Dale Earnhardt Jr. will join the NBC Sports' NASCAR coverage team when he retires at the end of the 2017 season, NBC Sports Group announced on Monday.

Earnhardt, 42, will be “utilized in a number of capacities” for NBC’s NASCAR coverage in 2018 and specifics will be announced in the next few months, NBC announced. Earnhardt’s contract with NBA allows him to be involved in NBC’s media businesses like movies and television.

"It is a tremendous honor not only to join NBC Sports next year but to begin a new career alongside people who love NASCAR as much as I do," Earnhardt said in a statement. "To be reunited with Steve Letarte, to be able to call legends like Jeff Burton, Dale Jarrett and Kyle Petty teammates rather than just friends, to be able to continue going to the track and connecting with race fans, it's a privilege I don't take lightly. I will devote my heart and soul to this broadcast team and pledge my very best to the millions who watch it."

At the NASCAR top level, Earnhardt has 26 career victories since 2000 and one top-five finish this year.

“We are excited to welcome Dale Jr. to our team – both on and off the track,” Chairman of NBC Broadcasting and Sports Mark Lazarus said in a statement. “As a company, NBCUniversal allows for talent to stretch themselves across not just their field of expertise, but across other areas of their interests in the media world.”

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