Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, speaks with the media during the Daytona 500 Media Day at Daytona International Speedway on February 22, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Why would the legion of fans in Earnhardt Nation have mixed feelings about Dale Earnhardt Jr. winning a long-awaited Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship this season?

Because Earnhardt said on Wednesday during Daytona 500 media day that he’s likely to retire from racing if he wins the title this year, especially after all the rehabilitation work he’s done to overcome the effects of a concussion that caused him to miss the last 18 races of the 2016 season.

“Hell, yeah,” Earnhardt said with a broad smile. “I would definitely not want to come back and try to race anymore if I won the championship. I would be out of here.

“You know, I’ve always wanted to win a championship so badly.  Coming back from this injury, we worked so hard. To come back this year, win a championship, it would be hard not to hang it up.”

Earnhardt is in the final year of his current contract with Hendrick Motorsports, and he has already said he wants to regain confidence in his health before he agrees to an extension.

“This is the last year of my deal,” Earnhardt said. “I would like to race more. But if I win the championship, I’d have to consider going out on top. I mean, I don’t know. It just really depends on a lot of different things. … That was tongue-in-cheek. I said that a little tongue-in-cheek (in a Tuesday interview). But I’d definitely consider it, because that’s the last box I don’t have checked, really. There’s a few races I’d like to win. The championship would definitely be the icing on the cake for my career.”