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Dale Earnhardt Jr. appreciates Richard Petty 'looking out' for him
No, Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn’t take issue with what Richard Petty said about Junior’s return to racing.
In an appearance on Fox Sports 1 earlier in February, Petty said he was a little disappointed that Junior is returning to the Cup Series in 2017. As Petty explained, the disappointment stemmed from Junior’s health and his concern for the 42-year-old’s well-being for the rest of his life.
Junior said Tuesday on his podcast that he understood Petty’s perspective. Previously, Junior said he’d be the one to approach Petty for a greeting and now Petty is the one asking him the questions.
Ever since I was injured and my return, every time I see him now he grabs me by the arm and kind of gives me this big bear hug or something, or puts his arm around you and asks you how you’re doing and asks you if you’re taking care of yourself. And he’s way more engaged. And I wouldn’t have instigated that because he’s a legend. But he’s super engaged with me now. And he’s always asking me, concerned about my well-being.
So I think his comments are basically saying I’m worried about Dale Jr. This is me caring about Dale as a person, nothing more … And I know that he’s that kind of guy, having been around him and seeing him. Like I said, he’s been way more engaged. So I’m not disappointed in his comments. I think he’s just looking out for me which I appreciate.
Junior, who missed the second-half of the 2016 season because of a concussion, makes his Cup Series return Saturday when he gets in the car for qualifying practice for the Daytona 500.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
