$300M NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. discusses Hampton Heat debut at Langley Speedway - “Qualifying’s been tough for me”

Star NASCAR figure Dale Earnhardt Jr. is returning to his racing roots, set to make his debut in the Hampton Heat 200 Late Model race at Langley Speedway. Dale Jr. will be returning behind the wheel of his iconic #3 car in front of a sold-out crowd in Hampton, Virginia.

The NASCAR Hall of Famer had previously announced his participation in the 16th edition of the Hampton Heat, making his debut at the 0.4-mile oval. Dubbed 'America's Hottest Race,' the event has attracted a record 38 entries for the weekend, all vying for victory.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., worth $300 million (via Celebrity Net Worth), outlined his expectations, emphasizing his past struggles to get up to speed with late models. The 49-year-old also highlighted his qualifying struggles but felt optimistic, buoyed by a strong practice session on Friday, July 19.

Speaking to FloRacing after the practice, the JR Motorsports co-owner said:

"The car came out of the trailer pretty good with speed, so that really made things nice. I kind of sometimes struggle getting these cars figured out. They're really not easy to drive, easy to drive but not easy to find speed. So everybody close in time, when you're down a little bit it can be frustrating because qualifying has been tough for me as well."

Dale Jr. admitted that he was nervous about making his debut at Langley Speedway, however, he believes he's off to a strong start.

"I was a little bit concerned about that coming to this track, I have never run before, driving these cars I don't drive a lot. Just challenges that I've already faced with them up to this point. So good off the truck, tested a little bit yesterday, decent today, always wanna be faster... so far things are going good," he added.

The qualifying for the Hampton Heat is scheduled for Saturday, July 20 at 4:15 PM ET, followed by the 200-lap race scheduled for 8:30 PM ET.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets realistic about his chances of winning the Hampton Heat

JR Motorsports prodigy Carson Kvapil came very close to winning the CARS Tour race at Langley Speedway in June, missing out on the victory in a three-wide photo finish.

When asked about his chances of securing a victory for the team, Dale Earnhardt Jr. acknowledged that while he believes he has a race-winning car, his qualifying struggles could hurt his chances.

"Well, I think the car is good enough to win the race and it's gonna come down to me. I'm not good at qualifying. I don't know why... I don't care what track with this car of these kind of cars, I cannot get the car to rotate and get the speed out of it like everybody else." he said in the aforementioned interview.[at 6:44]

Dale Earnhardt Jr. remains optimistic about his chances, noting that if he qualifies in the top 15, he can make his way to the front in the 200-lap race. The green flag for the Hampton Heat is set to drop at 8:45 PM ET this Saturday, July 20.