Dale Earnhardt Jr. to retire after 2017 season

After a concussion sidelined him in 2016, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is set to retire from driving after this season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has tried to forge his own legacy in the wake of his father’s tragic death in 2001. He has mostly done so as a driver, owner in the Xfinity series and a popular personality in a niche sport like NASCAR.

Earnhardt Jr. has 26 wins in his career, including Daytona 500 wins in 2004 and 2014. But he missed two races after separate concussions in 2012, then missed the final 18 races last season with a concussion and related symptoms.

Retirement has seemed like a possibility for the 42-year old, in light of his recent marriage and last year’s concussion. But Tuesday morning’s announcement from Hendrick Motorsports still came out of nowhere.

Earlier this year Earnhardt Jr. talked about retirement, with a nod to Carl Edwards’ decision to step away.

"“I think Carl figured out a way to get into a place to make that decision easy,” Earnhardt said. “And I can do the same thing when the time comes, and I won’t have any regrets. It’s not going to be a lot of fun to retire, I can imagine.“You’ve seen a lot of people, athletes retire in the past. It seems a very difficult statement to make, a very difficult press conference to have. But when I’m ready to do that, I’ll be making that decision knowing it’s the right thing to do.”"

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Earnhardt Jr. will surely remain prominent in racing. There’s no sign he won’t maintain an ownership stake in the Xfinity series team that essentially bears his name (JR Motorsports), and he’ll surely get an opportunity as a broadcaster if he wants it. But long-term health, and the desire to possibly start a family, has moved to the forefront.