Dale Earnhardt Jr. may be retiring, but he’s still open to running Daytona 500

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won’t close the door on if he’ll race in the Daytona 500 sometime in the future.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t entirely sure what he’ll do once he retires as a full-time driver at the end of the current season, but he is adamant that he will continue to have a significant presence within NASCAR through a variety of avenues.

Among those roles is as co-owner of JR Motorsports, the Xfinity Series team Earnhardt has said previously he plans to make select starts for in 2018. But NASCAR’s 14-time most popular driver confirmed Friday he’s had conversations with Fox Sports and NBC about joining their respective broadcast teams.

Sports Business Journal reported Monday that Earnhardt and his representatives have had discussions with both networks. Fox Sports televises the first 16 Monster Energy Cup Series races, with NBC televising the remaining 20 races.

“We are certainly open to discussing the possibility of seeing what options I have,” Earnhardt said at Sonoma Raceway, site of Sunday’s Cup race. “Who wanted us, what kind of job they want me for and we are sort of in the middle of understanding that and that just goes along the lines of doing due diligence on everything.

“I’m not retiring from work. I want to keep seeking out opportunities to make a living and make money and be relevant be a value to my partners. I want to continue to be a part of the sport and not just as an owner in the Xfinity series. I want to be a valuable asset to the growth of the sport and continue to help raise the bar and raise the awareness of the sport and promote the sport as much as I can.”

Earnhardt also said Friday he may not be done entirely racing in Cup, NASCAR’s premier division. When asked about what could be his final race at Daytona International Speedway next weekend, Earnhardt explained that may not be the case.

“Well you never say never,” he said. “I am just retiring from full-time racing. I am going to run some Xfinity races next year. I don’t know that I won’t ever run the Daytona 500 again if the right deal comes along.”