Dale Earnhardt Jr. could run Daytona 500 in 2018 or beyond

Junior is retiring soon from full-time NASCAR competition, but that doesn’t mean he won’t make some future starts in the Great American Race.

It’s going to be a bit surreal at Daytona International Speedway during the holiday weekend seeing Dale Earnhardt Jr. run his final race at that track in the Coke Zero 400. Unless, of course, it really isn’t his last time in a NASCAR race there.

Dale Jr. addressed the media this weekend prior to the road course race at Sonoma to give a little more insight into his plans beyond this year. Earnhardt answered questions about the possibility that he’ll head to TV, saying he and his management were investigating his options there.

But probably of more interest to Junior Nation were his comments about future race opportunities. Earnhardt has already said he would drive a few XFINITY Series races in 2018 due to sponsor commitments.

How about the 2018 Daytona 500, though?

“Well, you never say never,” Earnhardt said via the NASCAR wire service. “I’m just retiring from full-time racing. I’m going to run some XFINITY races next year. I don’t know that I won’t ever run the Daytona 500 again, if the right deal comes along. All these tracks you have memories at, all of them, Daytona included.

“I’m going to be coming back to these tracks, and I want to continue to be part of the sport. I don’t know how it’s going to affect me really. It’s hard for me to put that into words, because I don’t know what that is going to feel like. It will be pretty weird I think to come back to the 500. I’m going to go to the 500 whether I’ve got any work to do or not. It will be pretty weird to be there and not race.”

It would indeed be weird for Earnhardt not to be in the field at a track where he’s won four times in NASCAR’s top series, including the 2004 and 2014 Daytona 500. There’s also a blueprint for him to follow in the career of Michael Waltrip, who ran occasionally at Daytona and Talladega while working primarily as an analyst for Fox Sports for several years before finally calling it quits after the 2017 Daytona 500.

Next: Earnhardt Jr. and Patrick collide early at Sonoma

One complication could be that Earnhardt Jr. might have to drive the Daytona 500 for someone other than Hendrick Motorsports. It’s almost a certainty that someone will take over the 88 for Junior next season, giving Hendrick the maximum number of four Cup Series stars. Unless Kasey Kahne gets the heave ho from the 5, another Chevrolet team would have to offer a ride to Earnhardt, something you figure they’d be happy to do.

In any case, it would help ease the sport into its new, post-Earnhardt era if Junior was entered in the Daytona 500 for the next year or two. Here’s hoping all involved figure out a way to make it happen.