Dale Earnhardt Jr. reveals his lone 2022 NASCAR race, and fans can pick the paint scheme

Fans who loved seeing Dale Earnhardt Jr. behind the wheel at Richmond Raceway in September for his one-off NASCAR race in 2021 won’t have to wait a full year to see him compete again.

Although 47-year-old Earnhardt retired from full-time NASCAR racing at the end of the 2017 Cup Series season, he’s been returning to the track for one second-tier Xfinity Series race each season with his team, JR Motorsports.

And Tuesday in the latest episode of his podcast, The Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt announced he’ll compete in the Xfinity race at Martinsville Speedway in April, and he’ll be back behind the wheel of the No. 88 Chevrolet for his lone annual event.

Can not wait to turn some laps at the paperclip again. Oh how I have missed you @MartinsvilleSwy https://t.co/2RGePpkc3h

— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) October 27, 2021

“I love short tracks. When it comes down to it, short track racing is what I love to do,” Earnhardt said in a release. “Races at Martinsville are always a blast, so I’m really excited about this opportunity. Unilever has been a great partner, and I’m thankful to them for allowing me to go race at Martinsville. I’m going to get in there in the thick of it and have some fun.”

Fans will also be able to vote for Earnhardt’s paint scheme in the race. There are three options for the look with Hellmann’s as the primary sponsor, and per JR Motorsports, the voting will run through November 17.

In case you missed the news earlier… @DaleJr is racing at @MartinsvilleSwy next season and YOU get to help pick the @Hellmanns No. 88 paint scheme!

Vote now: https://t.co/Rk6sz3Wgmz pic.twitter.com/qqBRRbWPeX

— JR Motorsports (@JRMotorsports) October 27, 2021

Since retiring from full-time racing, this will be Dale Jr.’s fifth Xfinity race. He finished fourth at Richmond in 2018, fifth at both Darlington Raceway in 2019 and Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2020 and 14th at Richmond in September.

Before his Richmond race this year, Earnhardt explained he had his sights set on Martinsville for his one 2022 race, but between sponsor requirements and wanting to avoid competing in a playoff race, he wasn’t sure if it would happen.

But clearly, things have worked out for the 15-time most popular driver to return to one of his favorite tracks.