Dale Earnhardt Jr. publicly addresses his retirement and explains why he doesn't want to leave the sport he loves. (1:07)

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who soldiered on in the sport after the death of his father, a NASCAR icon, has decided to retire after the 2017 season.

He said he told Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick of his decision March 29.

"I just wanted the opportunity to go out on my own terms," Earnhardt said Tuesday. "I wanted to honor my commitment to Rick, to my sponsors, to my team, to the fans.

"... I made the decision shortly before I talked to Rick. Every driver thinks about retirement and what they think that looks like for them. I wasn't thinking about it too much until the last couple years. Once I realized how delicate things are, it's something I had to start thinking about quite seriously."

Earnhardt, 42, has 26 wins in 603 starts as part of a likely Hall of Fame career, including Daytona 500 victories in 2004 and 2014. He also has earned 14 consecutive NASCAR Sprint Most Popular Driver awards and remains consistently the top driver when it comes to merchandise sales.

Earnhardt missed the final 18 races of 2016 because of a concussion. He missed two races in 2012 because of two concussions in a six-week stretch.

"I had a lot to think about over the last several months, and I was not sure I would have the opportunity to compete this season," Earnhardt said. "It's been a blessing and it's been a gift to be at the racetrack. ... About 18 months ago, I was on Twitter complaining about 8:30 [a.m.] practices, and I can't wait to do so now.

"I just wanted to be able to make that decision myself on retiring and not have it made for me. I feel healthy."

He also said he felt competitive enough to continue racing. The son of Dale Earnhardt, a seven-time Cup champion, faces the prospect of not winning a Cup championship in his career; Junior has one top-10 finish this year in eight starts and sits 24th in the season standings.

"At a very young age, all I wanted to do was to be able to make a living driving cars," the younger Earnhardt said. "I didn't set goals. I didn't dream of winning championships, Daytona 500s or working with one of the best owners in the business. ... I just wanted to be able to do it.

"I've accomplished way more than I ever dreamed, way more than I ever thought I would accomplish. So I'm good on that front."

The driver described his feeling Tuesday as bittersweet, but he's at peace with the decision.

"My heart loves being in the car. I love driving. I enjoy it as much as I ever have," Earnhardt said Tuesday. "There's a lot about it I really love. It's really emotional. I don't like letting people down, disappointing my boss. We all depend on each other to be there every day.

"To say I'm not going to be here one day is difficult. Because we all wish we could be here forever. I do have ambition to keep working. I don't want to quit working."

Earnhardt said he has plans to run two Xfinity Series races in 2018 for his own team and didn't rule out additional races.

"Dale Earnhardt Jr. is among the most recognizable athletes in the world, unequivocally serving as the sport's most popular driver for more than a decade," NASCAR chairman Brian France said in a statement. "His passion for the sport will leave an impact on NASCAR that will be felt over its entire history. Over his 20-plus year career, Dale has proven himself a leader with a deep commitment to so many areas of the sport -- all the way to its roots.

"We're excited about the next chapter of his NASCAR career and wish him success for the remainder of 2017."

Hendrick Motorsports did not announce a replacement for Earnhardt, whose contract expires at the end of this season. Before suffering a concussion last year, Earnhardt had planned to sign a contract extension. As of a month ago, he said he planned to talk to Hendrick about extending the deal.

Earlier this year, when discussing the sudden decision of Carl Edwards to step out of his car, Earnhardt talked about trying to decide whether to continue racing.

"I think Carl figured out a way to get into a place to make that decision easy," Earnhardt said. "And I can do the same thing when the time comes, and I won't have any regrets. It's not going to be a lot of fun to retire, I can imagine.

"You've seen a lot of people, athletes, retire in the past. It seems a very difficult statement to make, a very difficult press conference to have. But when I'm ready to do that, I'll be making that decision knowing it's the right thing to do."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will compete in his final NASCAR Cup Series race on Nov. 19 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Mike Comer/Getty Images

Three weeks ago Earnhardt said he had no lingering effects from the concussions.

