PHOTOS: Dale and Amy through the years

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has told us how much he wants to start a family, and he and Amy shared the good news with NASCAR fans Monday that they are expecting a little girl.

Excited to share the wonderful news that @mrsamyearnhardt and I are expecting our first child. A little girl!!!! We are both thrilled and can’t wait to meet her. A post shared by Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@dalejr) on Oct 16, 2017 at 1:16pm PDT

Junior is retiring from full-time driving in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series after this season. He talked at Dover recently about how much he is looking forward to having children.

“I’m excited to start a family, and I hope I’m fortunate enough to do that with Amy,’’ he said. “We definitely want to do that. And it would be weird not being a race car driver if I have a daughter or son, I think about that, would they understand what I’m telling them or what I did for a long time. I’m hoping to find out all that stuff soon.’’

Brad Keselowski, who won Sunday’s race at Talladega Superspeedway in a No. 2 Team Penske Ford with a paint scheme honoring Earnhardt Jr., sent congratulations on Twitter, as the social media well wishes started pouring in regarding the joyful news.

Heck yeah, we’ve been cheering for you guys to join the club for some time! 👶 https://t.co/Hz0YeeD5cd — Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) October 16, 2017

Earnhardt Jr., who is 43, and Amy wed on New Year’s Eve last winter.