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“It Was Illegal” – Dale Earnhardt Jr Makes Incriminating Admission as He Recalls 12-Hendrick Motorsports Stopping Him From “Cheating”
“It Was Illegal” – Dale Earnhardt Jr Makes Incriminating Admission as He Recalls 12-Hendrick Motorsports Stopping Him From “Cheating”
NASCAR cars have changed from time to time. With 7th-generation or Next-Gen cars dominating the current scenario, the evolution of stock-car racing has pushed it far ahead. NASCAR legend and two-time Xfinity champ Dale Earnhardt Jr has experienced the best of both worlds. With a career spanning almost two decades, he has found himself in many situations.
While the Next-Gen cars have failed to impress the drivers, with almost every other race pointing out a new problem in the car, dissatisfaction with their cars also existed among the drivers in the previous generation. Joining Kenny Wallace on the popular talk show, The Kenny Conversation, Dale Earnhardt Jr reveals a surprising turn of events that could have been considered illegal back then.
Dale Jr decided to tweak his car illegally, along with Tony Eurys
In a stock car, the first skeletal component is the structural frame. It comprises round and square steel tubes of different thicknesses welded into each other to form an outline for the car’s components to hold. Most of the frame structure is for the driver’s protection during crashes. The frontal and rear sections are called the front and rear clips. These clips are built from thinner steel tubing to crush in an accident and push the engine out of the car’s bottom instead of moving it toward the driver in an accident.
However, NASCAR has also set a fixed guideline for adulterating materials and how much a car can be modified. Dale Earnhardt Jr reveals the story of the one time when he could have fallen in trouble over the same aspect of racing. Junior said to a captivated Wallace, “I went to Martinsville and ran into everything. I ran into the wall and into the tow truck behind the wall. I ran everything, right?”
“We hit everything and the tow truck. I had a rough day, so Tony Jr and Tony Sr, we took our car up there to go test, and when we didn’t run good, Tony Sr and Tony Jr, they took you to work. So we go up there to test. This was new to me back in the day, but more than likely, everybody had it. Tony Jr took a piece of tungsten and shaped it like the spring perch on the trailing arm.“
Trailing arms are another important facet of the frame. Most importantly, they are the connecting link between the chassis and the rear axle. Due to this, trailing arms need to be strong and durable. It also supports the car’s weight and gives a base for the compression force to spread that arises between the rear wheels and the chassis.
Dale Earnhardt Jr Makes Incriminating Admission as He Recalls 12-Hendrick Motorsports Stopping Him From “Cheating”
Tungsten is known for making some of the world’s most durable compounds. A hard, stable element with a high melting point is the perfect addition to a car’s frame; that is how Junior felt about the tweak. Explaining more about the modification, the 49-year-old said, “So, the left rear trailing arm spring perch was made out of tungsten.”
“So it was like this unsprung weight that would plant the left rear tire on the ground at all times. We put tungsten in lower A-frames for the left front, trying to figure out how to make this car work. We ended up learning that putting that tungsten on the trailing arm back there at the rear axle was the way to go. We just had to disguise it to look like part of the car so that we didn’t get in trouble because it was illegal.”
NASCAR has been against the adulteration of specific base components of the stock car for a long time, and the trailing arms were surely one of them.
Hendrick Motorsports prevented a potential penalty for Dale Earnhardt Jr
The partnership between Junior and Rick Hendrick showcased a fruitful period in the latter years of Dale Jr’s career. While they could not land a championship despite being a match made in heaven, there were many other reasons why Hendrick Motorsports had Junior covered. The team’s involvement in preventing this illegal addition was one of them.
READ: Dale Earnhardt Jr is no longer only Amy husband as fans fall in love with him
Speaking about the results that followed their minor but huge change, Dale Jr revealed, “Man, we went there and ran in the top 5, like 6-7 races in a row. It was awesome.”
While it was prohibited, NASCAR needed to know something was wrong to point it out. Tony Eury Jr’s disguise of the tungsten arm needed a revelation from Junior for the HMS staff to know about it. Opening up on the incident, he stated, “Every time I went over to Hendrick, they are great at Martinsville; they win a lot of races.”
“We’d go there, and I’m practicing in the top 5, and I’m like, man, this thing’s good. I just wonder if we can get a little better. Y’all ever put any tungsten? They’re looking at me like, What? We don’t need that, you know.”
Throwing a sarcastic comment over the issue, Junior then added, “I didn’t mind doing a little cheating. I always wanted some advantage over the competition, and that was the easiest way to get it.”
Rick Hendrick and Co. saved Dale Earnhardt Jr from a potential suspension or a worrisome penalty. Over the years, many instances of drivers allowing illegal modifications have been noted. It is safe to say that HMS prevented a disaster for themselves and Junior.
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Lewis Hamilton has given Toto Wolff some advice and revealed his ideal choice of successor
Lewis Hamilton has told Toto Wolff to gamble on youth and pick 17-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli to replace him at Mercedes next year. The seven-time world champion is leaving for Ferrari at the end of the season and has left his Silver Arrows team principal with the daunting task of recruiting another driver for the 2025 campaign.
But teen Antonelli has been impressing in Mercedes’ academy ranks and has been tipped for a bright future, currently undergoing his debut Formula Two season in preparation for another promotion – potentially straight into the Mercedes hotseat.
At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, Hamilton was asked about the prospect of Ferrari driver Sainz going in the opposite direction and taking his seat at Mercedes, but instead he wanted to put forward another option.
