NASCAR War and Fame: Dale Earnhardt Jr Exposes the Consequences of Denny Hamlin

When Denny Hamlin created 23XI, he already had his plate full. Facing a 36-race Cup schedule and curating a weekly podcast was bound to take a toll on him. But Hamlin had a simple answer for the media when they were curious about why he does it all. He said, “It’s what I love to do.”

And even while managing three avenues: running a business, driving, and talking about motorsport, Hamlin fetches Cup wins every other weekend nowadays. The hectic life that he chooses to live as NASCAR’s foremost speaker is one not many can persevere and maintain. Dale Earnhardt Jr, another podcast owner like Hamlin, sheds light on this as he dissects Hamlin’s busy schedule.

Denny Hamlin’s upbringing was imbued with discipline and hard work. His parents went all-out to support his racing career, as they incurred debt and sold their classic cars so that he could get in a race car. But Dennis Lou, Hamlin’s father, was adamant about a work ethic. “I’m not going out there and working on your race car for you. If you want to do it, you go out there, you learn it — and then when you wreck it, you have to figure out how to get it back to the racetrack.”

That work ethic reflects on all the hectic projects that Hamlin diligently sees through. In a recent interview with Rubbin is Racing, Dale Earnhardt Jr emphasized as much while hailing his podcast rival. “Denny is up for it…Denny’s got a personality and he’s in it…racing, and this is his life…He has his hand in every cookie jar, right. He’s a driver, he’s a car owner, he’s in the podcasting…Certainly, his takes on his show get a ton of attention. He flexes that muscle on all those fronts.”

Hamlin may be sturdy enough to handle all these duties, but other veteran drivers are unwilling to go through that stress. Dale Earnhardt Jr shed light on this aspect: “So that can be really exhausting. And I think some drivers are like, ‘You know, I don’t feel like doing all that. I’m busy enough, I’m content.’”

Balancing racing life with family life and juggling podcast sessions and ownership duties requires you to have a steady mindset. And Denny Hamlin’s unique opinion of his life helps him. “I live in chaos. My life is chaos, and I thrive under chaos… The more (crap) that is stirred up around me, the more I come at it.”

THERE IS COMMENT BOX AFTER THE ADS, SHARE YOUR THOUGHT WITH US

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.”

THERE IS COMMENT BOX AFTER THE ADS, SHARE YOUR THOUGHT WITH US

“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.

THERE IS COMMENT BOX AFTER THE ADS, SHARE YOUR THOUGHT WITH US