18-01 and was dominating no one was better then he in his group of peers. If anybody has lost a parent especially his he has no right to be judged most people would have quit but he soldiered on and carried the weight of the entire sport on his shoulders. He lost the one reason he was racing for.
Thank you Dale for all you did for the sport. If it weren't for you I probably wouldn't have been introduced to my now favorite sport. You have inspired so many. #JrNation
Respect for him making the decision to retire. He's been through a lot and I'm glad he knows when the time is right for him. I'm sure I won't be the only one that's gonna miss seeing him driving the 88 car to victory lane.
There's so much to digest in this press conference, not the least of which is the enormous growth of Dale Jr. and Kelley. What they have been able to achieve, and the people they have become is just incredible. Their achievements in the racing industry are something to be followed and they are great role models for how to become successful in this industry. But even more than their achievements, are the people they have become.
Dale's decision that '17 will be has last season in Nascar will have a big impact on the sport. Dale is one of the most popular and respected drivers of the sport. I hope that one or two of the new talented young drivers like Chase Elliott will be the new heroes of Nascar. I like the new format, it brings more competition in the first half of the race. At the other hand I notice the teams still calculate the overall mileage to make sure the cars will all have enough tires and fuel for the last 70 laps at the 1 mile to plate restricted speedways. I wish Dale all the best for the future plans he has. The sport will miss your sharp driving just inches from the wall at Talladega and Daytona. I hope Dale will an ever better race format so Nascar fans are even more excited to watch the races.
Been a Jr fan ever since I started watching in 06. Dale you are a great person. You are selfless and you have made the sport what it is today. Let's finish out 2017 strong! You will be missed, good luck in future adventures From, Jr Nation
RiGiD_DiRt Larson hands down. And definitely Bowman if he goes to the #88. I was disappointed that no one picked up Alex this season, but wondered if this was coming because Hendrick kept him under contract.
i was not a fan of Dale Jr during his career because of manufacturer differences - had he only driven a Ford (Yeah, I know Sr. owned a Chevy dealership). But I can tell you know, after seeing his maturity and watching him on Dirty Mo Media I am a fan of Dale Jr. I wish you the best in your future and I always look forward to your podcasts and your time in the booth on NBC. BTW, Dale Jr is a better broadcaster than Jeff Gordon, but that is only MHO.
NASCAR is going to loose millions because of his retirement. Jr. Bring's HUGE sponsorship to NASCAR. Going to miss him. Maybe rick will use him as a PR guy or something.
Dale Jr I have been your fan since '99. You and Peyton Manning was my two favorite sports figures. Peyton has done retired and now you are. I hope you are happy and I hope you are at peace with yourself. Take care. Love from East Tennessee! Go Vols!
Considering the shadow and expectations that JR started under, from the accident to carrying merch sales for NASCAR all while being that ambasidor that he didn't ask to be.I would say that Dale JR carved himself out a career that was truly his own. He ended up finishing top 5 in about 25% of his cup races and top 10 in about 40% of his career cup races. He was steady and consistent if nothing else. As to the man he has become over the last 20 years? Well my fav JR story is when NASCAR started slowing down financially it obviously affected the teams as well so when Rick had to make pay cuts in the garage and in the company JR went to him and said "I don't want any of the team to have to suffer because of this so please take 1 million dollars out of my salary and spread it around to make everyone whole again" Rick didn't do this so when JR saw this in his financial statements, He went to the office and again asked that they take the money from him to help everyone else's paychecks. He didn't gain anything from that...that just comes from putting others before yourself because you appreciate what they do for you in your day to day life
its sure as hell aint the same not only jr,tony stewart,jeff Gordon,carl Edwards but not Danica I have not watched any races this season breaking my 31 yr old tradition of watching the Daytona 500 =(
I think the changes in the sport takes the fun out of it for the guys who grew up racing the bigger cars from the 80s-90s. We don' need no chase and we don't need broken up races. More races need to be run on Sunday afternoons rather than nights. The track conditions are different under the summer sun than under the lights. Dale has mentioned than in the past. He's tired of getting bet up in those shitty COT POS cars.
