“We had a shot at winning”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. rues bad luck after disappointing end to NASCAR legend’s racing return in Bristol 

NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. stated that he was really upset by the fact that he did not finish the race in Bristol after his car caught fire.

The JR Motorsport owner made a return to the track in the Xfinity Series on Friday and started his first race of the season with the team. He started the race in P15 but through his experience and racecraft, made it into the Top 10.

Earnhardt Jr. found himself in the Top 5 after the restart post the mid-race caution, which saw him leading the race as well. But he had to pull over after his pit stop as his car caught on fire. Speaking with NBC, Dale Earnhardt Jr. rued his bad luck and said:

"I pulled over by the pit stall and some of the guys were pretty alert and they helped me out. I hate it. We were going to finish with a Top 10, maybe a top five. We had a shot at winning it if the car was going to run well at the end. Trying not to mess nobody's night up at the same time, but I had fun.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. praises Justin Allgaier after his win in Bristol

Despite his own personal disappointment, Dale Earnhardt Jr. got to celebrate his team's victory as Justin Allgaier won the race in Bristol.

Hanging out of the driver's window, he rode with Allgaier all the way to Victory Lane and said:

“Oh yeah. I had fun. I had a blast. Check that box. Justin (Allgaier) wins. Brandt car wins. Great for Rick (Brandt) and his whole team. Thanks to all the fans. We had a great crowd tonight. The Hellmann’s was fast.

"We drove up there and led laps, legitimately. I couldn't believe it. I was like, 'Man what’s going on?' Makes me want to do more, but I’m going to Homestead, so I’ll see everybody there. We’ll have some fun at Homestead riding the fence.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. also pointed out that he had no plans to stop racing and might compete in his 60s as well:

“I’ll run as long as I can. I like running one here and one there, but certainly not till I’m 60 years old. I still feel young. I overachieved tonight in my eyes in terms of how I ran. I guess I gained some confidence to try to do one here and one there for a couple more years.”

It will be interesting to see how the NASCAR legend will perform at Homestead-Miami Speedway next month.