Earnhardt pulls out of drivers council

In an audio preview for the new season of the "Dale Jr. Download" podcast posted on his Facebook page, Dale Earnhardt explained that he's decided to opt out of the Drivers Council this year. Furthermore, Earnhardt revealed that while he did serve on the council last year, he stopped attending meetings after missing a large part of the season and realizing he was of no use to the group.

With the council consisting of drivers who are voted in by his or her peers, Earnhardt said he took his name out of consideration.

"I would rather Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin and those guys sit in those meetings and crunch the ideas with [NASCAR executive vice president Steve] O'Donnell and those guys," Earnhardt said. "They are doing good stuff. The Drivers Council sort of represents all the other drivers. I want to be all the other drivers."

Earnhardt said he feels confident that those who are on the council, including 2012 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Keselowski, 2015 series champion Kyle Busch and seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, will not go into the meetings and attempt to change something the others would not favor. With the input of Brad Keselowski, the council played a role in creating the All-Star format for last year as well as being instrumental in helping determine last year's lower downforce package.

Formed in 2015, the Drivers Council meets with NASCAR throughout the season to discuss better ways for collaboration in the sport. Drivers have the chance to be a part of the group in two ways. The first is meeting the following criteria: the top finishing driver for Chevrolet, Toyota and Ford the previous season, plus the top finishing driver with less than three seasons of experience.

The remaining spots are filled by driver votes from the following categories: two drivers from the top 10 in points from the previous season; one driver from positions 11-20 in points from the previous season; one driver from positions 21-30 in points from the previous season; and one driver with the most votes who doesn't fit into the categories.

When the Drivers Council was first implemented, Earnhardt was among the most active by acting almost as a secretary for the group.

"I'm kind of good with not really being in the middle of all that and in the conversations," Earnhardt said about this year. "There's just a lot going on, and maybe it's something I want to have the opportunity to do down the road, but for this upcoming season, I'm good with whoever is there. I feel confident."