NASCAR

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has found the secret to boosting his Uber rating -- MONEY!

The NASCAR legend got the Uber blues on Saturday when he learned his rating was a crappy 4.0 on the 5.0 scale. He tweeted about it, "That's complete sh*t."

Uber immediately reached out to Dale and tried to help him with some quick tips ... and Junior says his rating's been way up ever since.

"I've been tipping really good and been nice to the driver ... and it's working out! My ratings are up!"

Earnhardt says he's cool with the company now -- and says it's the best way to go out if you plan on boozing.

Danica Patrick is more than ready to tie the knot with her racing BF Ricky Stenhouse Jr. -- and how do we know? She said it on camera ... right in front of him!

The two have been dating for 5 years and when our camera guy asked DP if the rumors of her being engaged were true or just a little joshing around. Ricky answered "Someday, not yet."

Our guy then (foolishly?) stated the two probably still weren't quite ready to tie the knot, and that's when Danica jumped in to set the record straight.

"I was ready yesterday."

What followed was one of the most awkward hugs in LAX history, and most likely a quiet Uber ride home.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he's decided to retire from NASCAR after the 2017 season because, "I just wanted the opportunity to go out on my own terms."

Junior opened up about the decision at a news conference Tuesday -- saying he thought about how he wanted to end his storied career while rehabbing from an injury last year.

Dale thanked a bunch of people who impacted his life -- including his wife, fans, sponsors and his late father Dale Earnhardt saying, "I would not have been a race car driver if not for him. He believed in me."

As for his future ... Junior wants to stay involved in racing in some capacity, saying "I want to be a part of the future of this sport for many, many years to come."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is waving the white flag on his storied career -- announcing he'll retire from NASCAR after the 2017 season.

The 42-year-old has racked up 26 wins (including TWO Daytona 500 victories) in 603 starts since turning pro in 1999.

He suffered a concussion back in 2016 that forced him to miss roughly half the season -- but he's since returned to the track and now the retirement tour begins.

Think Kobe Bryant ... but faster.

We recently got Dale Jr. out and talked about his recent marriage and the possibility of kids in his future ... and whether he would pass on the famous Dale Earnhardt name.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. just made Mark Zuckerberg drop an S-bomb ... taking the Facebook creator on his first ride on a NASCAR track ... and it blew the billionaire's mind.

Zuck hooked up with Dale Jr. at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Facebook Live -- and got his first taste of 160 mph speed!!!

In the end, Zuckerberg called the ride an "amazing experience" ... and even got in the driver's seat for a few laps of his own.

Joey Logano should've been EXPECTING a fight with Kyle Busch this weekend ... especially after the way he was driving ... so says NASCAR analyst Jeff Hammond.

Hammond was covering the Kobalt 400 for FS1 and says he loved the passion Busch showed when he confronted Logano after some "aggressive driving" on the track.

Bottom line ... the whole "leave it on the track" mentality doesn't apply when you spin out a race car around 180 MPH.

"In Joey's situation, you should expect that kind of a retaliation. You gotta be looking for it. Your head's gotta be on a swivel."

In fact, Hammond says MORE drivers should show the kind of passion Busch did.

Hey, more fights? We're down!

Kyle Busch thought Joey Logano did him dirty during NASCAR's Kobalt 400 race ... so he went after the guy with fists after spinning out.

Busch rushed Logano and his crew on pit road Sunday after Logano appeared to have made Busch spin out in the race ... costing him a shot at victory.

You can see Busch stomping over like he's on a mission, and that's when Logano's pit crew got involved.

Busch left the rumble fuming with a bloody forehead. Clearly he doesn't like being cut off.

Ex-NFL star Shawne Merriman says he's taking on a new challenge as the owner of a NASCAR racing team ... telling us he LOVES the sport and wants to inspire black kids to love it too.

TMZ Sports spoke with Merriman who revealed he's part-owner of a NASCAR K&N team ... a regional series used to develop drivers. It's like the minor leagues ... a stepping-stone to get to the majors.

Why NASCAR? SM told us he's a HUGE racing fan, having caught the bug at a race some years ago ... and said he wants to do something to promote his passion to black youth.

"We thought NASCAR would be a huge deal for us, kinda going into a different demographic. There's not a whole lot of minorities looking to be into NASCAR."

Merriman says he thinks once black kids are introduced to the vroom-vroom life -- you might see more of them get involved with NASCAR ... maybe even choose that sport over the NFL or the NBA.

The last Earnhardt with the name Dale may have already rolled off the assembly line ... 'cause Dale Jr. tells TMZ Sports he will NOT name his future kid Dale Earnhardt III.

Screw the bars and the online dating sites -- ya wanna find a smokin' hot lady, hit the RACE TRACK ... that's what Kyle Busch did.

The NASCAR driver hit up Craig's in West Hollywood Thursday night with his fitness model wife, Samantha ... and they explained how fast cars brought them together almost 10 years ago!

Kyle also makes his prediction for Daytona 500 -- himself -- and tells us who he's most concerned about when he hits the track on Feb. 26.

But enough of that ... check out the pics of Kyle's wife -- and go buy a ticket to a NASCAR race already.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished first in 2016 by getting married to his longtime girlfriend before the clock struck 12 on NYE.

NASCAR's golden boy tied the knot Saturday night to Amy Reimann, who he got engaged to last June. The ceremony went down at Childress Vineyards in North Carolina, and Dale looks like he couldn't have been happier to ring in 2017 with a pair of wedding bands.

A big chunk of the NASCAR community was there too -- from Chocolate Myers and Danica Patrick to Bubba Wallace -- to wave in their star driver toward the finish line. Congrats!

If NASCAR star Jimmie Johnson wins a record-setting 8th championship next year ... he'll be spraying Monster Energy drinks instead of champagne.

A close family friend of Robby Gordon's father called 911 after entering the house and seeing 2 dead bodies, and immediately said it looked like a murder-suicide.

The friend was very calm during the call -- he says he's a retired firefighter -- and says "Baja" Bob Gordon's body was in the bathroom and his wife, Sharon, was in the bedroom. He says he could see a rifle next to Bob's body.

As we reported ... a butcher knife was found near the wife's body. Police are investigating all angles of the case.

NASCAR's Hall of Fame suffered heavy damage when the Charlotte protests turned into rioting and looting.

Police put the area on lockdown after the crowds shattered windows in several buildings in Charlotte's NASCAR Plaza. The riots also hit the Charlotte Hornets team store.

Steve Harvey says he has NO DESIRE to own a NASCAR team ... despite allegations in a new lawsuit -- saying straight-up, "I don't even like fast ass cars!"

We broke the story ... a racing exec is suing NASCAR and nearly all of its racing teams for more than $500 MILLION -- claiming he tried to team with Harvey to start a team last year, but NASCAR shot them down. The exec, Terrance Cox, claimed racists at NASCAR blocked the move.

But Harvey says the whole thing is B.S. -- claiming he NEVER tried to start a NASCAR team ... and says Cox is lying about the whole thing.

In fact, Harvey went on his radio show and says his relationship with Cox was only supposed to be about helping underprivileged youth ... but things turned weird, so Harvey backed away.

Steve Harvey's bid to start a NASCAR team crashed and burned ... and at least one racing exec thinks it's because stock car racing honchos are racists.