NASCAR is alive and well in the post-Dale Earnhardt Jr. era

The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season proved that NASCAR will be just fine after the retirement of Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season recently concluded with Joey Logano crowned champion. This year was the first full season without Dale Earnhardt Jr. behind the wheel since 1999. The action from the 2018 schedule proved that a Dale Earnhardt Jr.-less product is still alive and well.

One concern many fans, including myself, had entering the 2018 season was knowing that Earnhardt Jr. would no longer be racing and the impact of that on the sport. One major question to be answered was would his departure essentially lead to NASCAR’s decline and put the sport en route to extinction? The father-son duo of Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr. has almost a cult-like following in NASCAR, and with both no longer racing, how would this affect the sport?

I, for one, feel pretty confident in saying that Cup Series racing is in good shape even without Earnhardt Jr. in a car. The youth movement is providing us with new faces to rally behind and some truly magnificent racing from week to week.

Here are my three biggest happenings from the 2018 season that show NASCAR will be alright.

NASCAR is alive and well

Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the booth

Losing Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the track was devastating news last season and made NASCAR fans ponder what would become of the sport without its most popular driver. The good news, however, was hearing him call the action on NBC broadcasts.

The shining moment came when he made the call on the last lap of the race at Chicagoland Speedway with the infamous “slide job, SLIDE JOB!” comments in reference to a pass by Kyle Larson. You could hear the excitement in his voice in that moment, and throughout the season, that made me believe that he still loves the sport and will still be around for a while.

Playoff intensity

The 2018 playoffs rank as some of the best in the history of the current playoff format. We heard angry post-race rants and saw some bumping, which eventually led to more angry post-race rants. Martinsville Speedway was once again the scene of some fiery on-track and off-track action.

Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr. battled late in the First Data 500 before Logano eventually drove Truex Jr. up the track. With some bumping and banging, Logano found himself getting the win. The move got fans all fired up and waiting for something to happen to Logano. Ultimately, what happened was Logano went on to win the championship three weeks later.

Chase Elliott’s first victory

In my opinion, the highlight of the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season was the victory for Chase Elliott at Watkins Glen International in August. Chase’s father Bill Elliott was a long-time fan-favorite in NASCAR. What we’re seeing now in racing is a youth movement with names such as Elliott, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Darrell Wallace Jr., Kyle Larson, Erik Jones and others who are starting to take over the sport. These young faces are proving to be the next phase of NASCAR greats who fans will be talking about several years from now.

Wrap-up

The negativity from some fans is enough to turn people off from what NASCAR has to offer. However, after a season like the 2018 season, I can say that auto racing will be just fine in a post-Dale Earnhardt Jr. era. The sport is ushering in new heroes and at the same time creating villains for fans to dislike for several years to come. I had some concerns on the product that we would see in an Earnhardt Jr.-less NASCAR, but from what I saw in 2018, I can honestly say that I am ready for it to be February of 2019.

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What are your feelings on the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season? Are you happy with how the season turned out without Dale Earnhardt Jr. behind the wheel? What are you most looking forward to heading into the 2019 season?

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