All the drivers I know from back in the day (I was a big NASCAR fan up until Davey Allison died, just getting back in) are either dead or retired, I'll have to pick a new favorite now. I remember when Harvick was a cute baby rookie, and now he's as old as all the guys that are retiring. Damn, I'm getting old.
Just like to say it took me a while to accept this news, and this is my first time watching Jr.'s speech. I never watched the 2018 season, I'm not sure if I can come back to NASCAR, maybe.
My dads favorite driver was Sr. I was born into being a fan of NASCAR. In all of my 16 years of life, Jr was my driver. In the video games, I always picked him as the favorite. My god I'll miss him... Thank you Junior for such great races. I hope to god you get at least close to the championship one more time.
Dammit Dale! But really I get it. Thanks for sharing and all the great races. We can still root for your cars ! Now hammer down for the rest of the season !
I respect the hell outta Jr. for the way he came to this incredibly tough decision, not to mention how he handled delivering the news of his retirement.
sad to see u go brotha its been awesome to cheer u on as u race that car we all will miss u no doubt but we also will support ur next venter. u will be missed!!
chris Smith I kinda agree with you man, it's like in the last couple races they tell the other drivers if you're not in the chase get the **** out the way. I'm like what's the point of having the other cars out there?!
NASCAR isn't sucking and isn't going to suck, there's many talented young drivers that are going to be superstars and win races you can enjoy watching and root for.
I'm a cynical asshole, my first thought on "want to go out on my own terms" was "... unlike Dale Sr." So, Jeff, Tony, and Dale have retired because fear of dying/early senility from the concussions, and Carl's taking some time off to raise his kids (hey, it worked for Garth Brooks). Maybe Jimmie will keep going until he can't, like Richard Petty did. Best of luck to Dale and the other recent retirees getting out alive. Though you know all of 'em will jump back in a Cup car when one of their drivers has the sniffles (see Gordon and Stewart this season).
TheDieHardLADodgerFanatic what are you talking about moron Dale Earnhardt Jr is the best. how big of a piece of shit are you to be happy NASCAR without Jr is not good NASCAR at all Jr is a classy human being a very talented race driver and a hall of fame driver and the Dodgers suck my team knocked them out of the 2016 nlcs and then went on to win the world series
That picture behind Dale and Rick was really choking me up. It's a shot of the rear of Dale Jr's car, almost like he's peacefully driving off into the sunset.
The sport has survived the retirement of Petty, Allison, Pearson, and many other legends, it will survive losing Jr. It sucks, but at least he's choosing to go out on his own terms and not being forced out due to his health. Thank you, Jr., for all you've done for the sport and for entertaining us all.
i know it is kinda randomly asking but does anybody know of a good place to watch newly released tv shows online ?
@Bowen Darius Lately I have been using FlixZone. You can find it by googling =)
@Bowen Darius lately I have been using flixzone. Just google for it :)
Rick loves Jr, because he lost his only Son in a plane crash, and Dale Jr loves Rick because he lost his only Dad at the Daytona 500. That's cool.
They came together naturally, like peanut butter and jelly.
Very special
Jr may not have the wins or championships as his father or Jimmie or Jeff has. But, Dale Jr has been the face of NASCAR, and does more for NASCAR. Bringing up young talent and giving them the opportunity to drive.
never thought he was a top notch talent, but he was and is a top notch representative of the sport, I'll always respect him as a person and for being a good guy. He could have easily let money and fame ruin his integrity, but he always stayed humble and I respect that
Will Jolly amen
I always thought he was a top notch driver, representative for the sport and just as a person in general
Yeah, he had big shoes to fill, and made a fair go at it. Never lived up to his dad's legend, but did well enough on his own. He's basically NASCAR Jesus, isn't he?
Will Jolly he was a great driver when he was racing with the number 8 Bud car at DEI. To me it seems like when he had that near-death experience in that Corvette that caught on fire when he was racing he was never the same after that incident.
