NASCAR playfully teases Dale Earnhardt Jr. with '50 beer challenge' on his special day

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is celebrating his landmark 50th birthday on Thursday, October 10. NASCAR's social media playfully suggested that chugging 50 beers would be the ideal way for the Hall of Famer to commemorate the occasion.

Birthday wishes poured in from across the NASCAR industry for Dale Jr., with NASCAR's official social media cheekily proposing a 50-beer challenge to mark the day. The post included a nod to the former Hendrick Motorsports driver's 2014 victory lane moment at Martinsville Speedway, where he joked about celebrating the win by drinking a lot of beer.

"50th birthday means 50 beers, right @DaleJr ? 😅 "the caption on NASCAR's X post read referring to when Dale Jr said on Martinsville, "We're gonna drink a lot of beer tonight! That's what's going to happen."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of the most celebrated drivers of the sport, having won the NASCAR Cup Series Most Popular Driver award 15 times between 2003 and 2017. The 50-year-old has never shied away from expressing his love for beer, and shared a laid-back moment after his Bristol Xfinity race, enjoying beers with friends and family on pit road.

Dale Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt co-owned JR Motorsports joined in the birthday celebrations by playfully suggesting they were cracking open a cold one in his honor. The team’s light-hearted post was a fitting tribute to their bossman, as they marked his milestone 50th birthday in true Dale Jr. fashion.

"Crackin' open a cold one in celebration of this special day. Happy Birthday @DaleJr!" they captioned it.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has taken time off from his weekly podcasting duties to relax and spend his 50th birthday weekend with his wife, Amy, and their two children, Isla and Nicole. On his podcast, Dale Jr. Download, he expressed a desire for a low-key celebration, despite the milestone birthday.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. caps off a recent NASCAR Xfinity outing drinking beer with friends

Dale Earnhardt Jr. made his annual NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Bristol Motor Speedway, driving the #88 Chevy. His outing at the half-mile oval was eventful, with early disruptions in radio communications causing confusion and leading to multiple trips down the pit road.

Despite losing his glasses mid-race and having the radio strapped onto him fall to the floor, Earnhardt Jr. still rallied to an impressive seventh-place finish at the checkered flag. After the race, he was joined by Xfinity drivers, friends, and family for celebrations, as they drank beer on the pit road until 2 am.

"1am a bunch of us were still enjoying the high banks of @ItsBristolBaby"

"Drank beer on pit road till 2am. I think we got everything out of this evening we possibly could. Recommend 10 out of 10. Would come again @ItsBristolBaby" he replied to Jeff Gluck's post.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not expected to return to the Xfinity Series next season, but he will be back in the booth, joining Amazon Prime and TNT Sports to cover the 10-race midseason stretch.