With Dale Earnhardt Jr. announcing his retirement, NASCAR not only is losing its most popular driver, but also one of its most endearing personalities.
And although the Hendrick Motorsports driver is nearing the finish line of his career on the track full-time, he probably could seamlessly transition into a career in television, if he really wanted to. Back when he was sponsored by Budweiser, Earnhardt appeared in two “This is SportsCenter” commercials, and both were dynamite.
In “Directions,” Earnhardt lends his navigational assistance to ESPN’s John Anderson, but in doing so hilariously perpetuated one of the longest-running jokes about NASCAR.
That one’s pretty tough to beat, but Earnhardt and Anderson came close with their second ad, “Involuntary Upgrades.” Apparently suffering from screensaver issues, Anderson summoned Earnhardt for his mechanical expertise, but things go a little haywire.
Thankfully, Earnhardt’s retirement doesn’t prevent him from making future appearances like these. If anything, he’ll have more time on his hands to lend his acting chops to the highest bidder.
