CONCORD, N.C. – At the end of the month, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will make his final trip to Martinsville Speedway behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet SS.
And as he comes to the green flag, he’ll have a familiar face ahead of him – his wife.
Amy Earnhardt will serve as the honorary pace car driver for the 500-mile race on Oct. 29.
“I was very excited when the track approached me about driving the pace car,” she said. “I appreciate the track letting me be a small part of Dale’s last race at a place that means so much to him.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 13 top-five finishes at Martinsville are tied with Daytona for his most at any track, and his 972 laps led there are his most at any venue.
He won at Martinsville in October 2014, when he led 79 laps – including the final four – to capture his first grandfather clock. Amy was right there by his side in Victory Lane.
“Martinsville is one of Dale’s favorite tracks,” she said, “and seeing how happy he and the team were in Victory Lane in 2014 is something I’ll never forget.”
The Martinsville race will kick off the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
“The Earnhardt family has meant so much to Martinsville Speedway through the years, Dale in particular, and we wanted for him to be able to share his last Cup race here with the person closest to him,” track president Clay Campbell said. “Dale has often talked about how much Amy has meant to him and this is one small way in which we can say, ‘Thank you,’ to the both of them.”
The Oct. 29 race at Martinsville is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM.