Dale Earnhardt Jr. throughout the years: Tracing his full-time NASCAR career

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of the most influential figures in NASCAR and American motorsports. With his team JR Motorsports, podcast network Dirty Mo Media, and an extensive racing career spanning over two decades, the 50-year-old gained a fair bit of fame and is extremely popular amongst fans.

Dale Jr. raced full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series between 2000 and 2017. While he never won the championship, he finished the 2003 season in third place in the iconic #8 Chevy. However, he did win the Xfinity Series championship twice in 1998 and 1999, while racing with his father's team; Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

His father, Dale Earnhardt, was one of NASCAR's most competitive drivers. He won seven Cup Series championships, 76 race wins, and 281 top-five finishes. The two also raced together on the field briefly before his death during the 2001 Daytona 500.

Growing up with his father, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was exposed to racing early in his childhood. However, he didn't take it up as his career at first. In fact, he earlier worked at his father's car dealership in North Carolina as a junior mechanic. Around the same time, he did participate in the Street Stock Division for two years, before moving to the Late Model Stock Car Division, which kickstarted his journey in stock racing.

Tracing Dale Earnhardt Jr's stock car racing journey to the Cup Series

Dale Jr. raced in the Late Model stock car alongside his brother Kerry and sister Kelley between 1991 and 1995. This was a major step up right at the beginning of his racing career. He raced around the southeastern region at Myrtle Beach. He also marked his presence at Concord Speedway, North Wilkesboro Speedway, and South Boston. This eventually led to his Xfinity Series debut in 1996.

Dale Earnhardt Jr in conversation with his father Dale Earnhardt in 1998 (Source: Getty Images)

Dale Jr. stepped into the #31 Chevy under his father's racing team at Myrtle Beach to mark his debut in the 1996 season. He finished 14th in the race. He did not reappear in the series until the next year.

In 1998, he signed a full-time deal with Dale Earnhardt Inc. and piloted the #3 Chevy to an iconic Championship victory. He won two consecutive championships with the team before stepping up his game and debuting in the Cup Series.

He continued to race with his father's team in the Cup Series and participated in five races during the 1999 season before signing a full-time deal for the following year.

Debuting full-time in the 2000 season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. showcased his talent, winning two races and finishing five times in the top five. This was extremely impressive for a rookie, but maybe not as surprising, considering he had his father's skillset to learn from.

Dale Earnhardt Jr in his Hendrick Motorsports #88 in 2010 (Source: Getty Images)

Final Cup Series stint/Hendrick Motorsports era

Dale Jr. left DEI at the end of the 2007 season. One of the reported reasons was his tough relationship with his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt. He then joined the #88 crew at Hendrick Motorsports and continued with the team till the end of his full-time career. He retired at the end of the 2017 season.

Despite his retirement, Dale Earnhardt Jr. occasionally participated in the Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports. The team is co-owned by him, his sister Kelley Miller Earnhardt, Rick Hendrick, and LW Miller.

He is also the host of the Dale Jr. Download podcast, hosted under the Dirty Mo Media network, which he created. It hosts various other podcasts such as Actions Detrimental and Door, Bumper, and Clear.

Earnhardt Jr, as mentioned, remains one of the most influential figures in the NASCAR world. He won the Most Popular Driver Award fifteen times between 2003 and 2017.