Earnhardt started the 2016 season with a crash in the Sprint Unlimited on lap 23 when Brian Vickers cut down a tire and hit him, damaging the side of his car. This would allow him to finish 15th, four laps down. He then went on to win the first Can-Am Duel race for the second year in a row. In the Daytona 500, he was strong early in the race but with 30 laps to go, he spun off of turn 4 while trying to make a move and hit the SAFER barrier head-on. He would wind up 36th. The following week in Atlanta he was very strong, finishing second. The following week, at Las Vegas, Earnhardt had a car that was solid all day and ended with an 8th-place finish. At the spring race in Phoenix, he led for a good portion of the race but stayed out on old tires during overtime. Because of this, he slid his tires on the start, finishing 5th. At Fontana the next week, he struggled throughout the race in the early stages, even being as low as 34th. But in overtime, he made a charge, finishing 11th. At Martinsville, he spun on lap 5, spending 300 laps one lap down. But in the end, he finished 14th and on the lead lap. In Texas, he was strong late in the race, finishing 2nd to Kyle Busch, who won back to back races. At Bristol, he stalled his car on the start, going 2 laps down. But as the race went on, his car came to life and he finished 2nd.