Yes, it's all a little melancholy right now, even a little bit scary if you're in the business of selling tickets to a NASCAR race in 2018.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has carried the unimaginable weight of his father's legacy and his sport's success with such grace and skill, will retire from racing in NASCAR's top series at season's end.
I don't know how you learned about it, but I swear my heart stopped for a second when the TV anchor said there was "breaking news. NASCAR has announced "
That is never followed by good news.
FILE - In this March 3, 2017, file photo, Dale Earnhardt Jr. smiles in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup auto race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. Hendrick Motorsports says Dale Earnhardt Jr. will retire at the end of this season. (AP Photo/John Amis, File) 
Except, really, this time. It's good news that the 42-year-old Earnhardt can, as he said in his Tuesday afternoon news conference, "go out on my own terms."
Every athlete wants that. Few achieve that. He deserves that.
Barring anything catastrophic, Junior will climb from his car at Homestead-Miami on Nov. 19, grab Amy's hand and walk off into some figurative sunset. Going out with his first NASCAR championship would be a wonderful story, but the racing gods have proved the last two years, with Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, they don't like storybook endings.
"To say I'm not going to be here one day is difficult," Earnhardt told reporters Tuesday. "Because we all wish we could be here forever. I do have ambition to keep working. I don't want to quit working."
The last sentence should cause concern for aging former drivers in broadcast booths. Junior is a natural on TV. Somebody's booth is fixing to get more crowded, or somebody's going to yield a microphone.
Junior's own legacy will be a modest one in terms of racing. He has won 26 Cup races and he'll be a Hall of Fame shoo-in. But he's more in the Ricky Rudd-Terry Labonte-Fred Lorenzen upper middle class than the Dale Sr.-Pearson-Petty-Yarborough-Johnson-Gordon realm.
His legacy is how he dealt with his father's death 16 years ago, with how he accepted the new burdens of fame, of suddenly becoming a fan favorite based on DNA. He grew up in the public eye, not always flawlessly, but with a sense of obligation and even appreciation. He was a study in courage as he recovered from concussion-related problems that forced him to miss half of the 2016 season.
Earnhardt has a fantastic personality. But he had to work to become a personality. Almost instinctively, he knew he needed to do so.
The sobering thing is, NASCAR will be in a world of hurt without him. It's a personality-driven sport. Losing Gordon, Stewart, Junior and Carl Edwards in such a short time is a big blow.
There's no heir apparent in the good-guy popularity pipeline, though there is no shortage of "heels," as pro rasslin' calls its bad guys, who have appeal. It's difficult mining to uncover another universally liked driver.
Last Sunday, Junior crashed at Bristol and was doing a walk-and-talk TV interview on the way to the care center. Some knucklehead fan, with no business in the garage area during a race, hustled up to Junior and tried to take a selfie.
The fan was politely nudged aside. But this says it all about Junior: After a brief exam from doctors, he left the care center, found that knucklehead fan and posed for the selfie.
That's a good enough legacy moment for right now. But let's not worry ourselves so much about legacy for another five months, and instead sit back and enjoy the ride. And hope the racing gods change their minds about storybook endings.
» Last race: Jimmie Johnson won the Food City 500 at Bristol for his second straight victory. Kyle Larson had dominated the race, but a pit-road speeding penalty cost him dearly.
» Next race: The Toyota Owners 400, Richmond International Raceway, Sunday, 2 p.m., Fox TV. Our pick to win: Clint Bowyer.
» Our fast five: 1. Kyle Larson. 2. Joey Logano. 3. Jimmie Johnson. 4. Brad Keselowski. 5. Martin Truex Jr.
» What they're saying: "I've accomplished way more than I ever dreamed, way more than I ever thought I would accomplish. So I'm good on that front." - Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Contact Mark McCarter at markfmccarter@gmail.com.