"We couldn't be out on the track if we had anything hanging on. I wouldn't want to be out there, and I would be forthcoming and transparent with my doctors if we needed to work on anything," Earnhardt said. "I felt great for many, many months now, and I'm happy about that. We've been through a handful of races now and didn't have any issues whatsoever."

There were times when Earnhardt didn't think he would ever race again last year.

"There was a lot of time in there during the recovery, where there were days where I was 90 percent sure I wasn't going to drive again," Earnhardt said before the 2017 Daytona 500. "There were days where it was 50 percent. ... [In November], I couldn't put one foot in front of the other without falling over like a drunk driving test. I couldn't take one step without having to step to the right or step to the left to catch myself."

Last year, Earnhardt at first thought that he had suffered a sinus infection but then continued to have issues with balance and nausea. He realized that he might have suffered concussions in wrecks on June 12 at Michigan and July 2 at Daytona.

Neither wreck was a particularly hard hit when compared to his more violent 2012 crashes, but because Earnhardt showed enough continual symptoms of concussions, another hit could have resulted in a serious head injury. After the July 9 race at Kentucky, he sat out the rest of the season.

Earnhardt might be defined by the 2001 season, when his father died on the final lap of the Daytona 500. Earnhardt had two emotional victories that season, the first in July at Daytona and then in the first NASCAR race after 9/11 at Dover.

That was Earnhardt's second full season driving for a team owned by his father -- and then by his stepmother, Teresa, after his father's death.

When Teresa wouldn't give Earnhardt a piece of team ownership, he left after the 2007 season to drive for Hendrick Motorsports. When Hendrick formed his organization in 1983, he did so with the help of fabricator Robert Gee, Earnhardt's maternal grandfather.

Earnhardt struggled in his first three seasons at Hendrick, winning just one race. After that, he showed improvement. In 2011, his first season with crew chief Steve Letarte, Earnhardt didn't win a race but finished seventh in the points. He won once in 2012, and he finished fifth in the standings in 2013. He won seven races in 2014 and 2015 but didn't make the final round of the new elimination-style Chase. He was on pace to make the Chase again in 2016 before stepping out of the seat.

His best points finish is third, in 2003, the last year before the Chase format was implemented.

Most Cup Wins Without Title Wins Best Finish Junior Johnson 50 6th Mark Martin 40 2nd Fireball Roberts 33 2nd Denny Hamlin 29 2nd Carl Edwards 28 2nd Dale Earnhardt Jr. 26 3rd Fred Lorenzen 26 3rd --ESPN Stats & Information

Earnhardt's role in the sport goes beyond driving. He also owns a team in the Xfinity Series. The team name, JR Motorsports, initially could not use the name "Jr Motorsports" because he didn't own the rights to his name.

His sister, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, and Hendrick co-own his Xfinity team.

Earnhardt won two driving titles in the Xfinity Series while driving for his father in 1998 and 1999. He won as a co-owner for Chance 2 Motorsports, which he co-owned with his stepmother, in 2004 and 2005 with driver Martin Truex Jr., and then as a co-owner of JR Motorsports with Chase Elliott as the driver in 2014.

Earnhardt's life revolves around racing, and he has been in the public spotlight from the first time he stepped in a race car. Still he is comfortable living a life unlike that of his father, who was more of an outdoorsman. The younger Earnhardt has a Western town built on his property, a section of woods with damaged race cars -- a race car graveyard of sorts -- and a go-kart track complete with homemade billboards.

His Twitter profile describes Earnhardt: "Retired dealership service mechanic. Former backup fullback for the Mooresville Blue Devils varsity soccer team. Aspiring competition BBQ Pitmaster."

That is pure Earnhardt, not really taking himself as seriously as many of his avid fans do. Since joining Twitter after winning the 2014 Daytona 500, he has interacted heavily with his fans.

Those fans wish they could see him race after this season, but likely won't blame him for his decision.

On a trip to Germany in 2015, Earnhardt proposed to Amy Reimann at a church where his ancestors had worshiped centuries ago. Earnhardt and Reimann married on New Year's Eve.