Jeff,Tony,Brian,Carl,John Wes and now Jr. Damn
KingZaySmitty 24 What About the Biff
KingZaySmitty 24 And Brian Who
Personally not going to miss Townley. LOL
Racing fan for life 18 oh yeah and Biffle
Racing fan for life 18 Brian Scott
Why would that reporter ask Dale Jr about when and where he cried? It ain't none of our business. I think that is personal. True fans want him to be healthy and happy first and foremost.
When your Father dies in your rear view mirror and he also stated his major reason for racing at all was to get the attention of his Daddy he never could achieve as a child then anything he achieved afterwards is honorable and still stayed humble. I watched his career pre 02-18-01 and was dominating no one was better then he in his group of peers. If anybody has lost a parent especially his he has no right to be judged most people would have quit but he soldiered on and carried the weight of the entire sport on his shoulders. He lost the one reason he was racing for.
frick my fav driver is retiring:(
Thank you Dale for all you did for the sport. If it weren't for you I probably wouldn't have been introduced to my now favorite sport. You have inspired so many. #JrNation
He should join Jeff Gordon in commentating NASCAR races
yes. he is articulate and insightful without playing favorites. replace D Waltrip
I'd love that
WELL HIM AND JIMMY IS GONE SO I AM DONE I HAVE WATCHED THIS SPORT FROM PETTY TO JR LOVED IT BUT IT'S NOT THE SAME ANY MORE
Every driver retires
Respect for him making the decision to retire. He's been through a lot and I'm glad he knows when the time is right for him. I'm sure I won't be the only one that's gonna miss seeing him driving the 88 car to victory lane.
There's so much to digest in this press conference, not the least of which is the enormous growth of Dale Jr. and Kelley. What they have been able to achieve, and the people they have become is just incredible. Their achievements in the racing industry are something to be followed and they are great role models for how to become successful in this industry. But even more than their achievements, are the people they have become.
Dale's decision that '17 will be has last season in Nascar will have a big impact on the sport. Dale is one of the most popular and respected drivers of the sport. I hope that one or two of the new talented young drivers like Chase Elliott will be the new heroes of Nascar. I like the new format, it brings more competition in the first half of the race. At the other hand I notice the teams still calculate the overall mileage to make sure the cars will all have enough tires and fuel for the last 70 laps at the 1 mile to plate restricted speedways. I wish Dale all the best for the future plans he has. The sport will miss your sharp driving just inches from the wall at Talladega and Daytona. I hope Dale will an ever better race format so Nascar fans are even more excited to watch the races.
Been a Jr fan ever since I started watching in 06. Dale you are a great person. You are selfless and you have made the sport what it is today. Let's finish out 2017 strong! You will be missed, good luck in future adventures
From,
Jr Nation
RIP NASCAR, there go your ratings.
Antonio D. well not this season but next season this season will get way more ratings now and ticket sales to see dale race one final time
Oh stop NASCAR will be fine, Dale isn't leaving the sport completely. He'll still be a team owner with JRM, so he'll be around
Sheree Arend yeah wonder who his fans are gonna go to
People tune in to watch him race, not to watch him own a team.
RiGiD_DiRt Larson hands down. And definitely Bowman if he goes to the #88. I was disappointed that no one picked up Alex this season, but wondered if this was coming because Hendrick kept him under contract.
i was not a fan of Dale Jr during his career because of manufacturer differences - had he only driven a Ford (Yeah, I know Sr. owned a Chevy dealership). But I can tell you know, after seeing his maturity and watching him on Dirty Mo Media I am a fan of Dale Jr. I wish you the best in your future and I always look forward to your podcasts and your time in the booth on NBC. BTW, Dale Jr is a better broadcaster than Jeff Gordon, but that is only MHO.
Sad, Sad day for NASCAR, but glad to see Dale make this decision on his own terms.
first comment! So sad Jr's retiring NASCAR is going to lose alot of money
most of it
NASCAR is going to loose millions because of his retirement. Jr. Bring's HUGE sponsorship to NASCAR. Going to miss him. Maybe rick will use him as a PR guy or something.
