Here’s why Dale Earnhardt Jr. is returning to NASCAR racing this weekend at Richmond

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. returns to the track this weekend not only as an analyst on NBC broadcasts, but as a driver behind the wheel of the No. 8 Chevy. He’ll compete in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race, the Go Bowling 250, at Richmond Raceway as a driver for his JR Motorsports team.

The former full-time Cup racer will drive a blue-and-white paint scheme that pays tribute to the victims of the 9/11 terror attacks on the 20th anniversary of the date. Earnhardt Jr. won NASCAR’s emotional Cup race at Dover in 2001 after the sport returned to racing 12 days after the attacks.

“I feel kind of connected to that date because of what happened in our sport when we went back to Dover and with what was going on in my own life that year,” Earnhardt Jr. said Friday. “It was a very challenging year.”

Earnhardt Jr. publicly lost his father, the late Dale Earnhardt, in a crash at the Daytona 500 earlier that season. For many in the sport, the image of Earnhardt Jr. holding an American flag out of his car window in celebration following his win at Dover symbolized forward movement for NASCAR and the country in the wake of tragic events that year.

“I think it’s important that we continue to remember and honor everyone affected by (9/11) all these years later,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “ ... I’m happy to be a small part of that tomorrow.”

Since his retirement from full-time Cup racing in 2017, Earnhardt Jr. has entered one lower-level Xfinity race each season, at Richmond (2018), Darlington (‘19) and Homestead (‘20), finishing no lower than fifth in those events. In eight total Xfinity races at Richmond, he has four wins, six top fives and seven top 10 finishes. His latest Xfinity win at the track was in 2016.

Beyond ceremony and performance, Earnhardt Jr. said the consideration when deciding to return to Richmond this year was also based on the location and timing preferences of his longtime sponsor, Hellmann’s, and Jr. not wanting to enter a playoff event. The Xfinity Series playoffs start Sept. 25 at Las Vegas with JRM drivers Justin Allgaier and Noah Gragson advancing to the postseason.

On Saturday, Earnhardt Jr. will start 30th of 40 cars and said that it’ll likely take him 20 to 40 laps (of 250 total) to feel connected to his car.

“I kinda always aim low anyway with my expectations, but luckily I’m starting in the back so the only way to go is up,” Earnhardt Jr. said.

He’ll work with JRM crew chief Taylor Moyer for the race. This event will be his single start for the season in a pattern of one-off races he’s likely to continue next year, although the track is subject to change. Earnhardt Jr. said he’s aiming to make Martinsville his 2022 entry, which is subject to discussion with Hellmann’s.

The sponsor will share real estate with United For America, which will be featured on the hood. That design features the 9/11 Memorial and Museum’s “Tribute in Light,” which represents the four locations hit in the Sept. 11 attacks: The Twin Towers at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the Flight 93 site in Shanksville, Pa.

Earnhardt Jr. said he’s not forecasting a win, despite the strong past finishes, but acknowledged that he would have a “genuine appreciation for the moment” if that is the result. For him, the return is simply about the experience, gaining more insight for his analysis in the booth and being part of the race again.

“I don’t know how great we’ll run or what the end result will be, but I just like to go and, I always say, smell the smells and hear the sounds and experience all the things inside a race car that I loved about it,” he said. “And hopefully that’s what comes out of it is really just a lot of fun and a good experience.”

The Go Bowling 250 is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. and will be followed by the Cup Series playoff race, the Federated Auto Parts 400 Salute to First Responders, at 7:30 p.m.