Recently retired NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. has not sat still since his last race in November. The 43-year old has been getting ready to welcome a new daughter with wife Amy, and has been traveling to Key West renovating an old house for a series on the DIY Network.
Tuesday NBC announced that Earnhardt will be a contributor to its Super Bowl and Winter Olympics coverage. The driver voted NASCAR’ most popular for 15 consecutive years will head to the booth in July as an analyst for NBC’s NASCAR coverage.
Now comes word that Earnhardt may take on yet another role, that of NFL owner. The Associated Press is reporting that Earnhardt has expressed interest in becoming a minority owner in the NFL’s Carolina Panthers.
Earnhardt said he has not been approached by Felix Sabates, part-owner of Chip Ganassi Racing, and who is putting together a potential ownership group. However, he did say that he has contacted Marcus Smith CEO of Speedway Motorsports, and a person rumored to be interested in buying the team, which came on the market in December.
Earnhardt said he told Smith: “‘Hey, Marcus, if you guys get in the middle of it and you think it’s a good business deal, I definitely have some interest,’”
He added that he “wouldn’t have the kind of money where I would move the needle too much, but it would be something to have a lot of pride in.”
Earnhardt’s estimated net worth in 2017 was $300 million.
That pride however may come at a price. Earnhardt has long been a diehard fan of the Washington Redskins, once coached by NASCAR team owner Joe Gibbs.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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