Amy Earnhardt tweeted: "I'm so proud of Dale for working so hard to get back and even prouder for his courage and self awareness to make the decision to retire. I'm sure God has many other great plans for him and us."

Their life together likely played a role in the decision for Earnhardt, the latest in a series of stars who has stopped competing in NASCAR the last few years -- joining former champions Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Edwards.

When talking about his 600th start last month, Earnhardt reflected on his career, how much he valued the success he had as well as the friendships he has made.

"I think back about the wins, and maybe not even the wins -- some races are really fun and satisfactory, but you are the only one that will remember them because you ran third or fifth or something like that, and they are kind of obscure in most people's minds," Earnhardt said. "I think about winning the All-Star races as a rookie, just how fortunate we were to do that. Winning the Daytona 500 twice.

"I didn't know that I would even win it once and everything that has happened. ... I would have never thought it would have been as good as it has been or as fun as it has been along the way. I have made so many good friends."</s>Dale Earnhardt Jr. plans to retire from the NASCAR Monster Cup series at the end of the 2017 season.

The 14-time Most Popular Driver has 603 starts — 26 victories — over a career that began at age 24 in 1999. Among his accomplishments are two Daytona 500 crowns (2004, 2014) and two championships (1998, 1999) in what has become the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

Earnhardt Jr., 42, is not having the season he planned after missing 18 races recovering from concussions in 2016.

So far in 2017, Earnhardt has led only eight laps and his best finish was fifth in Texas (April 9). He’s currently 24th in the NASCAR standings.

He finished 38th Monday at the rain-delayed Bristol race and was victimized by crashes and unfinished races at Daytona and Martinsville, where he finished 37th and 34th.

Following Jeff Gordon’s retirement at the end of last season, Hendrick Motorsports will continue to be reshaped. Chase Elliott and Jimmie Johnson are carrying the four-car team in 2017, but Johnson said in February that he would begin considering retirement whenever “the time is right.”

Johnson turns 42 in September and is a seven-time NASCAR champion.</s>CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Hendrick Motorsports says Dale Earnhardt Jr. will retire at the end of this season.

Earnhardt is a 14-time winner of NASCAR’s most popular driver award. He has 26 career Cup victories, and that includes a pair of wins in the Daytona 500.

Earnhardt is a two-time champion in NASCAR’s second-tier series. But the son of the late seven-time champion has never won a Cup title.

Earnhardt turns 43 in October, was married during the offseason and has stated he wants a family.

He’s also been plagued by concussions and missed half of last season after suffering yet another one. He’s become an advocate for research of sports-related brain injuries.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Dale Earnhardt Jr. abruptly announced his retirement at the end of the season Tuesday, a decision that will cost NASCAR its most popular driver as the series scrambles to rebuild its fan base.

Colorful, candid and talented, Earnhardt has been plagued by concussions the last several years and he missed half of last season recovering from a head injury. He had delayed contract talks on an extension to drive the No. 88 Chevrolet, and the two-time Daytona 500 winner will call it quits when the season ends in November.

Hendrick Motorsports said Earnhardt informed his team of his decision early Tuesday, though he first discussed retirement with his boss on March 29. Earnhardt and team owner Rick Hendrick scheduled an afternoon news conference to discuss his decision.

“Dale Jr. has had a huge impact on our sport – and you can see that every week with his legion of fans and Junior Nation,” Jeff Gordon said in a statement released by Fox Sports, where he now works as an analyst after spending much of last season filling in for the injured Earnhardt. “He has a tremendous sense of the history of NASCAR and, while he shares his father’s name, Dale has made a name for himself with his accomplishments in racing. While we will miss Dale on the track next year, he loves this sport, those working in the industry and the fans too much to ever be too far away.”

A third-generation racer, Earnhardt turns 43 in October, is newly married and has said he wants to start a family. He has become a vocal advocate for research into sports-related brain injuries, and the hit he took last June led to months of rehabilitation that gave him a new perspective on his life. The concussions left him with nausea, double vision, anxiety and other symptoms that he has discussed in great detail.

