Dale Earnhardt Jr. to retire in year or two?

Dale Jr. eyes retirement – will cause NASCAR popularity to plummet

After watching Jeff Gordon compete in his final season in NASCAR, Dale Earnhardt Jr. says his final lap around the NASCAR circuit may soon follow.

"I'm turning 41," he told Autoweek Friday at Michigan International Speedway. "So it's on the horizon, as far as my retirement."

Voted NASCAR's most popular driver for 12 consecutive years, Earnhardt has amassed 24 career wins in the Sprint Cup and is approaching 8,000 career laps led. He is still seeking his first points championship and may not hang up his fire suit until he hoists the Sprint Cup trophy in Homestead, Fla.

"I have to watch Jeff (Gordon) and talk to Jeff (Gordon)," Earnhardt said. "(I have to) talk to other drivers, like Dale Jarrett – guys that I trust – about their decisions and what they would have done differently and what to keep your eye on, be prepared for, what shocked them or what they weren't prepared for. You know, what was their decision like years later? Do they feel like they made the right decision?"

Gordon, 43, is still looking for his first Sprint Cup win in his final season, but has been showered with retirement gifts at nearly each track he's been to – and Junior is paying attention.

"Do you run as long as you possibly can, even stay longer than you should? Do you go out on top when you feel like you're competitive? Those are questions that a lot of drivers have to answer eventually for themselves."