Dale Earnhardt Jr., was voted NASCAR’s most popular driver 15 times, and the two-time Daytona 500 champion continues to be loved by racing fans following his retirement from full-time racing in 2017.
Perhaps one reason Earnhardt is still beloved is because he understands the importance of taking care of the supporters.
“I always try to sign as many autographs as I can and do as much as I can to take care of the fans,” he said Saturday at New River All American Speedway in Jacksonville. “They spend a lot of money to be out here and spend a lot of money on merchandise and you have to appreciate that. Now I know this more than ever as a series owner and partner in the CARS Tour, that we can’t have success without the people who want to see us race.
“So, we are very mindful of the fan experience. I definitely don’t want somebody walking away feeling like they wasted their money.”
Earnhardt hopes his presence at New River All American Speedway on Saturday will be a memorable experience during his racing in the zMax CARS Tour race National Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram 250.
The event was originally scheduled for March, but was moved to April because of inclement weather. The date change opened the door for Dale Jr., to drive the iconic No. 3 that his father, the late Dale Earnhardt, drove, at New River All American Speedway.
The event marks the third time the 2021 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee hit the track in a zMax CARS Tour race. Earnhardt co-owns the series with Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Justin Marks while also owning JR Motorsports, which fields cars in the Xfinity Series and CARS Tour.
This also marked the first trip to New River All American Speedway for Earnhardt, who was born and raised in Kannapolis.
“The racetrack is awesome. It looks brand new,” Earnhardt said. “They do a really good job of making it look nice and clean. I have gotten to meet some of the folks that are running the show here and they put a lot of effort in it. I’ve heard a lot of great things from the CARS Tour staff who have been coming here for years, about the facility and how much fun they’ve been coming here.”
Earnhardt got some practice laps on Friday and became more familiar with the track Saturday before the big race later in the evening. Earnhardt also took his team out for dinner at Texas Roadhouse in Jacksonville on Friday night.
“The place was slammed,” he quipped. “We had a great time.”
But Earnhardt stressed that he wants fans watching the action at New River to also have a great time as he helps promote local tracks and drivers.
Earnhardt understands the importance of grassroots racing.
“I hope they enjoy what they see,” he said. “When we come to everybody’s locations and race at these tracks, we want the fans to come out and see us, but we also want to leave a big enough impression so that the fans also get to know the other drivers and they follow the competitions.”
New River All American Speedway originally opened in 1999 as Coastal Plains Raceway, but rebranded in 2021 following the acquisition of Anthony and Tonya Goodyear.
“The series has been coming here for a while and they really love the facility and have said so many good things about how good the staff is,” Earnhardt said. “We want to shine a light on it and try to bring some credibility and spotlight to the track, so fans know that it is here and what type of racing there is.”