His wife, Amy, posted on Twitter shortly after the announcement: “I’m so proud of Dale for working so hard to get back and even prouder for his courage & self awareness to make the decision to retire. I’m sure God has many other great plans for him and us!”

The news was the latest blow to the stock car series, which had lost Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart to retirement the past two years. Now Earnhardt, the last of the true country boys, is following their exit. Born and raised in North Carolina, Earnhardt has deep roots in NASCAR. His late Hall of Fame father, Dale, won seven titles and, known as “The Intimidator,” was one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. Earnhardt’s grandfather, Ralph, ran 51 races at NASCAR’s highest level.

Earnhardt has won NASCAR’s most popular driver award a record 14 times. He has 26 career Cup victories and is a two-time champion of NASCAR’s second-tier series. But the son of the late champion has never won a Cup title. The Kannapolis, North Carolina, native in his 18th full-time season at the Cup level and he made his 600th career series start earlier this year.

Earnhardt has driven for Hendrick since 2008 after a nasty split with Dale Earnhardt Inc., the team founded by his father but run by his stepmother. He was unhappy with the direction of DEI since his father’s 2001 death in a last-lap accident at the Daytona 500, and a frosty relationship with his stepmother led him to bolt to NASCAR’s most powerful team.

Earnhardt is not off to the greatest start this season, with only one top-five finish so far. He took another hit Monday at Bristol Motor Speedway when a mechanical issue caused him to crash.

“I feel good. We’ll get in here and find out,” he said as he walked to the care center.

After his long layoff last season, Earnhardt discussed his comeback before this year’s Daytona 500 in February and said whenever he made his decision to retire it would be “the right thing to do.” He also said he wanted time to become confident about his health before considering a new contract.

“For the longest time, I let racing be who I was instead of what I did,” he added. “I’ve got a whole other life beyond driving, and I really believe that. I have got a lot of things I’d love to do. Outside of having a family, there’s a lot of things in business that I’d love to see if I can succeed at. I think we got a glimpse of what that would be like. It looks pretty awesome.”</s>CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Dale Earnhardt Jr. abruptly announced his retirement at the end of the season Tuesday, a decision that will cost NASCAR its most popular driver as the series scrambles to rebuild its fan base.

Colorful, candid and talented, Earnhardt has been plagued by concussions the last several years and he missed half of last season recovering from the latest head injury. It caused him to delay contract talks on an extension to drive the No. 88 Chevrolet, and the two-time Daytona 500 winner with deep family roots in auto racing appears ready to call it quits.

A third-generation racer, Earnhardt turns 43 in October, is newly married and has said he wants to start a family.

His wife, Amy, posted on Twitter shortly after the announcement: “I’m so proud of Dale for working so hard to get back and even prouder for his courage & self awareness to make the decision to retire. I’m sure God has many other great plans for him and us!”

Earnhardt has become a vocal advocate for research of sports-related brain injuries, and the hit he took last June led to months of rehabilitation that gave him a new perspective on his life. The concussions left him with nausea, double vision, anxiety and a multitude of other symptoms that he’s discussed in great detail.

Earnhardt is not off to the greatest start this season, with only one top-five finish so far. He took another hit Monday at Bristol Motor Speedway when a mechanical issue caused him to crash.

In a typical Earnhardt move, a fan tried to take a selfie with Earnhardt as the driver made his way to the care center for the mandatory checkup after his hit. Although the fan was pushed away at the time, Earnhardt found him after his stop in the care center and later posted on Twitter the fan got his picture.

He did not seem fazed by Monday’s crash.

“I feel good. We’ll get in here and find out,” he said as he walked to the care center.

Earnhardt set an afternoon news conference with team owner Rick Hendrick to discuss his decision. Hendrick Motorsports said in a news release that Earnhardt informed his team of his decision early Tuesday. Hendrick Motorsports said Earnhardt first discussed retirement with his boss on March 29.

