Hendrick Motorsports announced in a tweet on Tuesday morning that driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. will retire from the NASCAR Cup Series at the end of the 2017 season.
Earnhardt was voted the most popular driver 14 times by NASCAR fans since his racing career began in 1999. He has 603 career starts and 26 wins on the circuit. He won the Daytona 500 in 2004 and 2014.
He made his first career start first career Cup Series start on May 30, 1999, at Charlotte Motor Speedway. His first win came at the DirecTV 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in April of 2000. He will compete in his final NASCAR Cup Series race on Nov. 19 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Earnhardt is a third-generation driver, his father Dale Earnhardt won seven NASCAR championships, tying Richard Petty for most all-time. His grandfather Ralph, raced from 1955-66 and had 16 top 10 finishes. Both were selected to NASCARS's list of 50 best drivers.
After 18 seasons, @DaleJr will bring his Cup Series driving career to a close at the end of 2017.
— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) April 25, 2017
Info: https://t.co/8n7dRjSc9l pic.twitter.com/REdWACH2KD
