Junior Is Going To Race One Time In 2021, Locks In That Date

Since retiring from full-time racing in NASCAR in 2017, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has returned to the track and gotten behind the wheel for one start in each of the past three seasons.

Earnhardt and his team announced on Tuesday his lone Xfinity start for the 2021 season: the Go Bowling 250 at Richmond Raceway on Sept. 11. He will drive the No. 8 Chevrolet, but this time, he’ll have a different sponsor on the car.

"This year’s start will come on the 20th anniversary of the 2001 attacks on Sept. 11, and he will sport a special United for America paint scheme to honor victims of 9/11 with longtime partner Unilever on the No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet," a NASCAR news release reads.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since that terrible day,” Earnhardt said via a team release. “The spirit of unity and togetherness our country felt on Sept. 11 is just as relevant now as it was then. I’m honored to be driving this car and championing Unilever’s United for America program.”

Earnhardt has 24 Xfinity Series wins and two titles throughout his career, with his most recent Xfinity win also marking his most recent NASCAR national series win to date — at Richmond in 2016.

One of Earnhardt’s 26 Cup wins came in the sport’s first race after 9/11 at Dover International Speedway, the news release states.

More information about the event and to purchase tickets for the Go Bowling 250, click here.

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