Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is waving the checkered flag on his racing career.
The driver of the No. 88 Nationwide car and son of the late Dale Earnhardt announced today (4/25) in a joint statement with his Hendrick Motorsports team that he will retire from the NASCAR XFINITY series after the 2017 season.
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In an interview with CMT’s Cody Alan just before Dale’s 40th birthday in 2014, the 14-time Most Popular Driver and 26-time winner commented on the passing of time and his illustrious career.
“I can’t believe where the time’s gone really—to be honest with you,” he said exclusively at the time. “It felt like just the other day I was 26 years old and just getting going and starting my career. I look back and I remember all the things that we accomplished and all the years that we were racing and the things that we went through.”
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Dale began his career in 1999 driving the now famous No. 8 Budweiser car. For the 2017 season, the newly married driver is currently ranked 24th in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings.
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Hendrick Motorsports is expected to announce its 2018 plans for the No. 88 car at a later date.