NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. returns to racing in South Carolina

Drivers in NASCAR’s Cup Series will begin the postseason Chase on Sunday at the Southern 500 in Darlington, South Carolina — one of the sport’s crown jewel races.

But other races are happening in the Palmetto State this weekend, too. One particular competition might have a lot of eyeballs on it Friday night.

About 13 miles south of Darlington at Florence Motor Speedway on Sept. 4, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. will return to the racetrack to run a late model in the series he co-owns, the CARS Tour.

Earnhardt has competed in races in his Late Model Stock machine before, but this will be the first time he’s running in a Pro Late Model — there are some differences in the build of the car and a Pro Late Model has a lower horsepower.

But ultimately, it doesn’t matter what kind of car Earnhardt is going to be driving: Him running a race of any kind is a big deal in the world of motorsports.

This race will reunite Earnhardt with his cousin, Tony Eury Jr., who was once his crew chief in the Cup Series. Eury is now the Director of Chassis Development at GMS Race…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/sports/