August 5, 1999 - Earnhardt not even considering retirement

Earnhardt not even considering retirement
August 5, 1999 - GoCarolinas

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)--In a way, Dale Earnhardt already has started his farewell tour. Unlike Darrell Waltrip, he's not sure when it will end.

"I don't want to even come to the day that I have to get out of the race car and not get back in," the 47-year-old, seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion said.

"I don't know that I want to be there. It's not going to be a fun day."

Waltrip, 52, a three-time champion and the winningest active driver with 84 career victories, plans to retire after the 2000 season.

"To see a guy like that go through his career and win championships and have a great career and know when to quit ... I respect him for that," Earnhardt said Wednesday, a day before Thursday's start of practice and qualifications for the Brickyard 400 on Saturday.

Earnhardt said he expects to sign another contract with Childress Racing that could keep him behind the wheel through 2003.

In the meantime, he's having too much fun to even think about retiring.

"The racing, the time around the track, the garage area, it's great," Earnhardt said. "I've learned how to get through those times (not winning) because I know I can still win."

What he hopes eventually to see is Winston Cup stardom for his son, Dale Jr., the NASCAR Busch Series champion in his first full season last year.

The younger Earnhardt also is competing against his father in this year's International Race of Champions series, losing to his father by just .007 seconds in the last race at Michigan in June.

Dale Sr. also won two earlier IROC races this year and could become the first driver to sweep the series since it began in 1973.

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