+Tom Smith NASCAR isn't going to lose anything, he's still going to be a part of NASCAR but just as a team owner over at JRM.
Half the people, maybe more, watching NASCAR only tune in for Jr. They will lose money and viewers no doubt.
Who else thinks bowman will take over for dale jr
Griffin L me
I think they should put bowman.
Griffin L either regan smith or alex bowman
JSS1664NATION Gaming no not Regan Smith
Griffin L your all wrong Byron will drive the 88
Dale Earnhardt Jr.One of drivers I never minded if he won, even if I was rooting for another I didn't mind when Dale took the win/spot.
Thanks for making your sport better, great class act ! Enjoy your muscle cars , retirement, and your cool home and property !
WOW!! Saw it coming still sad day.....THANKS for all Jr!!!!
Great History! Great Man!......awesome!
Dale Jr I have been your fan since '99. You and Peyton Manning was my two favorite sports figures. Peyton has done retired and now you are. I hope you are happy and I hope you are at peace with yourself. Take care. Love from East Tennessee! Go Vols!
God bless ya man, we miss the ol man and we will miss you too
Considering the shadow and expectations that JR started under, from the accident to carrying merch sales for NASCAR all while being that ambasidor that he didn't ask to be.I would say that Dale JR carved himself out a career that was truly his own. He ended up finishing top 5 in about 25% of his cup races and top 10 in about 40% of his career cup races. He was steady and consistent if nothing else. As to the man he has become over the last 20 years? Well my fav JR story is when NASCAR started slowing down financially it obviously affected the teams as well so when Rick had to make pay cuts in the garage and in the company JR went to him and said "I don't want any of the team to have to suffer because of this so please take 1 million dollars out of my salary and spread it around to make everyone whole again" Rick didn't do this so when JR saw this in his financial statements, He went to the office and again asked that they take the money from him to help everyone else's paychecks. He didn't gain anything from that...that just comes from putting others before yourself because you appreciate what they do for you in your day to day life
its sure as hell aint the same not only jr,tony stewart,jeff Gordon,carl Edwards but not Danica I have not watched any races this season breaking my 31 yr old tradition of watching the Daytona 500 =(
I think the changes in the sport takes the fun out of it for the guys who grew up racing the bigger cars from the 80s-90s.
We don' need no chase and we don't need broken up races. More races need to be run on Sunday afternoons rather than nights. The track conditions are different under the summer sun than under the lights. Dale has mentioned than in the past. He's tired of getting bet up in those shitty COT POS cars.
Edwards to the 88 for 2018 , I'm calling it now !
Adamantium bowman
So first Jeff then Jr
Marcus.Marcus jeff, tony, carl, now dale..
Marcus.Marcus and biff
Marcus.Marcus I'm thinking kenseth is next
The Gaming house his contract with gibbs expires at the end of the year, I believe it might be imminent
All the drivers I know from back in the day (I was a big NASCAR fan up until Davey Allison died, just getting back in) are either dead or retired, I'll have to pick a new favorite now. I remember when Harvick was a cute baby rookie, and now he's as old as all the guys that are retiring. Damn, I'm getting old.
NASCAR is killing itself just look at the stands, there mostly empty
#JrNation
I wanted to thumbs up this video but it was set on the number 333. I didnt want to be one that messed that up.
Lil E and dale best restricter plate drivers around
Damn dale, still making sr. proud we all know
Just like to say it took me a while to accept this news, and this is my first time watching Jr.'s speech. I never watched the 2018 season, I'm not sure if I can come back to NASCAR, maybe.
I stopped watching a few years ago, but I didn't stop following. With Jr. retiring, I now have no reason to continue following anymore.
My dads favorite driver was Sr. I was born into being a fan of NASCAR. In all of my 16 years of life, Jr was my driver. In the video games, I always picked him as the favorite. My god I'll miss him... Thank you Junior for such great races. I hope to god you get at least close to the championship one more time.
