NASCAR
Bob Pockrass, NASCAR 7y

Dale Earnhardt Jr. always happy to be at Bristol

NASCAR

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has announced that he will retire from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series after the 2017 season. As the Hendrick Motorsports driver prepares to climb into the race car for the final time at each track -- or at least likely the last time, as he has left the door open for possible one-off races -- we take a look at how he has fared over the years at each venue and what to expect in his last ride there.

Dale Jr. at Bristol Motor Speedway | Aug. 19, 2017

Starts: 34

Best finish: First (August 2004)

Biggest highlight: Besides appearing on College GameDay last year prior to the Virginia Tech-Tennessee football game? Just kidding. Earnhardt didn't just win the night race in 2004. That victory came the night after he won the Xfinity race at the track. Earnhardt led 420 laps combined that weekend, including 295 laps in capturing the Cup victory. That win came a little more than a month after he suffered serious burns at Sonoma. In Victory Lane, he used the phrase, "It's Bristol, baby!" And the track has continued to use that line to promote the facility.

Worst moment: In the August 2014 race, Earnhardt was collected in an accident after leader Denny Hamlin was turned by Kevin Harvick. Hamlin hit the inside wall, came up on the track, and tore apart Earnhardt's door. Earnhardt's day ended a few laps later and he finished 39th.

Outlook for Saturday: Earnhardt loves Bristol, and that can go a long way toward having a good day. But if practice is any indication, Saturday will be another long night for Earnhardt. He was 27th in the first practice and 28th in the second. He will start 31st.

Dale Jr. says: "That [Bristol trophy] was a trophy that I wanted. I felt really, really lucky to have gotten one. I don't have many trophies in the house, but that is one of them that I keep in the living room, because when you win here the driver is a big part of it. A lot of tracks, the bigger tracks, you need a lot of race car to do well, and here you need a really good driver. And I felt lucky and fortunate to have got a victory here."

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