Dale Earnhardt Jr. expresses regret over missing “Daytona 500” outside NASCAR

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is anything but happy about missing the CARS Tour event this week at the recently refurbished North Wilkesboro Speedway. He posted that he would be busy meeting with the officials at Amazon and TNT during the race weekend. Nevertheless, Junior is excited to watch the race live on Floracing.

According to Dale Earnhardt Jr., the action-packed CARS Tour schedule from May 14 to 19 is in no way less important or less thrilling than NASCAR's most-loved race, the famed Daytona 500.

In a recent post on X (formerly known as Twitter), the two-time Daytona 500 winner wrote,

“It’s highly unfortunate that I will have to miss the @CARSTour event this week at Wilkesboro. I have some responsibilities with my new friends at Amazon and TNT to handle, but I’m excited to see how the race plays out on @FloRacing.”

“This is the Cars Tour’s “Daytona 500”… a huge moment for the series, teams, and drivers,” he added.

The 0.625-mile racetrack in the foothills of North Carolina had hosted several races before being shut down in 1996. It was only in 2019, that Dale Earnhardt Jr. Speedway Motorsports Inc.’s CEO, Marcus Smith, shook hands and embarked on the journey to bring the racing action back to North Wilkesboro, a racetrack that had once witnessed 15 Richard Petty wins.

Thankfully, the state sanctioned $42 million to repave NASCAR's most iconic ghost track. As a result of everyone’s efforts, North Wilkesboro Speedway returned from being in a state of oblivion for 27 years. In August 2022, Dale Earnhardt Jr. brought the CARS Tour, which he co-owns, to North Wilkesboro. He drove the number 3 SunDrop Chevrolet in that race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is expected to work for TNT and Amazon in 2025

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will continue being a NASCAR broadcaster for Amazon and TNT when the new media deal starts in 2025. While FOX Sports and NBC will take over the races during the beginning and the end of the season respectively, TNT and Amazon will cover 10 races each next year.

Junior has been a broadcaster for NBC Sports since he gave up his firesuit back in 2017. However, the two-time Xfinity Series champion announced that he would not return to the NBC booth for the 2023 season.

“It is such an exciting time to welcome TNT Sports back to NASCAR. I remember watching the races on TNT back in the day, and it’s so nostalgic to see them return to the sport and be a part of their team,” Junior said via Yahoo Sports.

Junior is equally excited about the opportunity at Amazon Prime. In another statement, the NASCAR veteran said,

“I’m honored to be a part of Prime Video’s entrance into NASCAR…It will be exciting to see the innovation that Prime Video is going to bring to our sport and the fans.”

Although TNT has aired NASCAR races before, they have not been able to broadcast any NASCAR event since 2014. And for Amazon, next season will be the first time covering any form of motorsport.