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RICHMOND, Va. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. said he had some concerns about how the bombshell news he dropped on the NASCAR world this week would be received, worried that it would be upsetting, met with a mix of emotions. He seemed relieved by the generally positive feedback and strong outpouring of support after making his decision to retire from full-time driving at season’s end.
With that part behind him, Earnhardt turns his attention to getting “back to my routine” this weekend at Richmond International Raceway, site of Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 (2 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM Radio) for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. But his at-track habits might take on a more freewheeling approach, with little to lose in the 28 points-paying races left in his career.
“The team, the guys, they all and myself we would love to win some races,” Earnhardt said Friday after opening practice at the .75-mile track, where he is a three-time premier-series winner. “I’m going to say ‘a race,’ but ‘some races’ would be great going out in your last season to get some victories. We just want to go to Victory Lane one more time, just to get that experience one more time would be awesome for me and I think the guys would love it, for sure.
“But, I certainly did feel a lot more relaxed now. I don’t know whether it’s because I finally got to tell everybody and let everybody know what we are doing, get that over with, but I certainly felt real relaxed today in the garage during practice. I felt like there was less pressure from somewhere and a large amount, a lot different.”
Earnhardt, 42, announced Tuesday that 2017 would be his final year driving the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. Sunday’s race will mark the unofficial start of his farewell tour, which is sure to come with a heaping helping of tributes and parting gifts.
Earnhardt sits 24th in the series standings with just one top-five finish in the eight races so far this year, leaving him in need of a victory or momentous rally in the points to assure a playoff berth. Reaching the postseason by either method might require some risk-taking, something Earnhardt said is a ripe possibility.
Earnhardt related the tale of his former crew chief Steve Letarte, now an analyst with NBC Sports’ broadcast team. Letarte had announced before the 2014 season that he would mount one final campaign with the No. 88 group before making the transition to the television booth the following year.
With his plans in place and a firm sense of direction, Letarte and Earnhardt picked their spots for well-calculated gambles and combined for their most successful year together — four victories, including the driver’s second Daytona 500 win, his first grandfather clock trophy from Martinsville Speedway and a season sweep of both Pocono Raceway events.
“He called that whole season completely different,” Earnhardt said. “He was more aggressive and I think it was because he had the freedom to be that way. He was like, ‘What if it doesn’t work?’ And a lot of times it ended up working out. We won both of those Pocono races on pit calls that he made. We didn’t just outrun everybody. There are things he did in the middle of the race that we might not have done had he not had his mind made up what he was doing and ‘Hey, this is my last hurrah, we are going to go for it’ kind of attitude.
“I noticed that whole year he was a much easier going, approachable. I mean he’s pretty damn likable, but he was much more likable and easier to be around. Everything rolled off his back, we didn’t get frustrated as easily and I am anticipating that being similar for me.”
Also in the no-pressure department: The search for Earnhardt’s replacement in the No. 88 Chevrolet. Tuesday’s announcement included a note that Hendrick Motorsports would reach that decision at a later date. XFINITY Series rookie William Byron, a top Hendrick prospect, demurred earlier Friday when asked about the organization’s soon-approaching driver vacancy, saying only that he was eager to get his chance to race in NASCAR’s top division.
For Earnhardt, he remains an interested party invested in the team’s success, now and after his departure. He said he wouldn’t demand to be included in the discussions to find his successor, but said he’d value the opportunity to offer his input.
“I can’t read their minds, but I’m sure they all have a direction that they want to go and they have ideas,” Earnhardt said of Hendrick Motorsports’ management team. “There are just things about the company that I’m not quite as in touch with that they are that will help them make that decision. They probably have everybody in the world telling them what they ought to do and they don’t need me, but if they ask for it I’m certainly wanting to be involved in that.
“I want the team to have more success. I want it to be … I said this every offseason: Every offseason is a chance to be better than you were the year before. It’s an opportunity to make those personnel changes and those hard decisions. It’s a chance to do it, the things you can’t do in the middle of the river, in the middle of the season.”