Hendrick Motorsports announced that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will take part in the Next Gen car test at Daytona International Speedway.
Dale Jr. is two-time Daytona 500 champion himself and will take the seat of Kyle Larson’s Cup car for the scheduled test. The test will mark Dale’s second time with the Next Gen car. The first time was in October at Bowman Gray Stadium where he run about 50 laps in the Next Gen car.
The chance came about as Larson will be defending his Chili Bowl Nationals title in Tulsa, Oklahoma this week.
The NASCAR on NBC analyst last raced on Daytona International Speedway in 2017, which was also his last year as a full-time driver in the Cup Series. He won the Daytona 500 in 2004 and 2014.
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Hendrick Motorsports are allowed to field two cars in the upcoming organizational test. Earnhardt Jr. will be partnered with William Byron for the test. As for other HMS drivers, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman will be with Larson for the Chili Bowl Nationals this week.
While Earnhardt Jr. retired from full-time racing, he has returned to the Xfinity Series to run one race every year. This year, he is scheduled to run the race at Martinsville Speedway on April 8.
Earnhardt Jr. will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on January 21.