For 18 races in 2016, Hendrick Motorsports was without its most popular driver as Dale Earnhardt Jr. recovered from a concussion.
In his place Jeff Gordon and Alex Bowman kept Earnhardt’s seat warm. After two offseason tests at Darlington Raceway and Phoenix Raceway, Earnhardt returns to the track this week to begin practicing for the Daytona 500, his first race since last July.
Watch this video to see his Hendrick teammates, Jimmie Johnson, Chase Elliott and Kasey Kahne, share their excitement over his return with NASCAR America.