‘Grateful’ Dale Jr. able to race at Darlington
DARLINGTON, S.C. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. is grateful to be at Darlington Raceway, making ready to drive two weeks after he and his household escaped a airplane that was in flames following a crash in Tennessee.
Earnhardt, set to drive the Xfinity Collection occasion right here Saturday, stated he and his spouse, Amy, are nonetheless processing the scary occasions Aug. 15 on the airstrip in Elizabethton, the place he had flown to name the Bristol race as an analyst for NBC Sports activities.
“I am simply grateful and able to stay our lives,” Earnhardt stated Friday.
Earnhardt was with Amy, year-old daughter Isla, two pilots and the household canine. Investigators say the airplane bounced a number of instances throughout a crash touchdown and veered off the runway earlier than ending up on a freeway in flames. Everybody aboard was secure, though Earnhardt obtained therapy on his sore again to make sure he may race at Darlington.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is grateful to be at Darlington Raceway, making ready to drive two weeks after he and his household escaped a airplane that was in flames following a crash in Tennessee. AP
It will likely be his first time driving in NASCAR since ending fourth at Richmond final yr.
Earnhardt, 44, stated the crash was a scary expertise, however one he hopes to get previous.
“It was a really powerful expertise to undergo,” Earnhardt stated. “I strive to not get into that. Issues occur for a cause. You simply attempt to be taught from it and transfer on.”
Earnhardt was NASCAR’s hottest driver for 15 straight seasons till his retirement from the Cup Collection two years in the past. Earnhardt went by way of a prolonged course of to return to the observe from concussion signs in 2016 after an accident in Michigan. He missed the second half of the season as he recovered and was cleared for what grew to become his ultimate yr of Dash Cup racing in 2017.
Earnhardt has since been a fixture in NBC’s sales space, bringing his wry, insightful perspective to audiences the previous two years.
Earnhardt would not focus on particulars of the crash, citing a seamless investigation into the accident. He additionally would not go into his emotions at seeing video of the accident, a frightful scene the place the household, pilots and the canine have been seen dashing from the airplane because the flames burned.
“We have simply been taking a while for ourselves,” he stated.
Amy and Isla will attend Earnhardt’s race, he stated. Earnhardt stated he has taken monumental solace is being across the observe and the NASCAR group.
“That is acquainted to me, the faces, the folks across the race observe, the folks within the media,” he stated. “It is nice to be doing one thing regular.”
Whether or not meaning contending for a win this weekend is one other matter.
Earnhardt picked Darlington due to its throwback weekend and needed to be a part of the festivities. He additionally selected it as a result of it requires an intelligence between dealing with the tough observe floor and avoiding the partitions on the 1.366-mile oval that come across drivers so rapidly, he stated.
“It is not concerning the outcomes anymore; it is concerning the expertise,” Earnhardt stated.
He’ll drive his JR Motorsports No. eight in his first Xfinity race at Darlington since 1999. If issues work out sponsorship-wise, Earnhardt stated he has plans to run the Xfinity race at Homestead in Florida subsequent March.
Earnhardt stated he is not afraid to get again on a airplane. “I haven’t got any downside with flying,” he stated.
He acknowledged the therapeutic is just not over after fascinated about what may’ve been. He is counting on others to assist him by way of.
“I’ve obtained lots of nice folks round me who’re supportive. Acquired lots of nice contacts of people that’ll have the ability to assist me with any hurdles and obstacles,” he stated. “I do not see any issues.”