Earnhardt Junior cleared to race in Daytona 500

CHARLOTTE, NC– “Just picking up some Dale Junior stuff for a guy at work that’s a big fan he knows Dales’ coming back,” said Fort Mill resident, Bill Fentress.

The news of Junior’s return lit up the Nascar world Thursday.

“I thought it was going to melt Twitter down when they announcement first came out Junior was coming back,” said Performance Racing Network Anchor, Doug Rice.

Rice says it’s an early Christmas present for not just fans but the entire Nascar industry.

“Everything in racing is impacted when Dale Earnhardt Junior is absent,” said Rice.

Nascar Hall of Fame Executive Director Winston Kelley says the fact he’s been voted most popular driver 14 years in a row shows his fan base spreads beyond just being Dale Earnhardt Senior’s son.

“He’s a very very important part of the sport but he’s also such a genuine individual everybody is just thrilled to see him back on the track,” said Rice.

Earnhardt had to miss half of the 36 races this season after suffering a concussion,,, but Kelley says the economic impact is still very present at the race track.

“If you look at the fanatics display at the race tracks there’s more merchandise there for Dale Earnhardt Junior there than anybody else,” said Kelley.

Earnhardt’s first race back will be the Daytona 500 which he’s won a couple times, which fans say add to the excitement of his return.

“It’s not the same sport without Dale for sure so having him come back is a big thing for us,” said Fentress.