Dale Earnhardt Jr. is retiring from full-time racing after the 2017 season, but he is already considering coming out of retirement at least once in 2018.
Earnhardt clinched a spot in the Clash at Daytona International Speedway to open up the 2018 season when he won the pole at last week's Coke Zero 400. The Clash is the first official event of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, and it takes place on Feb. 11--a week before the first race of the 2018 season.
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But there's one small holdup in Earnhardt returning for the Clash: He hasn't been cleared by his wife.
Dale Jr. will need clearance from his wife, Amy, before he can officially return to racing next season.
"You're retiring, and now you're wanting to consider running the Clash? Or was that a joke?" Amy Earnhardt asked via the Charlotte Observer.
Earnhardt Jr. said he wasn't joking, and Amy said Rick Hendrick had already approached her about it.
"I told him that if I were to run the Clash that you were going to be the one that he'd have to warm up to about it," Earnhardt Jr. said to Amy. "So maybe that's why he reached out."
So Earnhardt Jr. wants to return for at least one race next season, and there's a good chance he'll want to return for more at some point in the future. But it's clear he'll have to get his wife's permission before that happens.
(h/t Sporting News)