DARLINGTON, SC (WBTW) – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will race at Darlington over Labor Day weekend.
Earnhardt, Jr. will compete in Darlington Raceway’s NASCAR XFINITY Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 race on Saturday, August 31, according to a press release. He retired from full-time racing in 2017 and this will be his second NASCAR event since his retirement. He competed at Richmond Raceway in an XFINITY Series race in September, where he finished fourth.
“There are many things I love about Darlington that contributed to my decision to run there this year, but the main reason is the track surface,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I love races where you have to be smart and manage your tires. Darlington is slick, and it wears out tires. It’s one of the few stops on the circuit that provides that challenge.”
Earnhardt, Jr. will drive for JR Motorsports in the number eight Chevrolet, with Hellmann’s as his sponsor.
“Hellmann’s is once again the primary sponsor, and I will drive the No. 8. I had an idea for a throwback scheme, but with this being my only race I knew it would’ve been justified for Hellmann’s to prefer a current scheme. They supported my idea, and I am thankful. Together with Hellmann’s we will unveil the car in the next month or so. I will say this – it’s not going to be a throwback to anything I’ve ever driven myself,” he said.
“Earnhardt Jr. hasn’t competed in XFINITY Series competition at Darlington Raceway since 1999. He has competed in four total NXS races at the Lady in Black, two in both 1998 and 1999, when the track hosted two NXS races per season,” stated the release. “His career-best XFINITY Series finish at Darlington came in September of 1998, when he placed second.”
“Dale has a tremendous amount of passion for Darlington and we are all excited to see what kind of special throwback paint scheme he will run at the track Too Tough To Tame. Fans don’t get many opportunities to see him race, so it will be something special to see on August 31,” track president Kerry Tharp said.
Tickets for the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 race are available by calling 866-459-7223 or visiting www.DarlingtonRaceway.com.
For more information, visit Darlington Raceway’s website here, Facebook page here, or twitter page here. Fans can post stories and memories using #BojanglesSo500 and #SportClips200.
