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Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Wife Says Clash Not Worth the Risk

By Asher Fair

LOUDON, NH - JULY 16: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, stands with his wife Amy on the grid prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Overton's 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 16, 2017 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
LOUDON, NH - JULY 16: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, stands with his wife Amy on the grid prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Overton's 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 16, 2017 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) /
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While Dale Earnhardt Jr. may have announced his impending retirement as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver, questions remain as to whether he will run certain events in 2018. His wife Amy hopes the answer is no.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. may be retiring from his role as the full-time driver of the #88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet following the conclusion of the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series season. But that doesn’t mean he won’t return to run select events in the series. In fact, he does still plan to race in a couple of Xfinity Series races next year.

But if his wife Amy has anything to say about it, that will be all he does in regard to NASCAR competition next season. Despite him showing interest in running the 2018 Clash at Daytona, an exhibition race, following winning the pole for the Coke Zero 400 earlier this month, his wife has stated that “it’s not worth the risk.”

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“Amy doesn’t want me to run it,” Earnhardt Jr. said.

Earnhardt Jr. missed the second half of the 2016 season with concussion-like symptoms that he had as a result of a nasty crash at Michigan (see below), so his wife’s concerns are more than logical, especially given the fact that Daytona is a restrictor plate track where the cars run in packs and the “Big One” could happen in less than a half a moment’s notice.

While the risk of big wrecks will always be there for all NASCAR drivers, not just Dale Earnhardt Jr., it is different for him since he will really have nothing to gain as a retiree of the sport, while other active drivers will just be doing their jobs, albeit via exhibition. It only makes sense that his wife would speak out against him racing in the Clash in 2018. What does he have to prove? Like she said, he is healthy now, and that was not the case just 12 short months ago. Why would he risk that good health as an ex-driver by…driving?

Next: Could Dale Earnhardt Jr. Return Part-Time in 2018?

Do you think Dale Earnhardt Jr. will listen to his wife’s advice? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow me on Instagram as well as Beyond the Flag on both Instagram and Twitter. Also, don’t forget to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions, and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it.

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