Dale Earnhardt Jr. on difference at Bristol this year as opposed to last: 'We're not going to have the bottom of the track'

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is making his first and final start in the Xfinity Series this season in Friday’s Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Ahead of qualifying, Earnhardt discussed the challenges that Bristol presents this year, as opposed to last year when he led 47 laps before a mechanical issue ended his night early.

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“The track’s a lot different than it was last year, car’s real chattery, skipping around back and the front,” Earnhardt told NBC Sports. “Felt like I had to underdrive the car a lot more this year just because it would slide the rear end or the front through the center. We’re not going to have the bottom of the track this year. I loved it last year, running on the bottom and I don’t know if that’s gonna be there. I was surprised last night that the tracks hung on the way it did, but we’ll see how it goes.

“We’ll have to go where the speed’s at and hopefully, that’s the bottom and the top.”

The 49-year-old has been active this year in racing Late Model Stock Cars, but it’s been a bit since he’s been back in a stock car in NASCAR. Earnhardt, the NASCAR Hall of Famer, is making his 147th start in the Xfinity Series but first since October 2023 at Homestead-Miami.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. looking to find speed in No. 88 car at Bristol

Even for a driver as experienced as Earnhardt, Bristol is no easy task.

“You gotta learn so much in every corner very quickly and process it as much as you can and hopefully you do a good job and don’t slip tonight,” Earnhardt said.

The No. 88 Chevrolet has been fast this year no matter who’s been behind the wheel. Connor Zilisch won in his Xfinity Series debut at Watkins Glen last Saturday, and Earnhardt is hopeful that speed translates to Bristol.

“Had a great car last year. Really, really great car,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said at the Bristol media center. “And no surprise the 88 has been fast every time they take it to the racetrack, no matter who’s driving it this year. So, I feel pretty good about the car being good again. It’s the same car ran last year. They took it home, tore it apart, put it back together, and nobody’s drove it since then. So, hoping it’ll drive as good as it did last year.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. reveals 2025 plans for Xfinity Series

For fans of the 15-time Cup Series Most Popular Driver, the main objective will simply be taking in what could be Earnhardt’s swan song in NASCAR. Earnhardt has competed in at least once Xfinity Series race every year since 2001, but said Friday he has no plans to race in 2025.

“Well, I’m not planning on racing next year,” Earnhardt said. “I’ll be foolish to say I’m never going to run again because I don’t know well enough to stay away from it, and I’ll probably miss it next year and be absolutely willing to sign up because of anything that might be beneficial to JR Motorsports. I have to remind fans and people that follow us that I run this race and have ran this race over the last several years because of the big benefit that it is to JR Motorsports.

“It’s a package deal where Hellmann’s and Unilever has put their logos on Justin’s [Allgaier] car and it’s helped fill out that car. And I don’t have a requirement to run next year, so I may just not do it. And I will miss it terribly, regret that I didn’t race and probably in 2026 find me somewhere that I can go compete in the Xfinity Series again. But right now, I don’t have any plans.”