Dale Jr.: "It’s been a difficult year from a fun meter standpoint"

The No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet would be running up front and winning races. But, to the chagrin of Earnhardt and his fans, that’s not the case this year. 

And with seven races remaining on the schedule, time is running out for NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver to end his career on a high note.

“I think that the fans would be having more fun if we were racing for the championship, and then I would be having more fun interacting with them in that manner and their excitement of it,” Earnhardt said. “So, I think it’s a little bittersweet for me and the fans and our supporters with the situation we’re in. 

“I only really have fun when we run well. It’s been a difficult year from a fun meter standpoint. We haven’t really moved the needle too much this year.”

Showing improvement

Yes, there has been glimmers of hope for 88 fans. Last weekend Earnhardt scored his first top-10 finish in 13 races. But after wrecking in the Daytona 500 — the first of seven DNFs for the team — it has been difficult to build momentum. Earnhardt’s average finish of 21.1 has not been this low since he joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2009.

“This past couple of weekends, especially at Dover and Richmond, we’ve seen some improvements and had fun driving the car and been quick,” Earnhardt said. “And, I think we were good off the truck today. I thought we had something to build on.”

When the No. 88 team has unloaded the car with speed on Fridays and Earnhardt has been fast from the start, the results have been solid. Last week at Dover, Earnhardt was fast in practice, qualified seventh and finished seventh. 

After four laps in first practice on Friday, Earnhardt kept raising his race line around the track, encountered the VHT and slammed into the wall coming out of Turn 4. The team had to pull out the backup car. He tallied two additional laps before qualifying 23rd — after multiple times through inspection. 

“I don’t really know how to compare the backup car to the primary,” Earnhardt said. “And it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, it might not be quite as good as I was hoping, I guess, initially when we rolled it off the truck today.  

“But, that’s it. I enjoy running well. When I don’t run well I don’t know that anybody enjoys that. And it’s hard to make light of it or to smile through it. And I think the fans would have more fun, and in turn, me having more fun if we were in the thick of the championship battle.” 

Last chance to win at his home track

Earnhardt is still seeking his first points win at Charlotte Motor Speedway — his home track. His grandfather’s garage was just 15-minutes up the road from the 1.5-mile track. When Earnhardt won The All-Star Race in 2000, he appeared destined to follow that trend. Yes, he’s been close. In 2011, he took the lead on Lap 401 when the race went into over time — then ran out of gas and finished seventh. 

“Obviously our best memory is the win in the All-Star race,” Earnhardt said. “That was an incredible experience and a big surprise for all of us. We just couldn’t believe it. And it was great that Dad was in the race and we passed him at the end, among many guys we passed. But, he got to see it happen. He had a great view of the whole thing. 

“So, I don’t know if he wasn’t proud then, I don’t know that he ever was (laughs). But it was a big deal and he was really happy.”

Certainly a win in Sunday’s Bank of America 500 in front of the home crowd would be sweet redemption. But if Earnhardt never wins a Cup race again, his 26 wins, 14 poles and two Busch Series (now Xfinity Series) titles are Hall of Fame worthy. 

Junior's impact off the track

But what will likely define Earnhardt’s legacy with be his contributions on and off the track. JR Motorsports has provided opportunities to a host of drivers including Brad Keselowski, Danica Patrick, Chase Elliott and most recently William Byron. JRM currently has four drivers qualified in the Xfinity playoffs. 

And the Dale Jr. Foundation has been raising funds for children’s needs since 2007. As part of his retirement tour, race tracks have taken a more philanthropic approach to feting Earnhardt in his final year. On Friday, Charlotte Motor Speedway established a concussion research fund in Earnhardt’s name at Carolinas Healthcare System’s Levine Children’s Hospital. The endowment will underwrite ImPACT baseline concussion testing for student athletes in eight surrounding counties. 

After Earnhardt missed half of the 2016 season because of a concussion, the gift was close to his heart. 

“This is a great gift that will impact a lot of lives in this area and make a difference,” Earnhardt said. “We have a lot of history with concussions and awareness and rehab and all that good stuff, so this is something that is actually very close to my heart.  I hope to be able to continue to help others going forward. This is a great way to do that, so thanks again.

“This track has been real special to me. This is one of the few tracks that I probably never missed a race since I was a little boy. Been coming here a really long time, have a lot of memories here in and out of the car.  I appreciate, that is a great gesture just going to have such a long-lasting impact, very smart, very creative, so I appreciate that a lot.”