Dale Jr.'s wife: "It's not worth the risk" for him to run 2018 Clash

After missing out half of the 2016 season with a concussion, Earnhardt came back for one last year of full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competition.

In the first 19 races of 2017, NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver has just one top-five finish for his effort. In addition to his fifth-place run at Texas Motor Speedway, Earnhardt also won the pole earlier this month for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway in what could be his last Cup start under the lights.

Although Earnhardt plans to retire at the end of this season, he is eligible to run The 2018 Advance Auto Parts Clash on February 11. However, on Tuesday, Earnhardt said his wife Amy wishes he wouldn’t compete in the non-points restrictor-plate event.

“Amy doesn’t want me to run it,” Earnhardt said. “I skipped it this year because I really had no purpose being there. I didn’t have no reason to run it. But we got a pole now and I kind of feel like, I kind of want to run it. But we’ll see. We’ll see if she warms up to the idea.”

Before you decide to judge Mrs. Earnhardt, hear her out. She’s been there with Dale throughout both the injury and recovery process. Certainly, she has a stake in the decision — as was outlined in her tweet: 

Junior Nation can certainly understand the logic behind her reasoning. The couple hasn’t been married eight months yet. And last year wasn’t the first time the driver found himself sidelined due to a concussion.

Earnhardt does have two Xfinity Series races scheduled for 2018. However, a non-points race at a restrictor plate track that he’s won twice before is another matter.

At 41, Earnhardt has a lot of life to enjoy once he climbs out of the car. Mrs. Earnhardt is absolutely right. The reward is not worth the risk. True fans of Earnhardt will accept the couple’s decision.