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Late model racing is back at North Wilkesboro Speedway, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in for the ride. The semi-retired NASCAR driver and sports analyst confirmed his track return earlier this week, where he will pilot a JR Motorsports late model Chevrolet #3 in the 2022 CARS Tour race at North Wilkesboro on August 31st.
The long-anticipated race will mark Earnhardt Jr.’s first late model stock car race since 1997 before he moved to the Xfinity Series. The event will mark the first race at North Wilkesboro Speedway after many years of closure.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. is well prepared for the event as he recently tested a JR Motorsports late model alongside Carson Kvapil, a late model driver, and Josh Berry, an Xfinity driver for JR Motorsports.
The two-time Daytona 500 winner will reunite and partner with his old-day sponsor, Sun Drop, for the event. The two have a history together, and reuniting for this unique event is a fascinating feeling for Earnhardt Jr.
Dale Jr. considers North Wilkesboro Speedway a special place since he visited it many times when he was young. The 47-year-old competed on the track for the first time in 1993 at the age of 18 years, where he drove a #3 Sun Drop branded late model car with a green and yellow paint scheme. Going back to the same track with the same car number and the same sponsor after almost three decades is something that Earnhardt Jr. is excited about.
During a live session on his Dale Jr. Download podcast, he cited that he wouldn’t want it any other way than putting the program together with Sun Drop as his sponsor. He said:
“I came to North Wilkesboro so many times as a kid. It's a special place. I never thought I'd get a chance to race around here again.”
He added, saying:
“To put this program together with Sun Drop, who sponsored my late model in '93, I wouldn't want it any other way. They were with my dad for years and were one of my first sponsors. Seeing the Sun Drop Chevy at Wilkesboro again will bring back some great memories for me”
Sun Drop not only sponsored Dale Jr.’s NWS race in 1993, but the Keurig Dr. Pepper-owned brand was part of the Dale Earnhardt Jr. family from way back in 1989 when they sponsored Dale Earnhardt Sr.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the support of North Wilkesboro Speedway
On matters concerning the revival of the NWS track, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has played a crucial role in reopening the North Wilkesboro Speedway, where he has advocated for its reopening for a long time. In 2019, the veteran driver led an effort to clean the track to create sufficient space for scanning and digitizing for iRacing use.
He later reached out to North Carolina lawmakers, convincing them to support a state bill that would set a side track configuration of funds amounting to $18 million. His efforts were fruitful, and the budget helped revamp the track.
