Earnhardt Overcomes Radio Issues, Brings Home Top-10 Finish at Bristol

By David Morgan, Associate Editor

BRISTOL, Tenn. – It wasn’t the cleanest of nights, but Dale Earnhardt, Jr. certainly had fun in his return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Friday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.

After starting in 13^th, the problems started almost immediately for the two-time Xfinity Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer when issues with the radio system in his helmet cropped up, forcing him to pit road under the first caution for his No. 88 JR Motorsports team to try and swap the helmet out to get things resolved for him.

The issues continued after getting a new helmet as the team also swapped out wiring harnesses later in the race. Despite the changes, Earnhardt still battled issues with his radio communication between the pit box, himself, and spotter TJ Majors.

Not letting the problems get in the way of his good time, Earnhardt made the best of a bad situation and persevered through the night, eventually finding himself inside the top-10 thanks to a strategy play.

Once inside the top-10, he was a constant presence there, battling with the likes of Ryan Truex and Brandon Jones down the stretch as he tried to work his way forward.

Earnhardt would eventually find a home in seventh-place, where he would run to the end of the race, satisfying his want to run the race to completion.

Pulling to a stop on pit road afterwards, Earnhardt was all smiles as he traded handshakes with his fellow competitors.

“We had a radio harness or something, went out under the pace laps and didn’t have a radio for about 50 laps. Swapped out the ear plugs, still didn’t work, swapped out the helmet still didn’t work. So probably ran about a hundred, 120 laps without really much communication with TJ,” Earnhardt said of his radio issues.

“And finally they stuck a radio with a short harness in it. The button I could clip to my chest and I could hear them and talk back under caution. But it worked out and we didn’t lose any lap or anything. As frustrating as that is, it was important not to give up and lose a lap or anything and try to try to salvage what we could because we had a top 10, top five car and I’m glad we were able to get a good result.”

Even without radio communication with his spotter, Earnhardt explained that he was able to make do with what he had for a while until the team got everything figured out.

“I’ve been around here enough. I kind of knew where I needed to be and I kind of could tell where I was gonna be clear and not clear and err on the conservative side, but I was in the back, so it was kind of easier doing it there,” he said. “If I’d been on a restart lining up in the front three or four rows had have been tough. But it is what it is. I mean, spotters are so important and very helpful and I was missing TJ there for a while, but we got it sorted out.

Earnhardt added that the bugs with the radio system are just some of the little things that can crop up when a car is only raced once a year. The car that Earnhardt was driving on Friday night was the same one that he raced at Bristol a year ago and had been sitting idle in the shop ever since getting torn down and rebuilt the last time he ran it.

Despite everything, Earnhardt noted he made sure not to lose his cool under the pressure of the moment and let the team get down to business to fix it, which they were able to do in short order to get him back on track.

“Maybe they need to go race it more and try to work the bugs out, but you just gotta stop, kind of remain calm. Everybody’s here to help you. No reason to bitch at anybody or raise hell at your pit crew. They’re all there to want to fix it. They’re the ones that are gonna help you fix it. So try to stay calm and try again to get a good result.”

So, what’s next?

For certain, Earnhardt remains steadfast that he will take a year off from driving in NASCAR in 2025 as he returns to the broadcast booth with Amazon and Turner Sports during their combined 10-race stretch next summer.

He explained that will be his focus, but having fun on nights like this certainly keep the fire burning to get back out there and have some fun with the drivers in the Xfinity Series, maybe as soon as 2026.

“If I don’t ever run again, I’m happy,” Earnhardt said. “At 50 years old, jump in once run top 10. I know there was some guys named Gant and Allison that were winning races in their fifties, so I know it’s doable. It’s not anything too crazy. But not doing it every week, man, you’re certainly coming here feeling like you’re handicapped and got to drink the fire hose trying to figure out what’s going on and getting up to speed.

“I love it, it was great. I mean, I got everything I wanted out of this and I’ll miss it next year. I’m certain I’ll probably sign up somewhere else trying not to already start thinking about where would I run, where do I wanna run, but I definitely do want take next year off, focus on my broadcast and get back work. Get my boots on and get back to work there and make sure I’m doing a good job. That’s my priority. That and my family.”