Dale Earnhardt Jr. announces he’ll retire at end of 2017 season

Fan favorite and surefire future Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced on Tuesday that he will retire at the end of the 2017 season.

The announcement was made on Twitter early Tuesday morning by Hendrick Motorsports.

After 18 seasons, @DaleJr will bring his Cup Series driving career to a close at the end of 2017.

Info: https://t.co/8n7dRjSc9l pic.twitter.com/REdWACH2KD

— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) April 25, 2017

With nearly two decades and more than 600 races under his belt, Earnhardt will bring his NASCAR Cup Series career to an end. Earnhardt, 42, is a two-time winner at the Daytona 500, and has notched 26 wins.

Earnhardt Jr. was joined by Rick Hendrick Tuesday afternoon to discuss the decision. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio captured the press conference in full (check OnDemand to hear it).

.@TeamHendrick owner, Rick Hendrick joins @DaleJr on stage now. Continue to listen on Channel 90. pic.twitter.com/OqgVYLLDue

— SiriusXM NASCAR (@SiriusXMNASCAR) April 25, 2017

Earnhardt told the gathered media that he wanted to be able to make the decision himself when it came to retiring, and not having the decision made for him. Dale Jr. spent a large portion of last season recuperating from a concussion suffered early in 2016.

“I don’t think anything in my professional career has meant as much to me as the fan support I have received track to track.” –@DaleJr

— SiriusXM NASCAR (@SiriusXMNASCAR) April 25, 2017

Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)Credits:- AP Photo/Paul Sancya

On MLB Network Radio, diehard NASCAR fan Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost weighed in on the announcement with praise for the driver of the No. 88.

“What an example he is for all of us in sports,” Yost said. “He’s a kid that has his priorities right…he’s making a great decision.”

For more coverage, listen to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Ch. 90. Photo: AP Images