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“I walked into the bus and cried” – Dale Earnhardt Jr. on his pre-marriage career setback
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is considered as one of the most successful racers in NASCAR’s modern era. The Hall of Famer spoke about one of his lowest points in racing while talking to Kenny Wallace nine months ago.
After spending over 20 years in motorsports, Earnhardt Jr. decided to retire as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver in 2017. Since then, he has been active as an analyst on the Dale Jr. Download podcast.The 49-year-old opened up about one of his weakest moments during his entire racing career while talking to legendary NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace back in November 2023. He stated that it was during the final few years of his career and that he was with his future wife Amy at the time.
Earnhardt Jr. spoke about the disappointment he felt because of poor results in qualifying.
“We’re (Dale Jr. and Amy) at Richmond, and I feel like I’ve qualified 23rd for eight weeks in a row. I mean, it just, it wasn’t, I really didn’t qualify 23rd eight weeks in a row, but gosh, it felt like I just, I had this sort of rider’s block. I just could not get past that sort of mediore, even less than mediocre performance in qualifying and it was bugging the hell out of me and I didn’t know why we couldn’t do better” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said, explaining the situation. (0:21 onwards).
“I qualified 22nd or 23rd, and went back to the bus, and walked into the bus, and walked back into the bathroom, and shut the door, and cried, and I mean, I didn’t know what else to do,” he added (1:05 onwards)
“He had nothing” – Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares emotional memories of his father with Donnie Rives
NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. invited Donnie Rives, his father Dale Sr.’s best friend on the Dale Jr. Download Podcast. Both the North Carolina-based racer and Rives revisited several memories of the seven-time Cup Series champion throughout the episode.
During the conversation, Earnhardt Jr. shared his emotional state after losing Dale Sr. in 2001.
“When Dad (Dale Sr.) was gone, it was a gut punch. You didn’t know what to do next or how you could do anything next,” the NASCAR Hall of Famer commented (10:32 onwards).
However, Earnhardt Jr. went ahead and highlighted his father’s determination by comparing a similar situation in both their lives.
“When I lost Dad, I had a life in front of me. I had a comfortable existence. I had a job and an amazing race team around me and I had everything right,” He said. (11:22 onwards) .
“When he lost his Dad, he had nothing. He was working a job at Great Dane or whatever. He had nothing, barely enough food in the fridge to eat. No racing job,” Earnhardt added (11:42 onwards).
Dale Earnhardt Sr. lost his life in a tragic accident at Daytona on February 18th, 2001. He still holds a joint record with Jimmie Johnson and Richard Petty for the most Cup Series championships (seven titles).
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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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