DALE JR to retire following 2017 season

Was a Jr. fan when I was youngwr but grew out of it. Could see this coming after last year so I wasn't surprised. Really hasnt been a contender for a decade but was a great spokesman for NASCAR.
 
I don't think he drove the 88 Buddy Baker car at Darlington last year, did he? That will work!
 
Pretty sad that this isn't even one of the top headlines on ESPNs home page...

But I'm not surprised.
 
TexasRaceLady said:
nascarcasm‏ @nascarcasm 58m58 minutes ago
.@IMSA 2018 #Rolex24. @DaleJr, @JeffGordonWeb and @TonyStewart on one team. How do we get this initiated?
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Or the Rolex? How cool would that be?
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I like this one
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Allenbaba said:
I heard a lot of things from a lot of people, and interpreted many smaller actions which all pointed to him retiring very soon. Many people (myself included) were surprised he came back this season. Very surprised.
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I was surprised that came back, I really didnt think he was going too, and felt he had the perfect way, if you will, to retire, and was somewhat expecting it.
 
SlicedBread22 said:
I'm not a huge Jr fan.. nothing against him.. I do like the guy..

..but it will be a shame watching him most likely get way more attention in his final season than Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart did.

Jeff did get plenty of attention.. Stewart not quite as much.. but his fair share.. I just think they'll make a way bigger deal out of Jr.. He will get much more attention for much a less successful career.
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Dale Jr is likely the most popular driver of his generation so it makes sense he will be fawned over.
 
SlicedBread22 said:
I'm not a huge Jr fan.. nothing against him.. I do like the guy..

..but it will be a shame watching him most likely get way more attention in his final season than Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart did.

Jeff did get plenty of attention.. Stewart not quite as much.. but his fair share.. I just think they'll make a way bigger deal out of Jr.. He will get much more attention for much a less successful career.
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Same here, not "fan" of Jr, but respect who he his and what he has done, but I agree, the rest of the season I feel is going to go into Jr overdrive and its all we are going to hear about through Homestead, so yes, you can bet your rear end they are going to make him retiring a much bigger deal than all those drivers retiring combined I feel.
 
jws926 said:
I was surprised that came back, I really didnt think he was going too, and felt he had the perfect way, if you will, to retire, and was somewhat expecting it.
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I said he was done after 2016 and was very surprised he came back for 2017.
 
March 29th he had the discussion with Mr. H.
Impressed it was kept hushed for that long.
That had to be wearing on Jr. since then.
Ton of bricks off his mind finally. Lets go get
a couple of wins!

Nothing better than calling your shots!
 
I'm glad he's getting to go on his own terms, and the announcement didn't surprise me at all. I've been a fan of his since his busch series days. people will always try to compare him to his dad and say he never filled those shoes.....well NOBODY could of ever filled those shoes.

what he DID do was have a solid career. 26 cup wins is nothing to scoff at. lots of drivers would kill for quite win in the DAYTONA 500. Jr. got his name on the Harley earl twice.

add to the fact his love for three history of the sport and the way he always came across as a genuine nice guy.

he spent an entire career with A LOT of weight on his shoulders. few could of handled it as well.

I'd love for one more trip to victory lane.

JR NATION!
 
Allenbaba said:
I heard a lot of things from a lot of people, and interpreted many smaller actions which all pointed to him retiring very soon. Many people (myself included) were surprised he came back this season. Very surprised.
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I'm glad he came back. As he said, going out on his terms. Gonna be a party. One last ride for JR Nation.
 
I don't think his hart has been in to it for the last couple years. he wasn't even kick ass at the plate tracks.
 
jws926 said:
Being 100% honest, I dont want to see Jr driving a Sr throwback, I want to see Jr driving a Jr throwback, let him have his moment, we have been honoring Sr for a long time, its time Jr get his , for me, I would like to see throwback for his Ac-Delco BGN ride, that would be pretty cool.
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Still floored. Been a Jr fan since 1997 when I was in 6th grade, I thought it was cool he drove for his dad and used the same number. That AC Delco car was bad. I cheered for him All through rest of grade school, high school , and college. I was a huge Gordon fan, but Jr just seemed so much cooler. Those Budweiser hats were legit I felt more comfortable wearing a Bud 8 hat out with my friends at the neighborhood bar or other social settings than a DuPont 24 hat, Jr to me was just cooler. As I got through adult hood, I chose ( or more like fell into) the same exact career/field my dad has done for 30 years of my 32 year life. My dad has been top guy in his region 5 times, always finished top 10 since the 80's. I was so apprehensive about doing the same thing as my dad it stressed me out, I wasn't sure if I was making the right decision. My point is, on a much much much much smaller scale, I empathize with the pressure, expectations others have and regard others have for you that Jr deals with on a daily basis because of how success his father was. From the first day I started I heard "Hey your dad has sold this much" or "he does it this way" when I was and still am finding my own path to success while trying to become better at my career each day. The grace that Jr has dealt with in making his fans and his fathers fans happy has been astounding to watch. He has embraced that role since day one but really grew into it so much that he became his own man. The dude always seemed to keep a great sense of who he was and stayed true to himself. At the end of the day I never want to let anyone down in my line of work and always wanted my dad proud of me, much like Jr said today in his press conference. It has been a thrill to grow up watching Jr become the man he has become he wasn't much older than me when he started (10 year difference) and I look forward to seeing How he masters the next chapter of his life.
 
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Blaze88 said:


The only Cup Race I ever been to, was happy as hell I got to see Dale Jr win.
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I watched him win Talladega the year before, April 2003. He won the Busch too.. ran out of gas crossing the finish line. The tow truck had to pick him up. Too bad he wasn't in the IROC race that raced after the Busch race. Then he won the Cup race. It was a perfect weekend.
 
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