WATCH: “Big fireball down in the tunnel,” Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s car catches on fire at Bristol Xfinity race
Bristol was Dale Jr.’s first race outing of the 2023 season.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Via IMAGO) asking for help to get out of his car (SS/ NASCAR on NBC)
NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the opportunity to make his return to the track unforgettable, but he was forced to retire after his car caught fire. The two-time Xfinity series champion led 47 laps on his first NASCAR race of the 2023 season, and considering it was his driver, Justin Allgaier, who won the race, fans missed out on a three-way race to the flag.
Dale Jr. started his day on P15, behind all four of his JR Motorsports’ drivers, and was able to use the pace advantage of his Chevy to make his way to the front row and eventually take the lead. The 45-year-old reported to his crew with 30 laps left in the race that there was smoke coming out of his car and there was a potential fire.
He quickly pulled off to the pit lane before the smoke started filling his car. The fire usually increases once the car comes to a halt, so the John Hunter Nemecheks’ JGR pit crew close to the No:88 Chevy Camaro showed the presence of mind and helped the NBC analyst get out of the car as quickly as he could. After the race, Dale Jr. confirmed that it was the shifter tunnel that caught on fire.
“Somehow or another, the shifter tunnel caught on fire. I saw some smoke in the car, and I smelt it, and I was like ‘Hopefully that’s not me.’ But that last lap, I saw a big fireball down in the tunnel in the car, and I felt it; obviously, my uniform was burning up. And I was like, ‘I can’t keep going. I gotta stop,” he said after the race, as reported by Daily Mail.
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P2 finisher Daniel Hemric was delighted to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the track
Daniel Hemric, who is bound to return to the Cup series in 2024 with Kaulig Racing, nearly had the opportunity to score a memorable win over Dale Jr. in the final laps. If not for the early exit of the veteran, he would have had the chance. Instead, he fought Justin Algier on the final laps and lost out on a win.
Hemric admitted that it was fun to race with and witness the comeback of the legendary driver. He pointed out that Dale Jr.’s presence brings in a special atmosphere for the fans and drivers in the garage. The Kaulig driver asserted that on the track, though, the No:88 driver was just another rival whom he had to defeat.
“It’s fun for a guy like that to come back, our most popular driver in the sport, and him to bring the fans and the atmosphere it transcends through the garage and through the sport. We appreciate that. We all do, media folks, drivers, the team, and the like. But in the heat of the battle, you’re not worried about who’s in the race car,” Hemric said via Matt Weaver of Sportsnaut.
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Justin P Joy
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