Dale Earnhardt Jr, driver of the No. 88 Hellmann's Fridge Hunters Chevrolet, looks on during ... [+]
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is coming back to the Nascar Xfinity Series in 2024, extending his streak of competing in at least one race annually in the series since 2001.
Earnhardt, a Nascar Hall of Famer, will drive the No. 88 car for JR Motorsports, the team he co-owns with his sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller and Rick Hendrick, at Bristol Motor Speedway in September. The team’s fifth car will be sponsored by longtime partner Hellmann’s.
“We are grateful for Unilever and Hellmann’s continued support and partnership,” Earnhardt said in a press release. “They have played a huge role in our organization and our success ever since the early days of JR Motorsports, both on and off the track. They are a huge component to every part of our company, and we’re looking forward to seeing what the future holds.”
In 2021 and 2022, he finished outside of the top 10 in his lone start at Richmond and Martinsville, respectively. But in 2023, returning for a pair of races, Earnhardt led 47 laps at Bristol before his ignition blew and his car went on fire. Then, at Homestead-Miami Speedway, he ran the high line to a fifth-place finish.
Earnhardt, Nascar's most popular driver for nearly two decades, retired from full-time Cup Series competition at the end of the 2017 season. He's since ran at least one Xfinity Series race per year.
Since retiring from full-time competition, Earnhardt was a major role in NBC’s Nascar coverage. However, the broadcaster confirmed he will not return to the booth in 2024.
“Dale Earnhardt Jr. is beloved in the Nascar world and has made numerous contributions to NBC Sports, from his work as an analyst on our Nascar coverage to his experiences as a correspondent at major events like the Indianapolis 500, the Kentucky Derby, the Super Bowl and the Olympics,” a NBC Sports spokesperson said in a February statement. “We thank Dale and we wish him the best going forward.”
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Carson Kvapil, Bubba Pollard and Connor Zilisch will each compete in the No. 88 entry throughout the season.
