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Dale Earnhardt Jr. has kept tabs on the NFL as the Washington Commanders returned to the big stage after over three decades, although they fell short of a Super Bowl appearance. Regardless, Dale Jr. commended the team for putting on a good show.
Earnhardt Jr. is a former NASCAR driver who last drove in the Cup Series with Hendrick Motorsports. Since he was a kid, the Kannapolis native has been rooting for the Washington Commanders, formerly the Redskins, in the NFL.
In an X (formerly Twitter) post, Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared his thoughts on the Commanders' performance in recent years amid elimination after the NFC Championship Game.
"Hell of a season @Commanders. Got caught up in the idea of a Super Bowl run and needed reminding this morning of how big the gains were the past 2 years. The team this year went above and beyond anything I had imagined. I'm grateful and excited for the future," Dale Jr. said.
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The statement follows the Kannapolis native's initial reaction to the end of the Commanders' season. He wrote on X:
"🤬🤬🤬"
The Washington Commanders exited the playoffs after the Philadelphia Eagles defeated them 55-23. That was the most points a football team scored in a conference championship game since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970.
The Eagles are set to face the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl after the latter team eliminated the Buffalo Bills from contention. The Chiefs will look to beat the Eagles in the Super Bowl again to earn a three-peat.
While Dale Earnhardt Jr. waits for the Washington Commanders to return to the field in September, he will compete in NASCAR as a team owner.
Notably, the 50-year-old will oversee JR Motorsports' debut in the Daytona 500. The team will field Justin Allgaier in the No. 40 Chevrolet Camaro as the driver attempts to qualify for the race against other open car drivers such as Martin Truex Jr.
In the Xfinity Series, JR Motorsports will enter four full-time drivers including Carson Kvapil, Sammy Smith, Justin Allgaier, and Connor Zilisch. Moreover, the defending champion will field Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen in select Xfinity races.
The 2025 NASCAR season will commence next month, with the prestigious Daytona 500 scheduled for February 16.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes a playful dig at Brad Keselowski over NFL match
The Washington Commanders advanced to the NFC Championship Game after beating the top-seeded Detroit Lions 45-31. Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the chance to poke fun at Brad Keselowski, who also follows the sport as a Lions fan.
Dale Jr. said (via X):
"Somebody check on @keselowski."
Keselowski played along amid defeat and wrote:
"Bad cold last 2 days. Definitely didn’t help."
The Detroit Lions arrived at the matchup against the Washington Commanders as the league's favorite to reach or even win the Super Bowl. As such, Dale Jr. was ecstatic with the upset that brought his team back to the conference championship game after 33 years.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski will face each other in NASCAR in the Daytona 500 as team owners of their respective teams.