Earnhardt has won NASCAR’s most popular driver award a record 14 times. He has 26 career Cup victories and is a two-time champion of NASCAR’s second-tier series. But the son of the late seven-time champion has never won a Cup title.

Earnhardt has driven for Hendrick since 2008 after a nasty split with Dale Earnhardt Inc., the team founded by his father but run by his stepmother. He was unhappy with the direction of DEI since his father’s 2001 death in a last-lap accident at the Daytona 500, and a frosty relationship with his stepmother led him to bolt to NASCAR’s most powerful team.

Earnhardt made his first career Cup Series start on May 30, 1999, at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Kannapolis native is in his 18th full-time season at the Cup level and he made his 600th career series start earlier this year at California.

His retirement is just the latest in a series of veterans stepping away from the sport after long and popular careers.

Jeff Gordon called it quits after the 2015 season, but he was a fill-in last year as Earnhardt recovered. Tony Stewart retired at the end of last year.

Now Earnhardt, the last of the true country boys, is following their exit. Born and raised in North Carolina, Earnhardt has deep roots in NASCAR. His Hall of Fame father Dale won seven titles and, known as “The Intimidator,” was one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history.

“Dale Jr. has had a huge impact on our sport – and you can see that every week with his legion of fans and Junior Nation,” Gordon said in a statement released by Fox Sports, where he now works as an analyst. “He has a tremendous sense of the history of NASCAR and, while he shares his father’s name, Dale has made a name for himself with his accomplishments in racing. While we will miss Dale on the track next year, he loves this sport, those working in the industry and the fans too much to ever be too far away.”</s>Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR’s most popular driver, announced Tuesday that he will retire at the end of the season.

The two-time Daytona 500 winner set an afternoon news conference with team owner Rick Hendrick to discuss his decision. Hendrick Motorsports said in a news release that Earnhardt informed his team of his decision early Tuesday.

A third-generation NASCAR driver, Earnhardt has been plagued by concussions the last several years, and he missed half of last season recovering from the latest head injury. It’s caused him to delay contract talks on an extension to drive the No. 88 Chevrolet, and now he appears ready to call it quits.

Earnhardt turns 43 in October, was married during the off-season and has stated he wants a family. He’s become a vocal advocate for research of sports-related brain injuries.

Earnhardt has won NASCAR’s most popular driver award a record 14 times. He has 26 career Cup victories, and that includes a pair of wins in the Daytona 500.

Earnhardt is a two-time champion in NASCAR’s second-tier series. But the son of the late seven-time champion has never won a Cup title.

Earnhardt has driven for Hendrick since 2008 after a nasty split with Dale Earnhardt Inc., the team founded by his father but run by his stepmother. He was unhappy with the direction of DEI since his father’s 2001 death in a last-lap accident at the Daytona 500, and a frosty relationship with his stepmother led him to bolt to NASCAR’s most powerful team.

Hendrick Motorsports said Earnhardt first discussed retirement with his boss on March 29.

Earnhardt made his first career Cup Series start on May 30, 1999, at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Kannapolis native is in his 18th full-time season at the Cup level and he made his 600th career series start earlier this year at California.</s>Dale Earnhardt Jr. is retiring from NASCAR at the end of 2017.

Hendrick Motorsports announced Junior’s decision Tuesday morning and said the driver would have a press conference Tuesday afternoon to explain the reasoning behind the decision.

Junior, 43, missed the second half of the 2016 season after suffering a midseason concussion and said he was going to wait a few races into the 2017 season to begin talks on a contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports.

His current contract expires at the end of 2017, and the announcement was the answer to why Junior tweeted Tuesday morning that he was up so early.

His retirement means NASCAR’s three biggest stars will have retired in consecutive seasons. Four-time champion Jeff Gordon, who helped sub for Earnhardt last season, retired at the end of the 2015 season, while three-time champ Tony Stewart hung up his firesuit at the end of 2016.

