Dale Jr. open to TV role; won't rule out another Daytona 500
Dale Earnhardt Jr. confirmed Friday that he has been exploring TV broadcasting opportunities for next season and also didn’t rule out running the Daytona 500 again.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images
Earnhardt announced in April that this would be his final season as a full-time competitor in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. He does, however, have at least two Xfinity Series races planned next season with his JR Motorsports team.
Sports Business Journal reported earlier this week that Earnhardt had discussions with both Fox Sports and NBC Sports about an analyst role.
“I definitely have enjoyed (working in the TV booth) and I am definitely open to discussing the possibility and seeing what options I have, what kind of job they may want me for,” Earnhardt, 42, said Friday at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway.
“I’m not retiring from work. I want to keep looking at opportunities at making a living, at making money and being a value to our partners. I want to continue to be a part of the sport and not just as an owner in the Xfinity Series.
“I want to be a valuable asset and continue to raise the bar and raise the awareness of the sport as much as I can. We’re just kind of looking at what opportunities there are out there for me.”
Asked about what could be his final race at Daytona International Speedway next weekend, Earnhardt appeared to leave open the possibility he could still run the Daytona 500 again one day.
“Well you never say never. I am just retiring from full-time racing. I am going to run some Xfinity races next year. I don’t know that I won’t ever run the Daytona 500 again if the right deal comes along,” he said.
“It’s hard for me to put that into words because I don’t know what that is going to feel like. It will be pretty weird I think to come back to the 500, I’m going to go to the 500 whether I’ve got any work to do or not. It will be pretty weird to be there and not race. That is going to be strange."
Watch Dale Earnhardt Jr. talk about a possible television career moving forward and other clips from Friday's media availability in Sonoma.
He also talked about a stat from Sonoma.
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments