NASCAR: Dale Earnhardt Jr. lays solid foundation for critical season

Last year’s NASCAR season was heartbreaking for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the fans alike. The beloved NASCAR driver now faces a critical start to the 2017 season but has laid a solid footing.

After being diagnosed with a concussion in July 2016, Dale Earnhardt Jr. missed the remaining 18 races of the season. As a result, 2017 is a key year for Earnhardt Jr. in his return to the track. His absence away from race day was equally tough for both Earnhardt Jr. and his large fanbase. Alex Bowman and Jeff Gordon split time as Earnhardt Jr.’s replacement drivers, and Gordon’s somewhat surprise return after his retirement following the 2015 season helped lessen Earnhardt’s absence from the track.

Like Earnhardt Jr., Gordon is one of NASCAR fan’s favorite drivers. It’s hard to hate either of the drivers, and Gordon wouldn’t come out of retirement to replace just anyone. Gordon and Earnhardt competed tough against each other on the track but they are great friends outside of competition. As luck would have it, Gordon’s NASCAR broadcasting commitments with Fox ended around the same time Earnhardt Jr.’s concussion news came in.

2016 Season

In the first half of the season, Earnhardt Jr. impressed week after week. The first 18 races of the season saw the No. 88 car earn four runner-up spots, five top-fives, six top-ten finishes and 13 races in the top 20. Despite not winning any races up to that point, the No. 88 car was in prime position to make the Chase for the Cup and add to its success in the final 18 races of the year.

But that chance never came. Earnhardt Jr. wanted to return at some point during the season, but concussions make it hard to determine how much time an individual will miss. It took about six months to be fully cleared to return to racing. Earnhardt Jr.’s sustained absence made the mood on race day each week somewhat somber. Racing fans, especially those who watched during Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s heyday, recalled the tragic day the NASCAR legend wrecked for the final time at Daytona International Speedway.

2001 Daytona 500

On the final lap of the 2001 edition of the Daytona 500, Ken Schrader made contact with the No. 3 car, sending Earnhardt Sr. into the wall. Moments later, Earnhardt Sr.’s son finished in second behind race winner Michael Waltrip. Due to blunt force trauma, Earnhardt Sr. was announced dead a few hours later at Halifax Medical Center.

Despite losing his father, Earnhardt Jr. returned to racing that same season. He went on to win two races and finish eighth in the points standings. Earnhardt Jr. hit his fair share of walls in 2016, which plausibly led to his later diagnosis. A season later, NASCAR now has new concussion protocol in place for those who exit a race due to a crash. It’s a step in the right direction, but fellow driver Brad Keselowski thinks more can be done when it comes to “mild concussions”. NASCAR is a high-risk activity for head trauma and other injuries, especially when there’s contact between cars.

Drivers are aware of these risks but participate in something they love weekly. Many, like Richard Petty, think that Earnhardt Jr. shouldn’t be racing in 2017. Earnhardt Jr. appreciates that the racing legend is “looking out for him” but “wasn’t ready to retire” as he told NBC after being medically cleared in the offseason.

Solid beginning to the 2017 season

The 2017 season is an important one for the No. 88 car. Sure, Earnhardt Jr. would love to win as many races and earn as many points as possible. Yet the true priority is continuing to make strides health-wise as he races. There’s always going to be the risk for another concussion or other contact-induced injury. Earnhardt Jr. and every other driver know that, but he’s ready to race in 2017.

That was evident during Daytona 500 qualifying this past Sunday. Earnhardt Jr. didn’t race in the Advance Auto Parts Clash because he didn’t feel he deserved to earn an invitation to the event. Fans would have loved to see him battle for the Clash title. Yet he was still involved in the event, as he was a member of Fox Sports’ broadcast team for the event. Hours later, fans saw the No. 88 back on the track during Daytona 500 qualifying. They weren’t disappointed, as Earnhardt Jr. earned a front row spot in the Daytona 500 by finishing second behind Chase Elliott, who won back-to-back Daytona 500 poles.

