HAMPTON, Va. — One of the most prolific NASCAR drivers is making his debut at Langley Speedway in Hampton on Saturday night.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be racing in the 16th annual Hampton Heat, a 200-lap Late Model Stock Car race that is the speedway's marquee event, drawing thousands of attendees each year.
In a video interview with Flo Racing, Earnhardt Jr. spoke at the track after practice Friday.
"The track is, you know, my mom lived here a long time, 25 years, so I came here a lot as a kid, or a couple times at least," he said. "Watched a lot of races here on TV and on streaming over the last several years, this was one of the first tracks that got a streaming option, and so I always wanted to race here."
Earnhardt Jr. told Flo Racing he enjoys long events and racing on older surfaces, and the Hampton Heat at Langley Speedway is just that.
"For now, I'm going to run three to six races a year, that's kinda of what my family and my career, my professional life allows ... and I wanted to come here once," he said. "Maybe we'll enjoy it and have a great night and we'll be back next year."
Earnhardt Jr. also said that one of his big motivations for participating in the event is to bring attention to late model stock racing, of which he's a massive fan.
"We just need to reintroduce the core fan base to this style of racing and remind them of why it's great," he said. " ... so hopefully the people who turn up [tonight] really like what they see and continue to support [Langley Speedway]."
Earnhardt also shared his concerns about getting the speed he needs to do well in the race.
"I sometimes struggle getting these cars figured out. They're not easy to find speed, and so everybody's really close in time, so when you're down a bit it can be frustrating," he said. "Qualifying has been tough for me, as well. So I was just a little bit concerned about that coming to a track I've never run before and driving these cars I don't drive a lot."
Earnhardt Jr. told Flo Racing that the car is good enough to win and that it will just come down to him. He hopes to qualify in the top 15.
Tonight's race is sold out, and according to FloRacing, that is a first. The race will also see it's largest car count tonight, with 38 total teams competing.
Qualifying for the Hampton Heat begins Saturday 4:15 p.m. with the race starting at 8:45 p.m. ET. You can find an events schedule for race day on Langley Speedway's website.
The race is available to watch only through a streaming subscription with FloRacing.
Earnhardt Jr. retired from full time racing in 2017. He competed from 1999 to 2017, racking up 631 starts, 26 wins and 15 poles. Ten of his 26 Cup victories came at Daytona and Talladega, including Daytona 500 wins in 2004 and 2014.