“Carlos is a great driver so wherever he goes he would be a positive for any team,” said Hamilton. “I have no idea what Toto’s plans are, but for me, if it was my job and my role, I would take on a youngster, and I would take on Kimi.”
Antonelli has been fast-tracked to his current F2 position and retains the support of Wolff, who put him in a Formula One car for the first time at the Red Bull Ring in Austria last month. He tested the Mercedes W12 in a planned event, with more dates added for the wonderkid later this year.
At Suzuka, Wolff explained that he was prepared to bide his time before naming a successor to Hamilton, perhaps hinting that Antonelli was being given the option to prove himself in further testing.
“We haven’t taken the decision yet and it’s not something that we plan to do in the next few weeks,” Wolff shared. “The driver market is very dynamic, some of the really good guys are about to sign for some of the other teams.
“We want to continue to have these discussions and keep the options open, but it’s much too early for us to commit to a driver, whether very young or very experienced.”
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“One Of Only A Few To See The Darkest Moment Of Dale Earnhardt” as exposed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Stirred Reaction
“One Of Only A Few To See The Darkest Moment Of Dale Earnhardt” as exposed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Stirred Reaction
If you’re a NASCAR fan, you can probably still remember everything about the day that Dale Earnhardt died on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
I know I can: I was 12 years old, and I still remember thinking “Oh, he’s going to be fine, I’ve seen wrecks that look a lot worse.”
It’s the same thing that a lot of NASCAR fans were thinking. He was the Intimidator. The toughest guy in NASCAR. There’s no way anything could happen to him.
And then I remember my shock when I heard those infamous words from NASCAR President Mike Helton a couple hours later:
“After the accident in turn four at the Daytona 500, we’ve lost Dale Earnhardt.”
But there’s nobody else in the world who has the memories of that day that Ken Schrader does.
Kenny was involved in the wreck that took Dale’s life, plowing into the side of Earnhardt’s car as it went sliding up in front of him after Earnhardt received a bump from Sterling Marlin.
And he was the first person to run to Dale’s car after the crash.
You’ve probably seen the video of Ken looking into the car, and then frantically waving to the medical crew. He knew it was bad as soon as he looked inside.
Exactly what did he see, though? We’ll never know – because Ken has refused to talk about it, even after 19 years.
Kenny has explained on many occasions that he’ll never talk about what he saw that day, unless Dale Earnhardt Jr. or his sister, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, ask him about it.
And on an episode of his Dale Jr. Download podcast, Junior got the chance to tell Kenny just how much that means to him.
Choking back tears, Earnhardt Jr. read the emotional note that he wrote to Kenny about their shared bond:
I’ve known you a long time, and a lot of time his passed since that happened. And you’ve been a great friend to me.
You’re one of only a few to see the darkest moment for my dad. Though you have intimate knowledge of those moments, you are a keeper of that delicate information. It makes me feel close to you, Kenny.
I feel pain for you to have to carry that memory, but you carry it for me, you carry it for Kelley, dad’s family, you carry it for anyone who’s ever cheered for him. It’s a secret that you’ll keep ’til your last breath. Kenny, I know you might sometimes wish you weren’t the one, but I’m glad it was you.”
It’s clear from hearing Dale Jr. talk to Ken about something so personal that the two share a special bond over the tragic loss of Dale Sr.
And it was a special moment on the podcast for Dale Jr. to tell Ken just how much that bond means to him.
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“Go kick their a**” John Force Says To Chase Elliott Over The NASCAR Event
Just a day before the NASCAR All-Star Race weekend at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports ace and 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion, Chase Elliott, received best wishes from 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion, John Force.
The 75-year-old driver of the Peak Auto Chevrolet Camaro for John Force Racing wished Elliott luck ahead of the All-Star race while also sending his best wishes for the 28-year-old’s father.
“My #TeamChevy teammate @chaseelliott always says to eat at @Hooters. Somebody tell the boss at@TeamHendrick that the food was GREAT! Elliott, tell Dad I say I love him, and go kick their a** at
the @NASCAR ALL-STAR race! @peakauto,” John Force wrote on X.
John Force and Chase Elliott’s dad, Bill Elliott, have been friends for a long time now. The legendary Bill Elliott won this famous race back in 1986, the only time it was held at Atlanta Motor Speedway and not at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. However, the usual venue was altered following the pandemic-struck 2020.
Chase Elliott has one victory so far in the prestigious All-Star race, that came back in 2020 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Last year, he finished fifth in the coveted event. The Dawsonville native currently stands fourth in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, just above his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, William Byron, with 437 points to his credit.
Elliott’s only race victory so far has come at the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 in Fort Worth, Texas. He had two more podium finishes at the AdventHealth 400 in Kansas and the Cook Out 400 in Martinsville, finishing third in both races. The American most recently raced at the Goodyear 400 at the Darlington Speedway, finishing 12th.
The number 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, wheeled by Chase Elliott will swap its usual blue and yellow paint scheme and instead, feature a sleek, matte-finish, all-black look to commemorate TEC5 Clifford
Strickland, who died in captivity during World War II.
This move by Hendrick Motorsports and longtime partner NAPA Auto
Parts during the Memorial Day weekend is a salute to the former and
the current members of the American military.
Lewis Hamilton has given Toto Wolff some advice and revealed his ideal choice of successor
“One Of Only A Few To See The Darkest Moment Of Dale Earnhardt” as exposed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Stirred Reaction
