SVG Taking Over a Piece of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s NASCAR Legacy Has Followers Losing Their Minds

Why are vehicle numbers so crucial in NASCAR? They no longer simplest signify a strategy of recognizing the driver on the aid of the wheel nonetheless furthermore lift the legacy of racers whose automobiles own embellished the quantity within the previous. So which that that potentialities are you’ll have faith factual how grand of a buzz there used to be when Shane van Gisbergen used to be published to be the fresh No. 88 driver for the 2025 Cup Series season.

The double eight-vehicle has been driven by a lengthy and popular listing of Corridor of Famers within the previous, a lot like Dale Jarrett, Darrell Waltrip, and the one and simplest Dale Earnhardt Jr., raising expectations from the Kiwi for his first plump-time season on the ideal stage.

The decision to revive the No. 88 vehicle wasn’t taken flippantly, with both Junior and Hendrick Motorsports being consulted sooner than the next announcement used to be made. Earnhardt Jr. no longer simplest gave his blessing nonetheless shared a healthful message on social media, prompting a good deal of attention-grabbing reactions from fans.

A warmth welcome for SVG to the No. 88 family

Junior started his career in his father’s crew, Dale Earnhardt Inc., riding the No. 8 for nearly a decade within the racing crew. He then moved on to Hendrick Motorsports, the build he spent the closing decade of his career on the aid of the wheel of the iconic No. 88 vehicle. The amount used to be primitive by Alex Bowman following Junior’s retirement and used to be primitive for three years sooner than the driver switched to forty eight within the 2021 season. It’s been four years for the rationale that double eight-vehicle has viewed any action, nonetheless with Shane van Gisbergen riding the third structure for Trackhouse Racing within the Cup Series, the quantity is finally location to draw its lengthy-awaited comeback.

The crew, co-owned by Justin Marks and the rapper Pitbull, bought the rights to the No. 88 sooner than asserting that SVG would possibly possibly perchance possibly be competing plump-time within the Cup Series. In step with the guidelines, Dale Earnhardt Jr. tweeted, “I used to be lucky to bustle a few numbers with so grand rich historical previous. Wrathful to search @shanevg97 and @TeamTrackhouse add a brand fresh chapter to it. 88 will own a moral dwelling there.”

The No. 88 vehicle has an popular historical previous associated to it, with Dale Jarrett winning 26 races for Robert Yates Racing whereas the numbers embellished the roof and facets of his vehicle. Junior furthermore took the double eight-vehicle to Victory Lane nine cases, whereas Darrell Waltrip obtained 26 races with the quantity as properly.

Talking in regards to the importance of numbers, Trackhouse Racing co-proprietor Justin Marks acknowledged, “One of many things that’s crucial for Trackhouse — numbers are crucial. They’re crucial as segment of the branding of our sport. Numbers symbolize historical previous, they symbolize legions of fans and historical drivers, and historical moments within the sport. We don’t take our quantity picks flippantly.”

Marks went on to emphasise the importance of endorsement and acknowledged, “I had a immense switch with Jr., announcing ‘Gape, it’s no longer my quantity, I assume I added to the legacy of it. It’s crucial to me in my concept’ nonetheless he used to be proud to search it in moral fingers and that’s factual one thing that’s vast, vast crucial to me and to this firm.”

Shane van Gisbergen will hope for an analogous success when making his plump-time Cup Series debut in 2025. The Fresh Zealand native has followed an unconventional route to NASCAR’s very best stage, having obtained his first Cup Series fling in Chicago on his debut in 2023. SVG has beforehand raced within the Australian Supercars Championship, winning the sequence in 2021 and 2022 sooner than transitioning to stock vehicle racing.

The 35-yr-frail has already obtained three races within the Xfinity Series up to now and is all location to draw it to the playoffs at Kansas Speedway later this yr. Whereas he has swiftly turn out to be a fan favourite in NASCAR circles, fans had blended reactions about Van Gisbergen taking on the iconic quantity.

Followers react to Shane van Gisbergen taking on Dale Jr.’s quantity

It didn’t take lengthy for fans to take to social media and piece their reactions to SVG taking on Dale Jr.’s iconic No. 88. Despite Trackhouse Racing taking permission from Earnhardt Jr. and Hendrick Motorsports for utilizing the quantity, no longer every fan welcomed the guidelines. Writing on X, a fan acknowledged, “I’m gonna be right it feels very substandard to search that quantity being primitive by any other crew I settle on they were no longer utilizing it.”

Echoing a an analogous sentiment, one fan felt blended feelings seeing a driver rather than Dale Jr. racing within the double eight-vehicle within the Cup Series. The fan wrote, “I’d be mendacity if I acknowledged I wasn’t the tiniest bit conflicted about this. 88 has been associated with you and JRM for the longest time.”

Nonetheless, a good deal of fans welcomed the guidelines as properly. A lengthy-term Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan expressed his views that he can over all over again root for the No. 88 vehicle by announcing, “This has to be primarily the most attention-grabbing bombshell recordsdata in motorsports within the closing decade. I treasure this. This gonna be immense I purchased a brand fresh driver to root for as a Dale Jr. fan now.”

Every other fan speculated that a collaboration between Junior and Trackhouse Racing would possibly possibly perchance possibly be on the playing cards, now that his vehicle quantity is being primitive by SVG. The X person wrote, “Dale Jr. to merge with Trackhouse confirmed.”

Used NASCAR fans furthermore took the guidelines positively, with a Dale Jarrett and Junior fan giving his designate of approval at Trackhouse Racing’s decision to revive the No. 88 vehicle. The fan acknowledged, “As a Dale Jarrett and Jr fan, I approve. So frigid!” A fan couldn’t camouflage his enthusiasm that Dale Jr’s iconic vehicle would possibly possibly perchance possibly be aid within the Cup Series after a 5-yr spoil. Writing on X (formerly acknowledged as Twitter), the fan acknowledged, “88 BACK IN THE CUP SERIES LETS GO”

What are your thoughts about SVG taking on Dale Jr.’s iconic No. 88? Enable us to perceive within the feedback!