Sports
Dale Earnhardt Jr Becomes the Butt of the Joke, Criticized For His Recent Behaviour
Dale Earnhardt Jr Becomes the Butt of the Joke, Criticized For His Recent Behaviour
NASCAR has been coming under fire quite frequently lately from one of the sport’s most popular veterans, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Only a few days ago, the JR Motorsports owner shared his concerns over the officials’ decision to turn a blind eye to Hamlin’s jump start. But that wasn’t the only gripe he had. When NASCAR’s official page tweeted out about Joey Logano’s 550th start and Christopher Bell’s 150th start, Junior had just one question. “When do you get a tweet? and when should your start be celebrated?” To which he got a hilarious answer from the official NASCAR account on X.
NASCAR’s official X account hilariously retaliates against Junior’s comments
In one of the new episodes of the Dale Jr Download, Earnhardt Jr sat down with his co-hosts and Amy Earnhardt, when he brought up how NASCAR doesn’t seem to have a criteria for posting their ‘X number of starts’ updates on drivers. Compared to Richard Petty’s breathtaking 1186 starts that are worthy of celebration, Junior felt Bell’s 150 may have been a little too low. The JR Motorsports owner also believes a number close to his starts, around 500, would be ideal.
Earnhardt Junior was clear with his gripes as he stated, “So they put out a tweet last week about Christopher Bell, congratulations on his 50th start, which is literally like four years of racing and I thought, ‘that ain’t worth a damn Tweet!’ 150 starts? Okay. You just pass that one and keep going, you don’t acknowledge (it).” This also prompted the co-hosts to joke about NASCAR not making a post about Erik Jones’s 262 start.
While the jokes were clearly flying one after another, it looks like Dale Earnhardt Jr may have forgotten some of his statistics, as he found himself becoming the butt of the joke as soon as NASCAR dropped a ‘celebratory’ poster about his Xfinity start later this year. The Official X account highlighted Junior’s Xfinity career as they shared, “Daydreaming about @DaleJr’s historic 147th Xfinity Series start in September!”
Oh my.
Y’all got me. https://t.co/oBOl8oPl2i
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) April 3, 2024
At that bombshell, Dale Jr was rather shell-shocked as he shared: “Oh my. Y’all got me. ” Certainly, the NASCAR Twitter account had delivered a marketing masterclass, engaging the NASCAR community into a hilarious back and forth at the expense of one the sport’s biggest personalities.
After hearing Dale Jr’s grievances with NASCAR’s choices for celebratory posts, the official account couldn’t have come up with a more playful response. With that said, some fans were awe-struck by how influential Junior seemed to be, “I hope one day I have as much pull as you haha.”
At the same time, some fans were impressed by Junior’s stats in such a short period. A user shared, “Wait… 2 championships in less than 150 starts… Sometimes, the lack of stats is the impressive part. 2 Championships in 4 years is a 50% success rate. How many drivers can say that, huh???”
Wait… 2 championships in less than 150 starts… Sometimes, the lack of stats is the impressive part. 2 Championships in 4 years is a 50% success rate. How many drivers can say that, huh???
— Karl Lambert (@wklambertphotog) April 3, 2024
However, most fans were certainly pleased with how NASCAR had clapped back, joining in on the jokes. A fan commented, “Hahaha, you did ask for it, Dale. Walked right into it. But, gotta admit, this is pretty good. HUGE milestone!” While another ramped up the banter – “ How Many “False Starts” Like Hamlin?”
At the end of it all, the NASCAR social media team had come out on top. Users one by one commended the admin for the witty banter: “Somebody at @NASCAR is a Dale Jr Download listener!” As another added, “The interns did good LOL”
After hearing what fans had to say about the post, it’s safe to say the account handle seems to be in safe hands. This fan chimed in to share, “NASCAR media admin knows what they’re doin’ over there”. But unfortunately for Earnhardt Jr, the community just couldn’t shake off how the tables had turned. Users now pointed to Junior and stated; “Not even 150… disappointed… ” and “147 is such an impressive number. Totally worthy of a Tweet !”
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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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