Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Announces Plans to Race at Tri-County in October

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. announced Thursday another date for his Late Model schedule for the 2025 season, including a new-look Sun Drop-sponsored entry.

Earnhardt, Jr. will pilot the No. 8 JR Motorsports entry at Tri-County Speedway in October. The zMAX CARS Tour races at the Granite Falls, North Carolina facility on October 4.

Since retiring from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition in 2017, Earnhardt, Jr. participated in at least one NASCAR Xfinity Series event between 2018 and 2024. The NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee has also returned to his roots and competed in select Late Model Stock Car events in recent years.

Earnhardt, Jr. made four zMAX CARS Tour starts between 2022 and 2024, including a third-place finish at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2022. He will also be part of the CARS Tour field for the series' first-ever event in Georgia, racing at Cordele Motor Speedway on Saturday, April 12.

Sun Drop has supported many of these Late Model appearances, including Earnhardt, Jr.'s return to Late Model competition at North Wilkesboro in 2022 as part of the Racetrack Revival event.

This will be his first CARS Tour event at Tri-County, a track which has been a staple of the series since its inception in 2015. Tri-County Speedway has been on the schedule at least once annually except 2019 and 2020.

This year, the Late Model Stock Cars and the Pro Late Models for the zMAX CARS Tour visit Tri-County on Saturday, October 4. It is the penultimate event of the CARS Tour season before the season finale at North Wilkesboro on October 18.

It was also announced this week that Earnhardt, Jr. will be part of the FS1 booth when the network televises the zMAX CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car event at North Wilkesboro on Friday, May 16. That race is part of NASCAR All-Star Race festivities at the historic venue.

-Photo credit: JR Motorsports