Dale Earnhardt Jr. Announces He’s Returning To Racing In April

In a little over a month, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be back behind the wheel of a car. But not a NASCAR car.

On the latest episode of his Dale Jr. Download podcast, the former Daytona 500 winner announced that he’ll be competed at the CARS Tour race at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway on April 11.

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“I’m racing at Nashville Fairgrounds April 11. … You know, I have a million things going on up here in my head? And looking around in there, I think it’s April 11, and I’m driving the Bass Pro Shops car at the Fairgrounds,” Earnhardt said. “Yep, for the CARS Tour. … I don’t know if there’s anymore I need to say. … I’m going to do a tire test here in a couple days so I’ll have a better idea of how fast it is.”

For the occasion, Dale Jr. intends to ride his beloved No. 8 Chevrolet Late Model Stock Car. According to On3 Sports, it will be the first time that CARS Tour’s Late Model Stock and Pro Late Model have ever competed at the iconic Nashville track.

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Dale Jr. has been racing that car in the Late Model races since 2024. But he’s also done sporadic returns to NASCAR’s lower circuits as well. His last appearance in a NASCAR race came in the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series. He finished seventh in the Food City 300.

Dale Jr on the track

Dale Jr. made his Cup Series debut in 1999 and quickly established himself as a fan favorite, winning the Busch Series championship in both 1998 and 1999. His first Cup Series victory came at Texas Motor Speedway in 2000, and he went on to win the Daytona 500 twice — in 2004 and 2014 — one of NASCAR’s most prestigious events. Over his career, he accumulated 26 Cup Series wins and was named NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver a record 15 consecutive times, a testament to his enormous following.

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Despite his popularity and talent, Earnhardt Jr. faced significant personal and professional challenges throughout his career. He drove for his father’s team, Dale Earnhardt Inc., before making a high-profile move to Hendrick Motorsports in 2008, where he raced alongside some of the sport’s elite. His career was hampered in its later years by a series of concussions, which forced him to miss the second half of the 2016 season. He announced his retirement from full-time Cup Series competition at the end of the 2017 season, closing out a career that, while it never produced a Cup Series championship, cemented his place as one of the most iconic and popular drivers in NASCAR history.

This story was originally published by The Spun on Mar 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the NASCAR section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.