And while the retirements of Stewart and Gordon – along with the sudden departure of Carl Edwards – were NASCAR-rattling events, Junior’s has the potential to be even more so. Because of his popularity among fans that started out as fans of his father, he’s the last driver left who so clearly bridges old NASCAR and new NASCAR. The 14-time most popular driver award winner is so popular that Nationwide, which once sponsored NASCAR’s No. 2 series, moved to sponsor him after not renewing the series title sponsorship for what’s now the Xfinity Series.

“While Nationwide and the rest of Junior Nation will miss seeing him on the track, we fully support Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s decision to step away from racing in NASCAR,” a Nationwide statement said. “Dale Jr. has been a tremendous partner and friend to Nationwide. We look forward to continuing our relationship with him after the conclusion of what’s sure to be a memorable 2017 season.”

Junior finished 38th in Monday’s race at Bristol after an apparent oil line issue caused his car to hit the wall. He has 26 career Cup wins in 603 starts and finished third in the points standings in 2003. He was 12th in 2015, his last full season in the Cup Series. He’s currently 24th in the points standings and has a chance to make NASCAR’s playoffs for a final time if he wins a race or gets high enough in the points standings.

Hendrick Motorsports said future plans for the No. 88 team would be announced at a later date.

Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!</s>One of NASCAR’s biggest names is saying goodbye to racing. Dale Earnhardt Jr. announces his plans to retire after the 2017 NASCAR season.

Earnhardt was voted NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver 14 times in his career that began in 1999 at 24 years old.

The 42-year-old has two Daytona 500 crowns (2004, 2014) and two championships (1998, 1999) in what is now called the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

Earnhardt returned to competition in the No. 88 Chevrolet this year after a concussion kept him from NASCAR’s top series for half of the 2016 season.

He is currently ranked 24th in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings.

Earnhardt plans to talk more about his decision Tuesday afternoon.</s>Dale Earnhardt, Jr. announced on Tuesday he will retire from competitive racing after the 2017 season.

Earnhardt, 42, has won 26 times on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series circuit during his career and has been named the sport's most popular driver in each of the last 14 years.

"After 18 seasons and more than 600 races behind the wheel, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will bring his NASCAR Cup Series driving career to a close at the conclusion of 2017. Today, he shared the news with members of his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team.

The fan favorite and two-time Daytona 500 champion will discuss his decision in a press conference this afternoon. He will be joined by Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick, for whom Earnhardt has driven since 2008. The two first met about the driver’s decision on March 29," a release from Hendrick Motorsports said.

Earnhardt was cleared to return to racing this season in December after missing the last 18 races of the 2016 campaign because of concussion issues.

In his career, Earnhardt has won the Daytona 500 twice (2004, 2014), but his last series victory came in 2015 at the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 in Phoenix.

Earnhardt has one top-10 finish this season and is 24th in the current standings.</s>Dale Earnhardt Jr. will retire at the end of the season after more than 600 Cup Series races, Hendrick Motorsports announced Tuesday.

Earnhardt, in his 18th season, has been voted NASCAR’s most popular driver for 14 consecutive seasons. Earnhardt is a two-time Dayton 500 champion but has never won a Cup Series title. He won his first of 26 Cup victories in 2000 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Earnhardt, 42, who was married during the off-season, missed the last 18 races of the 2016 season with concussion-like symptoms.

He will be joined by Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick during a press conference Tuesday afternoon. The two started talking about Earnhardt’s retirement on March 29, days after his 600th Cup Series start at Fontana.

Earnhardt is the latest big name to walk away from the sport. Jeff Gordon retired in 2015 and Tony Stewart followed in 2016.

“I only race cars ‘cause it’s fun,” Earnhardt said in March during Texas Motor Speedway’s media day in Dallas.

“I just enjoy working with my team and my guys, the camaraderie and the friendships. I just enjoy the relationships and friendships and that’s why I drive. Obviously we’ve got a big fan base that has a lot of fun when we do well, so you’d like to be out there and run well while you’re doing it.”
In auto racing, longtime NASCAR Cup Series star Dale Earnhardt Jr. announces that he will retire at the end of the 2017 season.