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AVONDALE, Ariz. — It was “a little hiccup,” he said, but nothing to keep Dale Earnhardt Jr. or his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team off the track for long.
Earnhardt, 42, was back behind the wheel of his familiar No. 88 Chevrolet Tuesday at Phoenix Raceway, taking part in a two-day organizational test for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams. It was his first on-track appearance since a one-day private test last December, a requirement for medical clearance following concussion-like symptoms suffered earlier in the year.
1st car on the track for the @PhoenixRaceway test. I was hoping to set the track on ud83dudd25but I set my brakes on ud83dudd25 instead. Minor delay.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr)
January 31, 2017
The condition kept the popular driver out of competition for the final 18 races of the 2016 season.
A small brake fire Tuesday morning sent Earnhardt back to the garage shortly after he began his first runs on the 1-mile track. Repairs to the car were made and after a short pause he headed back out.
The team, led by crew chief Greg Ives, has what Earnhardt described as “a really long list” of items to run through over the next two days. The fire was minor. “Greg and the guys are motoring right through it,” he said.
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Overall, he said, his car “has really good speed.” Fellow drivers Joey Logano (Team Penske), Kevin Harvick (Stewart-Haas Racing) and Kyle Larson (Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates) were a tick quicker in the morning session, no surprise to Earnhardt, but “we’re right there with them and I like the way the car feels,” he said.
Eager to return, even for a test, Earnhardt says he’ll go into the 2017 season with a bit of trepidation after being out of the car for so long.
“Sometimes you see guys in sport, no matter the type … that are away for a while have to adjust to how much has changed since they’ve taken time off,” he said. “And then there are some guys that come back like they never missed a day. So I don’t know.
“I just hope there is no rust to shake off. I’m really anxious to get out there and have some success, go out and run well and check that box, that we’re right where we need to be.”
Earnhardt has 26 wins at NASCAR’s top level and has finished fifth or better in the championship four times. His last victory came here, in the fall race of 2015.
He’s a two-time champion in NASCAR’s XFINITY Series, where he has 24 wins, as well.
The 2016 season was the second in which Earnhardt had been sidelined by a concussion or concussion-like injury. Questions surrounding his most recent return remained, even after he tested at Darlington Raceway in early December and was cleared.
He’s back, he said, not because he feels there’s anything left to prove, but because “my fans want me to win; my fans want us to go out there and have a great year, win the championship.”
“I don’t know if that’s something to prove but there’s that expectation to compete and go do well,” he said. “I think that’s a similar kind of pressure.
“I’ve said this 100 times. I’ve done everything I already thought I would do; I’ve done more than I thought I was capable of doing. I accomplished more than I ever thought I’d have the chance to accomplish. I just never thought it would happen.”
He sees his trophies, “and can’t believe they’re mine,” he said. He takes note of “little statistics that I’m proud of; no one will ever talk about,” and realizes “Wow, I had a hell of a time and did way more than I ever thought I would.
“But every year … the things that kind of motivate me to want to win more, want to do more (are) my guys, Greg, making people happy, those guys happy, making my fans happy, all the support we see on social media, the one-on-one at the race tracks or appearances, all those things motivate you to keep going, keep racing, keep trying to win.
“Yeah, I’m blown away by how fortunate I’ve been. My dad was so great; I’ve seen so many drivers try to fill in their fathers’ shoes, so many second generation drivers come in and have a hard time for whatever reason. So I feel lucky that I was able to get a little success.”