Race fans on Tuesday have been coming to grips with the announcement that NASCAR will be without Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2018. Fans, however, weren’t the only ones caught off guard.
Earnhardt revealed Tuesday he will retire after the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, leaving the sport without its most popular driver — and that’s not just among fans. Despite how competitive racing — and specifically racing drivers — can be, Earnhardt is well liked by his fellow competitors.
“Junior” is respected by NASCAR drivers and the racing community at large for his constant calls to make the sport safer. That respect was evident from the large outpouring of well wishes Earnhardt received on Twitter.
Both current and former NASCAR racers congratulated him and his wife, Amy, on his outstanding career.
Brad Keselowski seemingly was the only one who made the connection between Earnhardt’s announcement and his cryptic tweet from Tuesday morning.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. definitely didn’t put two and two together.
J.R. Hildebrand competes in the Verizon IndyCar Series, but based on the Ed Carpenter Racing driver’s message to Earnhardt, it’s clear he’s a NASCAR fan at heart.
Given that Earnhardt helped promoters put rear ends in the seats for nearly two decades, we’re not surprised many NASCAR tracks also reached out to him.
Rather than just wish Earnhardt the best in the next chapter of his life, Mobil 1 The Grid sent out a series of tweets highlighting some of the key points in his career.
For Earnhardt’s primary sponsor Nationwide, 140 characters wasn’t enough to properly say goodbye. After all, it wasn’t just losing a driver, it was losing “Water Cooler Dale.”
Thumbnail photo via Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports Images
