Dale Earnhardt Jr. knows he won't be racing forever. The driver, who made his NASCAR Sprint Cup debut at the age of 24 in 1999, has become one of the most popular drivers in the series's history. And he knows that someday, he's going to park the car, undo the harness and take off the helmet for a final time. "I'm turning 41," he said Friday during a Suave Men sponsor event at Michigan International Speedway. "So it's on the horizon, as far as my retirement." Earnhardt, who has 24 career wins in the Sprint Cup Series (one this season), said he's watching Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon, and paying close attention. Gordon, 43, announced at the beginning of the season that after 24 seasons, 2015 would be his last full-time campaign. He later admitted that he has no plans to race in NASCAR after this year. "I have to watch Jeff and talk to Jeff," Earnhardt said. "(I have to) talk to other drivers, like Dale Jarrett -- guys that I trust -- about their decisions and what they would have done differently and what to keep your eye on, be prepared for, what shocked them or what they weren't prepared for. You know, what was their decision like years later? Do they feel like they made the right decision?" Earnhardt said he wasn't completely certain when he would know he was ready to hang up his firesuit. "Do you run as long as you possibly can, even stay longer than you should? Do you go out on top when you feel like you're competitive? Those are questions that a lot of drivers have to answer eventually for themselves."

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