Dale Earnhardt Jr. catches fire in first Xfinity Series start in over a year

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car after it caught fire at Bristol Motor Speedway Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Dale Earnhardt Jr. catches fire at Bristol in first Xfinity Series start in over a year

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 9/15/23

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s first NASCAR Xfinity Series start of 2023 was nothing if not eventful.

Earnhardt had a strong race running in the Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway, but a fire ultimately doomed his chances at a victory.

The 48-year-old led the way down the stretch before smoke began to fill his car with 30 laps to go, ending what was a terrific outing from the veteran driver. After the race, Earnhardt explained what happened, revealing that the fire burned a hole in his shoe.

"Saw some smoke in the car, I smelt it, and I was like, 'Hopefully that's not me,'" Earnhardt said via NBC Sports. "That last lap, I saw a big fireball down in the tunnel in the car, and I felt it. Obviously my uniform was burning up. And I was like, 'I can't keep going, I gotta stop.'"

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had to get out of his car due to a fire. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/dMmKNYF0aS
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 16, 2023

Earnhardt's lousy luck resulted in a picture-perfect finish between Justin Allgaier and Daniel Hemric. Over the final laps, Hemric could not hold off a closing Allgaier, who ended up taking the checkered flag. Allgaier jumped up 13 positions over the last 44 laps, clinching his third win of the year and solidifying his spot in the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff Round of 8.

REPOST to congratulate @J_Allgaier!

He WINS at @ItsBristolBaby to punch his ticket into the next round of the @XfinityRacing playoffs! pic.twitter.com/LR978l59Qe
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 16, 2023

While Allgaier's finish had the crowd at Bristol on the edge of its collective seat, the big story was still Earnhardt's return to the Xfinity Series. Earnhardt made his first start since a race at Martinsville in April 2022 and that wasn't lost on his fellow drivers.

Following the race, Allgaier gave his father and Junior a ride in the winning No. 7 car, and runner-up Hemric had glowing things to say about the Hall of Famer.

"It's fun for a guy like that to come back, our most popular driver in the sport, and him to bring the fans and the atmosphere it transcends through the garage and through the sport," Hemric said via Matt Weaver of Sportsnaut. "We appreciate that. We all do, media folks, drivers, the team and the like. But in the heat of the battle, you're not worried about who's in the race car."