Dale Earnhardt Jr. is making one thing crystal clear: his wife Amy did not push him out of NASCAR. The NASCAR icon, who recently offered his take on the sport’s fuel-saving issues, took to social media to dismiss any claims that Amy influenced his 2017 Cup Series retirement.
His post came after a clip from his podcast, “The Dale Jr. Download”, went viral — one where he revealed that Amy had actually encouraged him to race in next year’s Daytona 500.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Clarifies Amy’s Role in His NASCAR Retirement As Comeback Talk Emerges
“I only wanted folks to know Amy wasn’t to blame for my retirement back in the day,” Earnhardt wrote. “I felt she got some unnecessary blame back then. I won’t be racing cup but she’s not the reason.”
It began with a simple conversation between Dale Jr. and his wife. On his podcast, he recalled lying in bed after this year’s Daytona 500 when Amy surprised him.
“Amy told me I should run the Daytona 500 next year,” he said. “I was like, ‘What?’ She was like, ‘You should just drive it next year.’ I’m like, ‘Hello? Are you okay?'”
The clip spread fast. NASCAR analyst Toby Christie reshared it on X, and just like that, the internet started buzzing about a potential Dale Jr. comeback.
But when Earnhardt stumbled across the post, he knew exactly what was coming next — the same old story about Amy calling the shots in his career. He got ahead of it before it could gain any traction.
The blame toward Amy traces back to July 2017, not long before Earnhardt officially announced his retirement.
Amy had publicly commented on his health, saying she felt grateful he was healthy enough to enjoy his final season and that his health wasn’t something worth gambling on. Fans latched onto that and ran with it, painting her as the one who had forced him off the track.
Earnhardt later admitted he had not helped matters. By sharing that he and Amy had talked through the decision together, he said he had essentially “thrown her under the bus.” Fans who wanted him back in a race car had their villain, and it stuck.
But it was never the full picture. After concussion symptoms forced Earnhardt to miss half of the 2016 season, Amy was by his side through his entire recovery.
In his book “Racing to the Finish: My Story, Dale Jr.” he wrote that Amy never once told him to quit. If anything, her support kept him going longer than he might have otherwise.
Earnhardt last competed in the Daytona 500 in 2017, qualifying second in his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet before an early crash sent him home in P37.
Since stepping away from driving, he has stayed deeply connected to the sport through ownership of JR Motorsports, which fields cars in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. This year’s Daytona 500 featured JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier.
As for a return to the 500? Dale Jr. is not ruling out the idea entirely — but he is not committing to it either.
“There’s a lot of momentum in this sport,” he said. “Oh man. I don’t know.”
One thing he does know for sure: whatever happens next, Amy is in his corner — and this time, he wants everybody to know it.
