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“He Actually Hated Me” – Dale Jr Defends His Late Father’s Legacy as He Publicly Trashes Geoff Bodine’s Shocking Accusation
“He Actually Hated Me” – Dale Jr Defends His Late Father’s Legacy as He Publicly Trashes Geoff Bodine’s Shocking Accusation
Rivalries are a big part of NASCAR, but perhaps none were as heated as the one shared by Dale Earnhardt Sr and Geoff Bodine. The two drivers would often collide on the track and wreck each other, forcing NASCAR to take stringent steps. However, many felt that Bodine may have let go of his animosity towards the intimidation. How true is that? Dale Earnhardt Jr strongly refuted that claim in a recent episode of The Dale Jr Download podcast.
Geoff Bodine recently released a book titled ‘All of It: Daytona 500 Champion Tells the Rest of the Story’ in which he wrote about his long and illustrious career. The 74-year-old is said to be proud of what he has produced, and as per NASCAR, it may have been written by him, but the book was not for him.
Dale Earnhardt Jr seeks context behind Geoff Bodine’s wild claim
The chapter that intrigued Dale Earnhardt Jr. the most was the one about his father. NASCAR fans know all about the intense rivalry that The Intimidator and Bodine shared on track. Things got so intense between the two of them that they both often went and urged race control to penalize the other. Bodine even claimed earlier that NASCAR’s favoritism towards the 7-time Cup Series champion forced the others to drive aggressively and expect to get away with it.
“He Actually Hated Me” – Dale Jr Defends His Late Father’s Legacy as He Publicly Trashes Geoff Bodine’s Shocking Accusation
But Bodine was quite kind to his fierce rival in the chapter about the legendary driver of the #3. It was just the last line of the chapter that struck a discordant note with Dale Earnhardt Jr. “There’s a chapter on my dad called The Intimidator where he speaks really well of dad. He shares his version of events, but he doesn’t take it too far in his criticism of Dad, and he ends the chapter with comments of how Dad impacted the sport in an incredible way. But the very last sentence of that chapter is, “And I found out after Dale’s death that he actually hated me.” That’s the last sentence of the chapter. I’m like, where’s the context? Who told you that?”
“Maybe I could argue that point. I don’t believe that to be true. Did Dad have an opinion of Geoff? Yes. Did he like everything he did on the race track? No. But after 20 years of not racing each other, I’m sure that he didn’t hate him,” Dale Earnhardt Jr said in what was a passionate rant.
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Of course, it’s difficult for Dale Earnhardt Jr to believe that his father had resentment for Geoff Bodine. After all, the two families used to hang out together by the lake. The 49-year-old recalled those good ol’ days as well when speaking about the two legendary NASCAR racers to drive his point home.
The two NASCAR rivals’ family trips to the lake house
It turns out that before the rivalry and animosity, Dale Earnhardt Jr and Geoff Bodine were close friends. So close that their families would spend a lot of time together. Junior recalled going to the lake house and playing with his sister and Bodine’s kids.
“And Geoff shares some stories earlier in this chapter about how they would come over to the lakehouse, me and Kelley and Geoff’s kids would play together and swim in the late and all that, and dad and Jeff would hang out, have dinners. So I mean, they started off friendly, as most driver-driver relationships do,” the 49-year-old added.
We may never get to know if The Intimidator’s feelings of animosity towards Geoff Bodine subsided towards the end of his life. The two refuting claims are all fans have to base their theories on, but that is part of the intrigue of the sport.
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A former Ferrari engineer has criticised the decision to bring in Lewis Hamilton and thinks the Brit’s presence will mean “a lot of potential for drama”.
At the age of 40, seven-time Formula 1 champion Hamilton will form a formidable driver partnership with Charles Leclerc. His big switch comes at the expense of Carlos Sainz, who has performed well for the Italian squad but who was axed so they had room for their blockbuster new signing.
But not everyone of a Ferrari persuasion is convinced that it will go well. Ernest Knoors, who spent many years as an engineer at Maranello, specialising in power units, worries that Hamilton’s presence could do more harm than good for a team that is finding its groove under Frederic Vasseur.
“A big name like Hamilton also brings a lot of politics and if politics within Ferrari are not managed well, then there is a lot of potential for drama,” he told Formule1.nl. “Hamilton has the tendency that if things do not work out, he turns his whole car upside down and starts experimenting.
