Though he’s technically retired, the siren song of the thunderous stock cars and roaring fans is too alluring to resist for Dale Earnhardt Jr, who returns to the NASCAR track once a year for an Xfinity Series race. This weekend’s Call 811 Before You Dig 250 was that race, stirring excitement in everyone from Dale Jr to Martinsville Speedway officials to current NASCAR drivers.
As Dale Jr has a particular fondness for short tracks, his delight at a race in The Paperclip was hard to top. But if anyone was happier to see Dale Jr in the Martinsville Speedway than Dale himself, it was his fellow drivers.
Many of the full-time drivers of today, especially those in the Xfinity and Truck Series, are very young. Like, barely out of high school young. Because of that, they grew up idolizing Dale Earnhardt Jr. And the chance to compete on the same track as their childhood hero? It’s a moment they’ll cherish for the rest of their lives.
Shared a Bud with Dale. Always a good time chatting it up with him, fun racing with him tonight!
— Ryan Vargas (@RyanVargas_23) April 9, 2022
Been fun getting to know Dale the last few years and his advice and help has gone a long way.
Cheers, @DaleJr 🍻 pic.twitter.com/dQcF1DeZcq
Dale Earnhardt Jr Shares a Beer With Many Young NASCAR Drivers
To make the event even more memorable for the young drivers of today, Dale Jr made a special offer ahead of the Xfinity race. If he was able to finish, he would have a beer (and a few hotdogs) on pit road with anyone who wanted to join him. Not only did Dale Jr finish, he came milliseconds from claiming a top-10 spot with 11th place.
True to his word, Dale Earnhardt parked in pit road, cracked a cold one, and waited for his fellow drivers. Unsurprisingly, many of them jumped at the chance to say they had a beer with the NASCAR legend.
Jeremy Clements, fellow NASCAR veteran, was sure to get a picture of himself enjoying a beer with Dale Jr and Noah Gragson, 23-year-old Cup Series newcomer.
Drinking 🍺 with the man @DaleJr and @NoahGragson after a hard fought race. pic.twitter.com/4UY6KA1BrR
— Jeremy Clements (@JClements51) April 9, 2022
The small gesture from Dale Jr was a dream come true for some drivers. In an adorable tweet, 23-year-old Cup Series driver Anthony Alfredo called having a beer with Dale Jr a “bucket list item.”
Bucket list item No. 88: Have a beer with @DaleJr after racing at @MartinsvilleSwy ✅
— Anthony Alfredo (@anthonyalfredo) April 9, 2022
One fan summed it up perfectly. After watching the Xfinity Series race, he wrote, “Beating and banging, fighting on pit road and drinking beer with Dale Jr. It doesn’t get any more NASCAR than that.”
