Dale Earnhardt Jr. Announces Return To Racing, But What He'll Drive Is Even More Shocking

It's happening, boys and girls. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is bringing back the iconic No. 8 Budweiser for the first time in nearly 20 years. 

That's right. I said it. And it's true. It's been nearly 20 years since Junior last raced in perhaps one of the most recognizable cars in NASCAR history, but that's about to end. 

Dale made the announcement with a flurry of social media posts yesterday – he's nothing if not a marketer, you know – and NASCAR Twitter responded as you'd expect. 

We all wept like a bunch of children and then went to Junior's website and paid hundreds of dollars to get our hands on all the new merchandise. 

OK, if you've made it this far without just skipping ahead to get to the actual pictures, I respect the hell out of you. You've finally made it!

Here's Dale Earnhardt's old (new?) No. 8 Bud Chevy, which Dale will drive next month at Florence Motor Speedway. 

Beautiful:

Dale Earnhardt Jr. does it right, again

See? Our guy is natural when it comes to marketing and promotion. Just a natural. I've already bought two shirts this morning alone. I don't expect to see them until Christmas, but whatever. How can you not?

Anyway, all of this has actually been months in the making. True story. Dale just recently got the rights to the No. 8 trademark BACK from his stepmother, Teresa, after she didn't renew it under her DEI umbrella. 

The would be Dale Earnhardt Incorporated for those unfamiliar, not the woke propaganda the left is pushing nowadays. Two different DEIs, thank goodness. 

I've followed this story like the OJ trial since word started to spread last spring that it was a possibility, mainly because I knew this was always the end goal. If Dale got his hands BACK on the No. 8, he would roll out something big – and this is BIG. 

At least for NASCAR fans it is. We all grew up watching Junior run the No. 8 Bud Monte Carlo round and round every Sunday, and it was the best. We all fell in love with Bud Heavys because of Dale Earnhardt Jr., and I think we're about to, again. 

Raise hell, Praise Dale (Jr.)! 

Welcome back, King.