Andy Petree, in a guest spot on NASCAR Race Hub, was the first one I heard say it out loud.
He does not think Dale Junior will be back in a race car next season, or ever... As the crew chief for Dale Earnhardt when he won his 6th and 7th championships, he knows NASCAR. And he said what I have been thinking since Junior got out of the car with symptoms similar to what is seen in a concussion following a wreck at Michigan on June 12 and two wrecks in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona on July 2.
I just don't think he is coming back to racing. I just don't see how he can risk it.
He will still be involved as an owner for sure, but he doesn't sound good in the interviews. His voice has a different quality to it. Neurologically, he does not seem intact.
If he was a champion quality driver, it might be worth the risk, but he has been around racing long enough to know for him, it is not. He isn't going to win a championship (Sorry Junior Nation, he is not his father) and he has a good life out of the car, so he does not NEED to race.
And when he retires, NASCAR will have real troubles. This article talks about the troubles of losing Sprint and decreasing viewers and low attendance- all of which will make NASCAR a harder sell after Junior is gone.
