After 18 seasons on the premier NASCAR Cup level and 20 years of full-time stock-car racing, fan-favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced on April 25, 2017, that the ’17 season would be his last. The 15-time Most Popular Driver and winner of 26 NASCAR Cup races, including two Daytona 500s, was trading in his driver’s suit for a broadcaster’s necktie. Concussions had taken their toll. He was done with racing.