Dale Earnhardt Jr. Bringing out Classic Nova for Darlington Pace Car

The NASCAR Xfinity Series season continues with Saturday's race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but [...]

By John Newby

The NASCAR Xfinity Series season continues with Saturday's race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but two-time Busch Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. is looking ahead to the spring. He is going to lead the drivers on pace laps during the throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway in May. He will head around the track while driving his father's fully-restored Chevrolet Nova.

Earnhardt posted a photo on Friday that showed the classic racecar with fresh paint and decals. He revealed that he is taking the No. 8 Nova to Darlington for May 8's race. Dale Earnhardt Sr. won at Darlington three times in the series. Two of these victories came behind the wheel of the GM Goodwrench-sponsored No. 8 Nova. Now the iconic car will head around the track again while Earnhardt drives it.

Earnhardt has put a considerable amount of work into restoring his father's Nova, which he has shown with a series of posts on social media. The car headed to the JR Motorsports fabrication shop, where the experts stripped it down to bare metal and did some fabrication work. The car received several coats of paint and fresh decals before the restoration workers put in a new interior and a new engine.

Once the car was nearly restored, Earnhardt provided the first video of its purring engine. He posted one video in August when the car was up on blocks and waiting for new tires. He added another on Friday that showed him in the driver's seat and pulling away from the shop in the completed project.

The updates continued with Earnhardt driving down the street before making a U-turn at a corner. He hit the gas and then sped off down the road with the engine roaring. This video created excitement among fans and peers alike, including Clint Bowyer, who commented that the video was "bada—."

Bowyer and NASCAR fans will have to wait two months before seeing the No. 8 Chevy Nova head around Darlington one more time. For now, they will continue watching the top three series head to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Phoenix Raceway, and the Talladega Superspeedway, among other tracks. Regardless, they will continue to express excitement about Earnhardt's classic car.

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