HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired almost exactly a year ago, but that retirement came with an asterisk. Even though he was leaving his No. 88 Chevrolet – although he still ran one race this year – he wasn’t leaving NASCAR.
The 15-time most popular driver transitioned out of the cockpit and into NBC’s broadcast booth, and he was on-air for the second half of the 36-race Cup Series season, along with Rick Allen, former driver Jeff Burton and Earnhardt’s former crew chief, Steve Letarte.
For The Win sat down with Earnhardt at Homestead-Miami Speedway and asked him to evaluate his own performance in his first season in the broadcast booth.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
What do you think you brought to the booth this year? You were hired to be yourself, so do you think you did that well?
My booth mates say I’ve come in with some good energy and revitalized them a little bit, and I’m happy hearing those comments and that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to come in with a real fan type of happiness and joy for what I’m watching, and I feel like I’ve been able to do that. That’s gonna be something that’s important for me to maintain for however many more years I do this. That’s probably the most important attribute I have – that fandom, that passion for it. So as long as I got that, I think I’ll be in good shape.
But the nerves have come down, which has allowed me to be a bit more of myself. I’m nowhere near nervous as I used to be.
Did you have an advantage starting in the booth for the second half of the season, as opposed to working with FOX Sports and broadcasting the first half?
Man, I don’t know. Starting with Daytona would have been pretty awesome. I had a chance to go into the FOX booth and work The Clash in 2017, and Speedweeks to me is a really special time of year. So being able to call the Daytona 500 would be a real dream of mine. I think it would be for any of us in the booth – Rick, Burton and Steve.
I would have been much more nervous than I was going into Chicago, so it’s kind of fun hopping in the middle of the season. And we had an incredible race, which made it a lot easier on me. So I’m glad we get to call the final event, I’m glad we call the playoffs. It really emphasizes the responsibility you have as a broadcaster to build up those storylines and carry the fans all the way to the finish, talking about what’s happening and who’s doing what. You’re invested in it because you know you’ll be there for the final race.
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