By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
DARLINGTON, S.C. — For the first time since surviving a scary plane crash on August 14, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is back at a racetrack.
And for the first time in nearly a year, he enters the track in a firesuit, making his first Xfinity Series start since September of 2018 in Saturday’s Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at Darlington Raceway.
The weekend has been special in more ways than one, however, after missing the weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway due to the accident that, among others, involved himself, wife Amy and daughter Isla, Earnhardt is thrilled to be back in familiar territory.
“Things have been great. We’ve just been taking time to ourselves and have been very good,” Earnhardt said Friday at Darlington. “My wife [Amy] loves to be at the races when I’m driving so her and [daughter] Isla are going to be here that’ll be great.
“I’m excited to just be back at a track. This is familiar to me, the faces, the people, the media. It’s great to be doing something normal.”
The normalcy is almost mandatory for 44-year-old Earnhardt, who preferred to keep his focus off the crash and onto Saturday’s race.
“It was a very scary experience,” he said of the crash. “I really try not to think about it too much. Things happen for a reason and you just try to learn from it and move on. I love my daughter so much and enjoy being around her. I look forward to seeing her grow up. That just made you realize that much more. I’m just thankful and ready to live our lives.
“We’re just happy to be healthy and to have a weekend like this to look forward to. Try to get back to my job as a broadcaster and NBC with all the things we’re excited about. We’re ready to focus on those things.”
Earnhardt has had no shortage of support following the lucky escape.
“It’s a process we’ll go through,” he said. “I don’t know. I don’t really have those answers right now. I’ve got a lot of great people around me and a lot of great contacts to be able to help me with any hurdles and obstacles.”
One hurdle that Earnhardt faces this weekend is behind the wheel. Running the No. 8 Chevrolet for his own JR Motorsports team, Earnhardt realizes the stiff competition of the Xfinity Series.
“I’m real nervous about getting in the car,” he said. “I haven’t been in a car in a really long time. I only drove at Richmond last year — in 24 months, that’s the only time I’ve been in a racecar.
“I did come over here a couple months ago and ran about 15 laps when Noah [Gragson] was testing. That didn’t do anything to help my anxiety. He was faster than me and it reminded me of how hard it is to drive these cars, how good these guys who drive them are. Some of the things you forget about being in the booth as broadcaster.”
Earnhardt enters the weekend running a bright-blue Hellmann’s throwback scheme honoring his father Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s Monster Energy Cup Series debut in 1975. He will look for his 25th Xfinity win in what will be his 141st start.
“It’s a real blessing for me to be able to run one race a year and re-live my past,” he said. “That’s why I picked this race at Darlington because of the Throwback Weekend, such a great celebration of the history of our sport. I wanted to be more a part of that.
“This should be a fun weekend.”