RICHMOND, Va. -- It's been a mammoth of a week for Dale Earnhardt Jr. following his retirement announcement Tuesday.
The driver acknowledged that he was worried fans would be upset over his decision to bring his NASCAR Cup Series career to an end following the 2017 season, but said he's thankful for the response he's received since Tuesday.
"It’s been real positive, which I’m thankful for," Earnhardt said. "Obviously, the conversations I’ve had with folks in the media, the industry and the garage have been great."
For the driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS, it was important to return to his normal routine following the announcement. Thursday, he joined his wife, Amy, and Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick at the Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, to visit with the children and see the newly-dedicated Dale & Amy Earnhardt Activity Room.
"It was a really timely, good thing to do because I was ready to get back to work and get back to my routine, if you will," Earnhardt said. "That was fun to go there and sort of get the whole announcement and everything else off your mind for a little bit."
With his decision out in the open and Tuesday's press conference in the rear-view mirror, Earnhardt is looking forward to the remainder of the 2017 season.
With his eyes set on Victory Lane, Earnhardt said he expects to feel more relaxed overall throughout the remainder of the season. He likened it to the mindset he saw his former crew chief, Steve Letarte, take on during his final season with the No. 88 team in 2014.
"He was more aggressive and I think it was because he had the freedom to be that way," Earnhardt recalled. "He was like, ‘What if it doesn’t work?’ and a lot of times it ended up working out. We won both of those Pocono races on pit calls that he made. We didn’t just outrun everybody, there are things he did in the middle of the race that we might not have done had he not had his mind made up what he was doing and his, 'Hey, this is my last hoorah, we are going to go for it' kind of attitude."
Despite feeling some pressure lifted off his shoulders moving forward, Earnhardt said he knows there are still expectations to meet and goals to work toward.
"The fans are going to want you to do as well as you can," the driver said. "They are still going to have expectations as per usual. The team, the guys, they all and myself, we would love to win some races. I’m going to say a race, but some races would be great going out in your last season to get some victories. We just want to go to Victory Lane one more time.
"Just to get that experience one more time would be awesome for me and I think the guys would love it, for sure."