“An incredibly unique honor”- When Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the field to green at the Greatest Spectacle in Racing

Dale Earnhardt Jr. concluded his stock car racing career at the end of the 2017 season. Earnhardt raced in the cup series for close to two decades and never got to experience the Indy 500 during that time. However, the first time he did get to experience the Indy 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it was as the pace car for the event in 2019.

The former NASCAR driver responded to IndyCar's announcement about the same and replied:

"This is one awesome invitation and an incredibly unique honor. I have great respect for the history of the speedway and the #INDY500. Looking forward to being part of the festivities."

However, it wasn't always the plan to go ahead with Earnhardt Jr. as the pace car driver. Speaking about the opportunity, he said (via For the Win, a USA Today publication):

“Al Roker was planning to be in the pace car, and he had a conflict with his schedule that came up at the last minute.They were looking for someone to take that opportunity, and they thought of me. So I was pretty honored and surprised that I was the next choice. I’ll take it! It’s obviously an opportunity you can’t turn down. I just look as it as a bucket list item that you just have to take advantage of.

"There’s a respect you have to have for Indianapolis Motor Speedway, respect you have to have for the drivers that are going to be competing that day. And that is their stage, this is their big event, and I’m a NASCAR driver. That’s my history, and I’m coming into their world. So it’s definitely a unique dynamic, but everybody’s been really supportive. And I’ve seen a lot of social media support from other drivers, and all that really means a lot to me. I’m glad that they feel comfortable with that.”

Simon Pagenaud started the 2019 Indy 500 in pole position. The Frenchman led the most laps (116 laps) and would go on to win the race driving for Team Penske. He became the first French driver to win the Indy 500 event since 1920.

The Indy 500 takes place on the Memorial Day weekend and coincides with the Coca-Cola 600 race in NASCAR. Dale Earnhardt Jr., who participated in the Coca-Cola 600 during his time in NASCAR, never got to attend the Indy 500 for the same reason. In 2018, his first year of retirement, he took up the role of an analyst for NBC’s NASCAR broadcast.

In 2019, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was going to be a part of NBC’s IndyCar broadcast team as he joined as an analyst. However, he left the on-air duties for some time and led the field to green in the Corvette C7 pace car at the Indy 500, nicknamed the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

---

Dale Earnhardt Jr. joined the broadcast team for the 2019 Indy 500

2019 was the year that NBC signed a deal with IndyCar for the exclusive rights to broadcast the series. To celebrate the same, they invited a celebrity-laden broadcast team that included Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick, Mike Tirico, Krista Voda, Rutledge Wood, Dillon Welch, Marty Snider, Kevin Lee, Jon Beekhuis, Kelli Stavast and Robin Miller. Leigh Diffey was the announcer. Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy were the analysts.

Amazon Debuts Inaugural Upfront Presentation - Source: Getty

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said, (via IndyCar.com):

“I can’t wait. This is an event I have wanted to attend for as long as I can remember. To get this first Indy 500 experience in this capacity – as part of the broadcast team with NBC Sports – is a dream. That said, I fully understand the responsibility we have of bringing this race to television viewers across the country. There’s no better broadcast team to do it. I’m blessed to be a part of it.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be covering the 2025 NASCAR races as part of the Amazon Prime and TNT Sports media team.