'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAb/xAAVAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAv/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAg5QK/8QAIRAAAgECBgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQMCBBEABQYSEyEHgrL/2gAIAQEAAT8A8cabS/K6XOHv4Cs1jFmIlvHCsSJ6l64gqlMImL27bdXQL/eP/8QAFBEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/aAAgBAgEBPwB//8QAFBEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/aAAgBAwEBPwB//9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a solid outing at Saturday’s South Carolina 400 on Florence Motor Speedway. Driving the #3 Bass Pro Shops Late Model Stock Car, he qualified 26th and finished eighth in a 41-car field.
Speaking to media at NASCAR home track in Florence County, the two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion has opened up on how performance pressure sometimes made his life difficult. Being more competitive came at a cost because sometimes he feels that he almost made himself unhappy being that way.
“I know it sounds silly,” Earnhardt said, “but I spent my whole life trying to be as good as I possibly could. Being so competitive you almost make yourself miserable. Every dang time you ran a lap, you wanted to know how it measured up against the field. You do that your whole life, and when you get out of that, you’re so relieved to get out from under that pressure,” Earnhardt Jr. said as reported by NASCAR.com.
“You put pressure on yourself to live up to this expectation — especially as a Cup driver. And so to finally get out from under that pressure. … I mean, I miss racing, but I don’t have to worry about trying to measure up to where I should every week, he added.
With no performance pressure on him, the 49-year-old driver is enjoying running part-time in racing events. He made his debut in the CARS Tour and Sprint Car scene this year. He also competes part-time in the Xfinity Series, driving the #88 Chevrolet for his own team JR Motorsports.
“I gotta qualify better” - Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not happy with his qualifying effort at Florence Motor Speedway
Speaking to Flo Racing after the South Carolina 400, JR Motorsports owner expressed his disappointment to qualify P26 after a couple of practice sessions in which he and his team worked to find a setup suitable for the half-mile of Florence Motor Speedway.
“I gotta qualify better, I came here during the Darlington week and we ended up qualifying really good, we raced ok. I thought we need to be tighter in the race. So we came here with a little different balance," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. ended his Cup career on high note with 26 wins and 260 top-10 finishes in a 19-year-long career.
