Longtime racing star Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced Tuesday that he is ready to depart the Nascar after this season. According to Forbes, he will leave the racing with $410 million behind Jeff Gordon ($425 million) in career earnings from salary, endorsements, bonuses, prize money and licensing. It was also reported that he has a net worth of $225 million in 2017.
"I've done everything I ever thought I would do," Earnhardt told EPSN the Magazine. "I've done more than I expected I was capable of doing. I look at my trophies and can't believe they're mine." The Cup Series race, which takes place on November 19th at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, will be the last race for Earnhardt.
He told the media reporters in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon that he intends to participate and compete in a race in XFINITY Series next year.
During the 2016 season, the 42-year-old racer, who drives the No. 88 Chevrolet missed the most of the races due to the concussion suffered from a crash. Despite his head injury, Earnhardt earned $21.1 million, making it the second highest earner in the sport behind Jimmie Johnson, the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion who generated $21.8 million.
Earnhardt's sponsorships and ownerships
Earnhardt's first debut was in May 1999, and he has transported home a NASCAR Cup Series title. Throughout his 18-year career, the North Carolina-born driver, who made his 600th career start last month, has earned 26 career victories (including Daytona 500 wins in 2004 and 2016) and has been voted as one of the Nascar's most famous drivers for 14 years a row.
A legendary racing driver, Dale Earnhardt Sr., seven-time NASCAR winner who was killed in a crash at the Daytona 500 in 2001, influenced his son's ambition of becoming an auto racer. After joining the NASCAR IN 2000, Earnhardt Jr. and Budweiser, the beer brand produced by Anheuser-Busch, agreed to ink a seven-year contract to sponsor the would-be star.
Earnhardt's stardom has helped him reach current sponsorship deals with brands, including Chevy, Goody's, Nationwide and Wranglers. Previously, he has had deals with sponsors such as Kraft, Polaris, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Gillette and among other brands. In the first half of the 2016 season, NASCAR ranked Earnhardt No. 1 among drivers in merchandise sales.
Earnhardt has a range of business interests. In 2012, he and partner Rick Hendrick initiated two auto dealership in Tallahassee, Florida. Earnhardt has ownership of the bar and restaurant, Whiskey River Beer, and Wings, in Charlotte, North Carolina. He takes over the ownership of the television company, Hammerhead Entertainment. He oversees JR Motorsports, a racing team that competes in the XFINITY Series.
Will the loss of star drivers impact NASCAR?
The retirement of star drivers including Earnhardt, Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards may have a significant impact on the NASCAR's decline of TV ratings and fan attendance. With the loss of star drivers, the organization may need to develop a strategy to increase TV viewerships as well as attendance.
