Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s NASCAR racing career has been long and memorable and will end after the 2017 season.
But his social media career has been short, insightful, news breaking and often times hilarious.
After years of dragging his feet, the 14-time most popular driver joined Twitter on Feb. 24, 2014 after his second Daytona 500 and NASCAR hasn’t been the same.
In hindsight, Earnhardt’s social media use has been a captivating look at the twilight of his racing career, which began with arguably one of the biggest wins of his career.
Here’s a look at Earnhardt’s eight most retweeted tweets.
- Feb. 24, 2014 - The morning after his second Daytona 500 win, Earnhardt poses with a statue of his late father, Dale Earnhardt Sr., that is outside Daytona International Speedway. It’s been retweeted 26,629 times.
Look who I ran into at the Daytona Experience. Dad's Happy! #2XDaytona500Champ pic.twitter.com/I0zf5PLfr5
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) February 24, 2014
2. Feb. 24, 2014 - Just after 2:30 a.m. ET, the NASCAR and Twitter world changed forever when Earnhardt posted his first surprise tweet from Victory Lane after winning his second Daytona 500. It was Earnhardt’s first Cup win since the June 2012 Michigan race and only his second Cup win since 2008. It’s been retweeted 20,026 times.
Tonight seemed like as good a night as any to join Twitter. How is everyone doin? #2XDaytona500Champ pic.twitter.com/4k4JVA7fG9
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) February 24, 2014
3. Feb. 18, 2015 - Fourteen years after his father was killed in a crash on the last lap of the Daytona 500, Earnhardt acknowledged the anniversary. It has been retweeted 10,788 times.
One this day I do not mourn his death. I thank God he lived. #DaleEarnhardt
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) February 18, 2015
4. January 19, 2017 - Earnhardt is an unabashed fan of sports outside of NASCAR, including of the NFL’s Washington Redskins and the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets. Earlier this year, Earnhardt couldn’t attend a Hornets’ home game. So he decided to give his tickets to one lucky winner. 7,925 people retweeted his post hoping to win.
The @hornets gave me 2 tickets to Friday's game. I can't go, so I'm giving them away. RT this tweet by 7 PM. I'll pick a random winner then.
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) January 19, 2017
5. Feb. 25, 2017 - The day before what would turn out to be his last Daytona 500 start, Earnhardt shared a video that had been posted by the official NASCAR Twitter account. Backed with the song “My Old Man” by the Zac Brown Band, the video is a fond remembrance of his relationship with his father. Roughly 7,600 people shared his sentiment.
Made my eyeballs sweat 💦 https://t.co/VUW02DSPox
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) February 25, 2017
6. Dec. 11, 2014 - This tweet takes a little bit more of an explanation. Ten months after joining Twitter, Earnhardt tagged rapper J. Cole in a tweet, mentioning he was “funny” with a hashtag #ShitChangedMyLifeBro. The hashtag is a reference to one of J. Cole’s songs, “Note to Self.” Cole referenced Earnhardt in the song after he saw in an ESPN interview that Earnhardt listened to one of his songs before races. The Twitter interaction led to 7,601 retweets and an ESPN: The Magazine cover story.
@JColeNC is funny. #ShitChangedMyLifeBro
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) December 11, 2014
7. April 29, 2014 - Two months after joining Twitter, Earnhardt very simply wished his late father a happy birthday. It was retweeted more than 6,800 times.
Happy Birthday ol man. #missyou
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) April 29, 2014
8. Aug. 10, 2014 - Few personally know the tragedy associated with auto racing more than Dale Earnhardt Jr. On Aug. 9, 2014, sprint car driver Kevin Ward Jr. was killed when a sprint car driven by Tony Stewart struck the 20-year-old. Ward had approached the racing lane on foot following a crash at Canandaigua Motorsports Park in New York. The following morning Earnhardt tweeted his condolences to Ward’s family. It was shared 5,579 times.
We will all loose someone in our time. When a loss is sudden and unexpected, the pain & sadness is suffocating. Prayers for the Ward family.
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) August 10, 2014
