Longtime friends Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth say goodbye to NASCAR together

Earnhardt and Kenseth are good friends, and by happenstance each is making their likely final start in the NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

To this day Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth still joke around about it, though at the time Kenseth failed to find humor.

Nearly two decades ago, Earnhardt and Kenseth were taking part in an ESPN the Magazine photoshoot that would see them on the cover of the issue previewing the 2000 NASCAR season. That year the two were embarking on their first full season in the Cup Series, NASCAR’s top division, and expectations were high for both.

Earnhardt, the son of a revered seven-time Cup Series champion, was in the midst of becoming a household name. As for Kenseth, he had little name recognition to the casual fan. But the Wisconsin native, whose father was also a racer like Earnhardt’s, was highly touted by those within the industry with many thinking he would win Rookie of the Year honors, even though Earnhardt had beaten Kenseth for the Xfinity Series championship in consecutive seasons.

The idea for the cover was that Earnhardt would be the focus, with Kenseth looming over his right shoulder stood as the threat Junior Nation better be wary of. Yet as the shoot went along, Kenseth felt the photographer kept shoving him even further into the background to the point he wouldn’t even be noticeable. Earnhardt understood what the photographer was going for, Kenseth however wasn’t pleased with how things were transpiring.

“Matt was really frustrated because the photographer kept sliding Matt a little further and a little further behind me,” Earnhardt said. “He kept getting more and more angry, and he is whispering in my ear how pissed off he was at this photographer because he was like, ‘They can’t even freaking see me’. And I’m like, ‘Matt, the image is to sort of show you as the real threat. People are talking about me and they should be talking about you.’”

When he first moved into NASCAR, Earnhardt admits he was an introvert, unsure about his place. It was Kenseth who drew him out of his shell and the two quickly forged a friendship.

“I was really shy,” Earnhardt said. “I didn’t have an understanding of how to interact with my peers and competitors that well. I was just trying to do well”.

Since then, Earnhardt and Kenseth have been seemingly indelibly linked. After competing against one another in the Xfinity Series, they advanced to the Cup Series where they have gone on to start more than 600 races together.

And fittingly, the close friends who frequently go on cycling rides will conclude their eventual Hall of Fame careers together. Each making what is likely their final Cup Series start in Sunday’s season-ender at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“We supported each other and enjoyed seeing each other have success,” Earnhardt said. “Matt, I love his sense of humor, I love the person he is and the person he has become, the father he is.

“He has always had an influence on me as far as how I race or the person I want to be or become. … It’s going to make Homestead even more emotional because we came in together.”

But how Earnhardt and Kenseth reached this juncture in their careers and how they’re leaving came about due to widely different circumstances — which in Kenseth’s case he had little control over.

Earnhardt, 45, announced in April this season would be his last. A decision that surprised few as NASCAR’s 14-time most popular driver was coming off a 2016 season where he sat out the entire second half after suffering concussion-like symptoms. Recently married and wanting to start a family, Earnhardt decided it was better to retire when he could make the choice rather than have someone else make decision for him.

Instantly, the tributes and outpouring of heartfelt adieus commenced. Each track Earnhardt has visited since the announcement featured an array of gifts from an actual car that his father once drove to his first championship to charitable donations made in his honor. There have also been commemorative videos from longtime partners.

The farewell tour in many aspects resembled his splashy Cup Series debut, which was marked with a marketing campaign dubbed “Countdown to E-Day.”

“I feel like I almost need to apologize because I’ve got a pregnant wife, I’m retiring, and I just feel like I’m going to break down any minute,” Earnhardt said. “I feel like every answer that I have has some sort of sad undertones and very emotional temperament, but yeah, it’s starting to really sink in.

“All these videos and all these things that our partners are creating, this content has just been incredible,” Earnhardt said. “It makes you feel so good in your heart; the comments from fans. It is more than you can process. … I’m sure that Homestead is just going to be like the cork coming out of the bottle.”

Kenseth would never want the pomp and circumstance Earnhardt faced on a weekly basis. He is much too low key, reluctant to have the spotlight shining squarely on him.

If there were an ideal gift to present Kenseth it would be a competitive ride for 2018. He doesn’t want Sunday to mark his final Cup Series start. His decision is not because of a desire to enter a phase of his life, more so lack of opportunities worthy of his talent. Despite remaining a championship contender even as the oldest full-time driver, Joe Gibbs Racing elected to go in a different direction next year bringing aboard 21-year-old Erik Jones, a highly regarded young talent who also has cheaper contract and sponsorship behind him.

JGR announced the move in July with the intent of giving Kenseth ample time to find his next organization. Except nothing developed; cash-strapped teams are preferring young, cost-effective drivers over proven veterans. Essentially the 45-year-old has been pushed to the sidelines.

Kenseth had hoped something would materialize, but says in August he could read the tea leaves. He confirmed Nov. 4 he was “stepping away” and wouldn’t run a full schedule in 2018 while acknowledging that given how these things typical go, this meant he was for all intent purposes done for good.

“I hate to think that he’s finished knowing that he wants to continue to compete,” Earnhardt said. “I know that he wants to race and I think he can obviously still be competitive. I hope that he gets the opportunity he wants to be able to continue.”

The lateness of the formal decision meant Kenseth’s swan song paralleled his arrival back in 2000 and how he spent the majority of his career even if he was one of the best drivers of his generation with a championship and two Daytona 500s wins on his résumé. With only three races remaining in the season, there would be little fanfare and no long goodbyes. And, of course, he would again be in the shadow of his good buddy.

“Sometimes you can’t make your own decisions, so people make them for you,” Kenseth told NBC Sports. “That’s unfortunate, because I wanted to make my own decisions. I felt like in a way I’ve earned that to be able to go out the way other drivers who had similar careers to dictate when your time is up.”

Kenseth, however, did get a moment in the sun this past weekend when he passed Chase Elliott with 10 laps left to win at Phoenix Raceway. It was Kenseth’s 39th career victory and likely last. Usually stoic in public, he let his guard down in celebration shedding tears as he gave a national television interview.

The significance of the moment wasn’t lost on anyone, including Earnhardt, who was among the first to greet Kenseth as he drove down pit road. As happenstance would have it, Phoenix was the site of Earnhardt’s last win, which occurred in 2015.

“So happy for Matt,” Earnhardt said. “I’m so happy for him to be able to win and have some joy in his life and celebrate.”

And on Sunday celebrate they will at Homestead. Where after nearly two decades, Earnhardt and Kenseth will tie up their careers similar to how they started, and appropriately each will be driving a car with a paint scheme mirroring their 2000 versions.

“All us drivers have terrible egos and we can hardly stand each other and being around each other sometimes, but I’ve never felt that way about Matt,” Earnhardt said. “Matt was such a pleasure to race with and to know and be friends with.

“He is more than likely going to be hard to find once he is out of the racecar, but I hope we can spend time together. We will definitely remain friends.”