When Dale Earnhardt Jr. expressed his reverence for Indy 500 ahead of NASCAR retirement

Former NASCAR Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. went on an interview with Jeff Gluck in 2017 before taking retirement from the series. The latter expressed his interest in competing in the Indy 500 despite his retirement.

Earnhardt Jr. began his career in stock car racing by competing in the Xfinity Series. He drove the #31 Chevy for Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) for the first time in 1996 during the Red Dog 250 race at Myrtle Beach Speedway. He then won two Xfinity Series titles back-to-back in 1998 and 1999. Earnhardt Jr. transitioned to the Cup Series in 1999 and ran 631 races in his 19-year career.

After competing for almost two decades in the Cup Series, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took retirement in 2017 after he faced concussions regularly during the entire half-season in 2016 while driving for Hendrick Motorsports. His wife, Amy Earnhardt, highlighted, "It's not worth the risk of his health."

Despite his retirement, Junior expressed his desire to attend his first Indianapolis 500 race. He even received a framed No. 8 from Indy's old scoring pylon from speedway President Doug Boles. Reflecting upon the same, Earnhardt Jr. said in 2017:

"What happened here is a little bit bigger as far as what's happened here in the last 100 years. It's a little bit bigger than all of us. It never gets old coming here because of that."

"I'd like to be able to come here after I retire, especially for the Indy (500)," he added. (via the Fayetteville Observer.)

Two years later, in 2019, the co-owner of JR Motorsports checked his dream from his bucket list and attended his first Indy 500 race.

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“An incredibly unique honor”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. on attending his first Indy 500 race

During his 19-year Cup Series career, Dale Earnhardt Jr. never had the chance to attend the Indy 500. But in 2019 Junior got the opportunity to experience the Indy 500 event for the first time and drove the pace car.

The two-time Xfinity Series champion reacted to the announcement by sharing an X post sharing his excitement. He wrote:

"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."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. also joined the broadcasting team at the same event and stated:

"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." (via IndyCar.com)

Simon Pagenaud became the first French driver to win the Indy 500 since 1920. He clinched the pole position for the race and led the most laps (116 laps), raking home the title for Team Penske.