Earning a starting spot in the Daytona 500’s front row is almost as hard as winning the Great American Race itself. Dale Jr. showed he can still drive competitively against a tough field of competition. The No. 88 car was firing on all cylinders as it whipped around Daytona International Speedway. All the hard work and effort in preparation for his first race in more than six months paid off, and Earnhardt Jr.’s team’s jubilation was palpable for those watching from home. The fans were celebrating as well, as Earnhardt’s NASCAR legacy continues to be written, even at age 41.

Just like the Daytona 500, the casual NASCAR fan knows who Earnhardt Jr. is. Part of this is due to his father’s own legacy and tragic death at Daytona, but it also has to do with the father-son duo racing alongside each other during the 2000 season. Each brought a different level of competitiveness and drive to the track on a weekly basis. In one of sport’s many “what if” moments, racing fanatics and less obsessed observers wonder “what if Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr. raced against each other than only one full season in 2000.” While it’s hard to answer that question fairly 16 years after Dale Sr.’s passing, one thing is for sure: NASCAR wouldn’t have been worse off with more competition between the father-son pair.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s legacy and his future

On Sunday when drivers start their engines, the race to crown the next Daytona 500 champion begins. However, it won’t be all about who ends up winning the biggest race of the season before the season’s final race. Dale Sr.’s legacy will be remembered throughout the day, especially as his son’s No. 88 car drives around the track that took his life.

Like his father, Dale Jr.’s racing career has been followed by many from those who follow the sport religiously to fans who tune in every now and then. Earnhardt Jr. has gained popularity over the years, and his absence from the second half of last year’s season was a window into the future. One day, like many NASCAR legends in the past, Earnhardt Jr. will hang up the keys and walk away from the weekly grind of racing.

However, it’s not his time just yet. Earnhardt Jr. is going to use the start of the season to gauge his health and see how he feels before starting contract negotiations with Hendrick Motorsports. It’s a wise thing to do on all accounts as Earnhardt Jr. enters his 10th season with the racing team. For now, though, the focus is on this week of racing with both the Can-Am Duel and the Daytona 500.

The new campaign is off to an almost perfect start, as Earnhardt Jr. grabbed a front row starting spot for the Daytona 500. He has the potential to add to his legendary NASCAR career when the race takes place on Sunday. It would be a heck of a way in his return to racing eight months after being sidelined due to injury.

Likewise, a Daytona 500 victory on Sunday would be full circle for the No. 88 car. Since finishing runner-up during the 2001 race, Earnhardt Jr. has won the Daytona 500 twice (2004 and 2014) and finished in the top three in five other Daytona 500 races (2005, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015). He last started the Daytona 500 in second in 2010, where he finished the race in the same place he started it.

Earnhardt Jr. hinted at retirement should he win the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship, and it would be a storybook ending to his NASCAR career. Ultimately, Earnhardt Jr., will solely decide when he will compete in his last race. When that day does come, it won’t be easy to swallow the news. Nonetheless, the fanbase, drivers and others who supported Earnhardt Jr. during his prolonged absence in 2016 will be there again to congratulate the future NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee when his career does end.

Hopefully, Earnhardt Jr.’s career ends when he’s still healthy like Carl Edwards, who surprisingly announced his retirement between the 2016 and 2017 seasons. It will make it more fitting to celebrate the end of an era when Earnhardt Jr.’s career does end.

Until then, the No. 88 car is focused on getting back in the vehicle and living each day to the fullest as he returns to his pre-injury days of the 2016 season. Last season contained some of Earnhardt Jr.’s darkest days, but he’s back to his normal self as the 2017 racing slate begins.

Next: Daytona 500: Is Dale Earnhardt Jr. racing?

At this point, it doesn’t matter what else Earnhardt Jr. does in his career. He’s one of the sports most lovable and followed racers. His legacy will be remembered far after he steps out of the vehicle for the last time. Yet it would be a cherry on top of a successful career to go out as a champion.