Earnhardt Jr. May Have Found His New Niche


Earnhardt Jr. May Have Found His New Niche

At age 42, it would be difficult for Dale Earnhardt Jr. to spend the money he earned throughout his 20-plus year career in racing. Fifty combined wins in 631 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup races and 139 NASCAR Xfinity series races have helped the son of Hall of Fame driver Dale Earnhardt Sr. amass an estimated net worth of $400 million and a spot near the top of the list of the world's richest racers. But, it wasn't for the money or the fame that Junior dedicated his life to stock car racing; it was a burning passion that came late in his teen years. Unlike many of today's racers who were too young to remember the first time they had a wheel in their hand, Dale Jr. didn't start racing until he was 17. But, like everything Junior does, he did it the right way with passion and commitment.

With Dale and his wife Amy expecting their first child in May of 2018, Junior has traded in his full-time driving gear for a spot in NBC's announcing booth. This comes as no surprise to his loyal following (NASCAR's version of Arnie's Army) that voted him the sport's Most Popular Driver for fifteen consecutive years. In fact, his new boss NBC Universal expects him to stretch his talent across numerous areas in the media world. The announcement came this week that he will do the pregame show before the 2018 Super Bowl before heading to South Korea as a commentator for the Winter Olympic Games. In fact, he's already accepted an invitation from the American bobsled team to take a live run in preparation for covering the event.

As a lifelong and vocal fan of the Washington Redskins, Earnhardt Jr. has never attended a Super Bowl, never been to South Korea or attended an Olympic event. However, total emersion is how Junior has always approached new challenges both on and off the track. As someone who has suffered through symptoms of post-concussion syndrome multiple times in his career, Earnhardt has always been open about the fact that his doctor encourages him to get out of the house and expose himself to complex situations that he hasn't experienced before. After the Olympics, Dale Jr. will head to the Daytona 500 to start his day job. But don't worry, racing fans will still get to see him turn the wheel in 2018 driving the No. 88 car for the Xfinity team he owns.

 

Photo courtesy of dreamstime.com