Tonight was perhaps the last time we will see Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a NASCAR race. Then again, he might be back in 2026. Tonight in Bristol, Earnhardt earned P7 without his glasses.

At the beginning of the race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had an issue with his radio. It required him to swap helmets and also his wiring harness. In the process, his glasses were caught in his original helmet and he drove somewhat blind for the first stage.

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To make it better, Earnhardt couldn’t hear on the radio for all of Stage 1. So, he was clearing himself without glasses or a spotter. He still avoided a wreck.

After the race, Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports asked Dale Jr. about his glasses situation. The veteran driver just ditched them completely and made up numbers on his dash when asked by his crew.

“Oh, I did. I took them off. I can see you great, I just can’t see the dash, can’t read the little numbers. So, they’re like, how hot is it? I’m like, it’s 200-something. I can see out the windshield just fine. You know,” Earnhardt said pointing at Pockrass who wears glasses. “I’m the same as you right here buddy.”

Finishing P7, Dale Earnhardt earned another top-10 in the Xfinity Series. It is amazing how he is able to step into a car and compete so well on such a limited schedule. Goes to show that his talents were in many ways underappreciated during his Cup Series career. Or perhaps the old school guys still have a lot to teach these young drivers.

As far as his future on the track goes, Earnhardt isn’t closing the door yet.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. talks about 2026

Now, there is good news and bad news. I’ll give all of you the bad news first. Dale Jr. is not going to race in the Xfinity Series next year. His deal with Hellmann’s that required him to race once a year is ending. They no longer require him to race, starting in 2025, as part of the JR Motorsports deal.

But, he believes he will be back. Likely in 2026.

“No, I mean the thing is I’ve been doing this with Hellmann’s and Unilever, great partner. Been doing this, where I’ll run one race and they’ll do about six or eight races on the [No. 7]. Next year they say, ‘Hey, you know, we’re going to do the races, don’t need you to run.’ I said, ‘Man I just might sit out intentionally.’ I gotta work on my broadcasting, new patterns and all that,” Earnhardt explained.

“So I want to be great. Been missing you guys at NBC and you know the CW and all that. I feel like I need to really focus on that. That’s really the priority. So, I want to do well in the booth and maybe I’ll get back in this thing. I’m sure I’ll miss it and end up signing up for something in 26 [2026].”

No Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the track in 2025, but he will be in the booth. Amazon Prime Video and TNT have hired Earnhardt for the summer slate of races on the respective networks.

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