“Ferrari believes very much in the big personalities and will follow him. But Hamilton is just someone you have to guide a little bit and not give the freedom to rebuild the whole car, because then it will go completely wrong. So I do not know if it is such a smart move, but of course it is nice for the sport.”
News of Hamilton’s planned move broke on February 1, coinciding with football’s Transfer Deadline Day. That the back pages of many newspapers were dominated by the decision of Hamilton to swap Mercedes for Ferrari was testament to the magnitude of the announcement.
Sainz was not surprised as he had been informed by his team of the plan ahead of it being made public. But the Spaniard responded well with two victories to date this season and five further appearances on the podium, on the way to what looks likely to be a fifth-placed finish in the championship – two spots and 54 points ahead of Hamilton.
Sainz has signed for Williams next year and, after several years of running at the front of the grid, will focus on his new challenge of helping restore one of the grid’s most historic teams to its former glory. But Knoors believes he should have been kept on by Ferrari instead.
The Dutchman added: “I see Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari more as a PR move. With all due respect, Hamilton is not going to take that Ferrari from P6 to P1. He will get the most out of it, but what Ferrari has to do is make that car faster. And if you make that car faster, you can easily drive at the front with the current line-up.
“Besides, as a team you have to look further on the horizon. If Hamilton becomes champion in the coming years, he and Ferrari will become immortal. But if you want to build a team with talent for the next five years, are you going to build on Hamilton? No, because he will really be finished after two or three years. That is why I would have kept the very strong line-up that Ferrari has now.”
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Chase Elliott had a front-row seat for one of NASCAR’s most bizarre moments of the 2024 Cup Series season. At the start of Stage 2, the pace car dove onto pit road in front of Elliott; however, it was a tad too late. The pace car made contact with the sand barrels at the entry of pit road and caused a red flag for cleanup.
Initially, there was some speculation on the NBC Sports broadcast, even from the No. 9 team, that Elliott made contact with the pace car. Fortunately, the pace car didn’t slide across the No. 9 car’s nose, but it undoubtedly provided one of NASCAR’s craziest red flag moments in recent memory.
Below, you can listen to Elliott and the No. 9 team react to the pace car crashing into the sand barrels on pit road at Phoenix during Championship Weekend!
Reflecting on the recent retirement of 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., Earnhardt didn’t mince words about the toll NASCAR takes on its drivers. Speaking candidly, the two-time Daytona 500 winner admitted that the pressure to perform every week left him feeling miserable for most of his racing career—a sentiment he believes is shared by many of his peers.
“Right or wrong, racing made me a miserable person 90% of the time,” Earnhardt confessed. “And him too. I mean, ask Kyle Busch, ask anybody—unless you’re winning, you’re not happy.”
For these elite drivers, the sport is a relentless grind. A podium finish might bring temporary relief, but anything short of victory is often a source of frustration. The immense effort poured into preparation and execution rarely feels like it pays off unless the checkered flag is theirs.
Earnhardt highlighted the mental toll of falling short, explaining how the relentless focus on winning can overshadow the joy of simply competing. Even a solid performance feels hollow compared to the euphoria of a win.
“Unless you’re winning, you’re not happy at all,” he said. “You’re okay with a good run, but for the most part, all the effort it takes just to run good—it doesn’t weigh out.”
For drivers, the stakes are sky-high every week. Sponsors, fans, and teams demand nothing less than excellence, leaving little room for error or personal satisfaction in anything less than a dominant performance.
Earnhardt also shared insights into his friendship with Martin Truex Jr., who recently announced his retirement. While the two often spend time hunting together during NASCAR’s off-season, Earnhardt noted that the stress of racing even creeps into their leisure activities.
“When I’m with him during hunting season, it’s always in the back of his mind,” Earnhardt said. “It’s that stressful part of the year when he’s as miserable as he’s going to be.”
Now, with Truex stepping away from the track, Earnhardt looks forward to seeing a lighter, happier version of his long-time friend. Without the weight of weekly competition hanging over him, Truex might finally be able to relax and enjoy the outdoor lifestyle he cherishes.
“It’ll be fun to see him loosen up,” Earnhardt added.
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