Dale Earnhardt Jr. wows NASCAR fans by racing in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. took on the very best drivers at New River All-American Speedway in Jacksonville on Saturday.

The NASCAR Hall of Famer and two-time Daytona 500 winner is now retired from racing at that level. Still, he couldn’t resist the chance to come back this weekend for a short-track race and to engage with some local fans.

He said coming out to local tracks like this one helps his relationship with his fans and brings more recognition to these places.

“I love any time you can get out to the coast, we’ve got a place in South Carolina, raced in Myrtle Beach, my sister went to Wilmington in college, so we spent a lot of time on the Carolina coast, and you can’t beat it,” said Earnhardt.

“The weather is amazing this time of year and so we’re excited. It was unfortunate that the race got rained out and moved to this date, but it did give me a chance to come out here and compete.”

Click the video above to watch the full story and find out more about his experience.