With the silly season fully underway, fans thought they had little to look forward to with rumors of transfers and the NASCAR lawsuit. However, Dale Earnhardt Jr. managed to bring something special for the NASCAR community, courtesy of Budweiser and his stepmother Teresa Earnhardt. You see, after Earnhardt Jr. had the chance to run the #8 again, he announced his return to the South Carolina 400. The bad news? Dale Jr’s race ended earlier than expected.

Thanks to a fuel pump issue, the #8 of Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired from the South Carolina 400 as Canadian superstar Treyten Lapcevich’s blistering pace put him in first place.

Dale Earnhardt Jr was enjoying a great race before disaster struck

As mentioned before, the 2024 South Carolina 400 was going well for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Qualifying did not go to plan because he started down in 40th on the grid. However, he was able to scythe his way up the order and eventually found himself running in 2nd place. For a long time, Dale Jr hunted down Lapcevich, before his fuel pump issue forced him out of the race. Safe to say, the 2023 NASCAR Canada Series champion was breathing a sigh of relief.

Throughout the race, Dale Jr’s progress was steady, and 11th place before the red flags were thrown. The culprits behind this were Mason Diaz and Conner Jones who crashed under caution and then brawled with each other. For Jones, it was not a good look for him, especially considering that NASCAR suspended him for intentionally wrecking a rival.

Not that the temporary stoppage bothered Dale Earnhardt Jr too much. When the race resumed, he continued clawing his way up the order and reached 2nd by the pit stop phase. From there, he began hunting down Treyten Lapcevich, passing his former JR Motorsports driver Josh Berry, along the way. It was all in vain as Treyte Lapcevich dominated the second half of the event. Similar to Dale Jr, he started from one of the lower spots on the grid, the 24th place, and worked his way up in the race.

By Lap 15, he managed to break into the Top 15, then into the Top 10, and before Lap 30, he cracked the Top 5. It was only a matter of time before he took over the race lead. Dale Earnhardt Jr. had an opportunity to catch him on the restart following the Lap 125 caution, but Lapcevich knew it all too well. He set off at the restart, eliminating any chance of giving up the lead. While Dale Jr. performed well for most of the race, but couldn’t sustain it towards the end. On lap 219 out of 250, he reported an issue with his Late Model car and was forced to bring it to the pits. Of course, the caution came out while they tried to sort out the issue, but there was nothing the team could do. As a result he was done for the day.

Regardless of the early exit from the race, it was incredibly special for NASCAR fans. To see Dale Earnhardt Jr. return to the race track in the iconic red and black #8 car complete with the Budweiser logos was a blast from the past. It brought closure to his sour exit from Dale Earnhardt Inc. For those who don’t know, Dale Jr. drove for DEI, once owned by his father Dale Sr. Following his death, it passed on to his step mother, Teresa Earnhardt. In 2007, with disagreements between the two at an all-time high, Dale Earnhardt Jr. made the switch over to Hendrick Motorsports.

His #8 car, the red and black color scheme, and the Budweiser partnership were left behind since DEI owned the car and the rights to the color scheme. However, a decade-and-a-half later, Teresa Earnhardt relented and chose not to claim the number after its expiry this June. It left the door open for Dale Jr. to mark one more race with the iconic color scheme and number.

Who is NASCAR Canada driver Treyten Lapcevich?

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The 20-year-old Ontario native currently races full-time in the NASCAR Canada Series and was a champion of the series. He is also the younger brother of Cayden Lapcevich, who is also a NASCAR Canada Series/Pinty’s Series champion. Suffice it to say, stock car racing talent appears to run in the family.

During the South Carolina 400, drove a mature and controlled race out at the front of the pack. With Dale Earnhardt Jr on the move, Lapcevich kept a close eye on his rival and maintained the gap between them. All throughout the second half of the race, there were five to eight car lengths between the two drivers. In the end, the 20-year-old got a lucky break when Earnhardt Jr’s fuel pump gave up the ghost.

For the remaining 30 laps, he went virtually unchallenged, but still had to keep his head and finish the race. After all, no win is guaranteed until the chequered flag waves. As such, Treyten Lapcevich had to concentrate for the rest of the race, because it just takes one small mistake to throw everything away.