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Daytona 500: Dale Earnhardt Jr. starting to miss racing

‘You never get tired of driving a race car.’
 
Former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. addresses reporters Sunday morning before the Daytona 500. (TIMES | Matt Baker )
Former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. addresses reporters Sunday morning before the Daytona 500. (TIMES | Matt Baker )
Published Feb. 17, 2019

DAYTONA BEACH — When Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired after the 2017 season, he expected to miss racing immediately.

Instead, he felt relief of the pressure that comes with competing in the sport’s top series.

Now that the two-time 500 champion is further removed from the car, his feelings are starting to change.

“You never get tired of driving a race car, it’s not that,” said Earnhardt, who will drive the pace truck for today’s Daytona 500. “But you’re so happy from being out from under the pressure. As time goes on, you miss it more and more and more, which is unexpected.”

Earnhardt, now an analyst with NBC, said he’s encouraged by some of the changes NASCAR is making and that he’s excited about its future over the next 5-10 years.

“We can’t ride at the top of the mountain forever,” Earnhardt said. “There will be ups and downs, good days and bad days. You weather the storm. If you love it and you believe in it, you stick in there, and you gut it out because you believe that it’ll cycle back to the good. So you work through the bad days, knowing there will be good days ahead. I think that’s what a lot of us have been doing.”