I don,t whan't him to leave!!
Looks like I will be rooting for Alex Bowman, Chase Elliot, William Byron, and Martin Truex JR. next year.
Damn! Gonna miss you Junebug! NASCAR won't be the same without you buddy! Finish the season strong!
rick is going to sell Hendrick motor sports to jr
Haha little did they know he would go to TV
Dale jr still is racing in nationwide series get r done y'all
Y'mean the Xfinity series?
Dammit Dale! But really I get it. Thanks for sharing and all the great races. We can still root for your cars ! Now hammer down for the rest of the season !
Happy retirement you will be missed on the track god bless you and your family and rip for your father 3 sr
Great driver wonderful person you will be missed on the track congrats on the retirement you are my biggest fan and your father is my biggest fan to
I respect the hell outta Jr. for the way he came to this incredibly tough decision, not to mention how he handled delivering the news of his retirement.
Really thought this would be his year, didn't think it would be his year to retire. This one's hard.
The end of an Earnhardt era :(
Much respect. Jr is one classy fellow. He does some great philanthropic work.
sad to see u go brotha its been awesome to cheer u on as u race that car we all will miss u no doubt but we also will support ur next venter. u will be missed!!
Enter Carl Edwards....
…some of the questions though.
We do not need to have Dale leave now. Goodbye Dale 2017.
And now there is officially no reason to watch the cup series.
Thanks for everything Dale!! Put Larson in that seat!!!!
Fuckkkk. So sad.
Noooooo NASCAR is gonna suck now. Damnit
it started sucking in 2014 when that elimination format came in
chris Smith I kinda agree with you man, it's like in the last couple races they tell the other drivers if you're not in the chase get the **** out the way. I'm like what's the point of having the other cars out there?!
NASCAR isn't sucking and isn't going to suck, there's many talented young drivers that are going to be superstars and win races you can enjoy watching and root for.
Talented young drivers that nobody gives a shit about.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Drive to your dreams and future!
Who else freaking cried?? i did
me
He was who he was, regardless pretty much a class act!
Now who do i root for?
Thank you JR!!!
me to
What a wonderful human being .
Jimmie is next after he wins #8
Chris Silverman hate to break it too you Johnson is not winning number 8 I'm not hating just don't see it happening
His wedding ring is very interesting
Jeffery Earnhardt to drive Jr S car
This is starting to get depressing now it's all my favorites retiring Jr,Tony and Jeff. Who's next :(?
Big BasS Baby27 i think jimmie johnson will be next
My guess would be Kenseth since they got into racing about the same time
Man I hope you're wrong.
+zombiapocalypse11 no he's not next, he has at least 3 to 5 years left until he's done. Kenseth is closer to retiring than anyone else on track now.
yea thats true. i forgot about him. But i dont think johnson is gonna be much longer after that.
I'm a cynical asshole, my first thought on "want to go out on my own terms" was "... unlike Dale Sr." So, Jeff, Tony, and Dale have retired because fear of dying/early senility from the concussions, and Carl's taking some time off to raise his kids (hey, it worked for Garth Brooks). Maybe Jimmie will keep going until he can't, like Richard Petty did. Best of luck to Dale and the other recent retirees getting out alive. Though you know all of 'em will jump back in a Cup car when one of their drivers has the sniffles (see Gordon and Stewart this season).
Delivery McGee When has Stewart filled in for someone?
Yessssssss he's retiring!!!! All I need is for Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson to retire and NASCAR will be the best it has ever been!
TheDieHardLADodgerFanatic what are you talking about moron Dale Earnhardt Jr is the best. how big of a piece of shit are you to be happy NASCAR without Jr is not good NASCAR at all Jr is a classy human being a very talented race driver and a hall of fame driver and the Dodgers suck my team knocked them out of the 2016 nlcs and then went on to win the world series
Retire from what? Losing all the time?
Go home Jr. quit waisting Hendricks money . You couldn't win if you were the only one on the track.
He seemed happier when his father Dale faked his death.