What will NASCAR be like when Dale Earnhardt Jr. retires?

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The racing world got a glimpse of NASCAR without Dale Earnhardt Jr. as he missed the second half of the 2016 Monster Energy Cup Series with a concussion.

Attendance and television ratings — which have been in decline for the last decade — slipped further. Meanwhile, online polls, while hardly scientific, showed that a good portion of the sport’s fan base said it had no interest in a NASCAR devoid of Earnhardt.

“You are never going to replace a Dale Earnhardt Jr.,” four-time Cup champ and former teammate Jeff Gordon told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday. “While I say that, I never thought we were going to replace a Dale Earnhardt Sr., and we did that in Dale Earnhardt Jr. That was rare. We have to be prepared for that. There is going to come a day where he is not going to be out there, nor will Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch.”

Johnson, 41 and a seven-time champion, has been described as bland. Harvick, also 41, broke through with a title in 2014, but his popularity didn’t really blossom further. At 31, Kyle Busch, the 2015 titlist, has rounded into a softer, gentler version of his younger self, thanks to marriage and a young son. His salty nature might have been more attractive for fans looking for controversy.

Jeffrey Earnhardt, the nephew of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and a fellow driver, says NASCAR minus his 42-year-old uncle would be grim for the sport.

“The fan base is majority him,” Jeffrey Earnhardt said. “He’s been the most popular driver a million years in a row. Without him, it would be scary. You saw last year, when he had to sit out, all the fans, they’re like, ‘I didn’t want to come because Dale Jr. wasn’t in the race.’

“I’m like, man, you hear people saying that, it actually shows you how much power he has for this sport. I mean, he’s earned a lot of that, but it shows the whole legacy of the Earnhardt name.”

The death of Dale Earnhardt Sr. in the 2001 Daytona 500 was not only weathered by NASCAR, but the series also grew to its greatest heights as fans connected not only with his son, but also a generation of drivers that included Gordon, Johnson, three-time champ Tony Stewart, Harvick and Carl Edwards.

Over the last two seasons, NASCAR lost Stewart, Gordon and Edwards to retirement.

“If you were to add Dale in there?” said Gordon, a Fox NASCAR analyst who filled in for Earnhardt in eight races last season. “I hope we don’t see that happening for a while, because I love to see him on the track. ... Everybody wants to see (legends) stay forever. The truth of the matter is that there is going to become a day where they are no longer going to be there.”

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NASCAR touts young talents such as Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson and rookies Daniel Suarez, Erik Jones and Ty Dillon as exciting, up-and-coming drivers. Elliott will start Sunday’s Daytona 500 from the pole and has shown much promise. Austin Dillon is seeking his first win. Larson broke through with a win last year. But none of them is beloved. None has close to the fan base of Junior Nation.

Earnhardt gave one scenario to reporters Wednesday that could mean this is his last run.

“I’ve always wanted to win a championship so badly,” Earnhardt said. “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.”

Gordon said he is optimistic that a current crop of young drivers could help fill the void whenever Earnhardt decides he’s done with racing and, in turn, steps down as the sport's most recognizable face that adorns cardboard, life-size cutouts at convenience stores across the street from Daytona International Speedway and around the country.

Gordon thinks the young drivers could help fill the void whenever Earnhardt steps down as the sport’s most recognizable face.

“It gives the opportunity for young superstars and talents, like Chase Elliott,” Gordon said. “Here’s a guy who hasn’t even won a race yet, and he’s one of the more popular drivers. In some ways, you could see him rival Dale Earnhardt Jr. for popularity. That’s exciting.”

Contributing: Heather Tucker

Follow Perez on Twitter @byajperez and Tucker @HeatherR_Tucker

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