2027 will mark 10 years since Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s last entry in the Daytona 500. Could he be making a return to the iconic race next year?
On the most recent episode of his Dale Jr. Download podcast, Earnhardt certainly seemed to play into the idea at least a little bit. He remarked that his wife Amy has been pestering him about entering the 2027 race.
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“Amy told me I should run the Daytona 500 next year,” Earnhardt said. “I was like, ‘What?’ We were laying in bed Sunday night after the race. She was like, ‘You should drive it next year.’ I’m like, ‘Hello? What’d you say? Are you OK?’ Oh man, I don’t know.”
Clearing the Air
That comment in the show quickly created some speculation that Earnhardt might end his semi-retirement to give the iconic race at least one more go.
But in the days that followed, Earnhardt decided to clear the air and explained that the remark was taken out of context. He explained that people have long blamed her for his decision to retire from full-time racing and was only making that comment to point out that she still supports him if he wants to race. He said that he still doesn’t want to race in the NASCAR Cup Series.
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“I only wanted folks to know Amy wasn’t to blame for my retirement back in the day,” Earnhart wrote in response to a comment on X. “I felt she got some unnecessary blame back then. I won’t be racing cup but she’s not the reason.”
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 16: Hall of Famer and JR Motorsports team owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr. waits on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 16, 2025 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
(Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
Suffice it to say, Earnhardt won’t be returning to Daytona or any of the Cup Series races anytime soon.
Earnhardt is a two-time winner of the Daytona 500, reached the checkered flag first in 2004 and 2014. His final two trips to the iconic speedway were disappointments though as wrecks in back-to-back trips signaled the beginning of the end of his full-time racing career.
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He has not competed in a Cup Series race since the end of the 2017 season and scarcely races at all anymore in any noteworthy circuit.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Feb 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the NASCAR section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
