Sports
“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.
READ: Who is Chase Elliott’s rumored fiance Ashley Anderson? All you need to know about her
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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Sports
“How young is too young” Underage Driver Wrecking Dale Earnhardt Jr’s CARS Had Caused Commotion
“How young is too young” Underage Driver Wrecking Dale Earnhardt Jr’s CARS Had Caused Commotion
Young drivers entering NASCAR is not new. While prime examples include Chase Elliott, who debuted in the K&N Pro Series at 15, and 17-year-old Connor Zilisch who competes in Xfinity, from time to time, people still wonder if the organization’s age limit is too low. Case in point, recently an underage driver wreaked havoc at a Dale Earnhardt Jr-owned CARS Tour race. The unfortunate incident inevitably saw fans questioning NASCAR’s age-related stance.
And it’s safe to say that the driver being who suffered the aftermath of the wreck wasn’t happy either!
When stock car racing took root in the late 1940s, NASCAR’s premier series was limited to people 21 or older. Usually, drivers between 35-45 years of age were regarded as prime. But the turn of the 21st century has encouraged youngsters to try their hands at the steering wheel. Take Dale Jr, for example, who got his NASCAR debut at 22!
However, now the age limit may be further plummeting down even lower! Although the sanctioned age to drive full-time in NASCAR’s top-three touring series is 18, other affiliated series are flexible. And this flexibility put Late Model sensation Landon Huffman in serious danger.
Notably, when Dale Earnhardt Jr announced his CARS Tour ownership alongside three other veterans, he gave an interesting insight. He grew up racing Late Model races on the West Coast, and hence underlined experience as important. “What seems so simple to us, because we have been around it our whole lives, is not so simple to the weekly competitor who is struggling to get to the track or has a question about what is right or wrong or what he should or shouldn’t do,” the JR Motorsports team owner opined.
But something happened recently that directly contradicted Dale Earnhardt Jr’s philosophy, as an inexperienced racer sparked chaos at a CARS Tour race at Ace Speedway. Late Model sensation Landon Huffman washed up against an unexpected debacle. While battling for the lead, an underage racer violently pushed Hoffman’s car to the wall, as the latter’s roof came off. Huffman shared the video on X.
Jumior’s popular driver also proclaimed his intense dislike for NASCAR’s falling age limit. He wrote in another tweet, attaching his car’s picture after the wreck, “Led over half of the second twin and then this. Exhibit A why kids under the age of 14 should not be driving late model stock cars”.
Huffman’s views echo some veteran drivers’ opinions. Last year, Tony Stewart was baffled at some racing series picking up 12-14-year-old kids. “It makes zero sense to me,” he had said at the time. On the other hand, RFK Racing owner Brad Keselowski also empathized with the children, who he believes are missing out on their teenage growth. “We hurt them in their ability to develop their own lives,” he shared.
But that’s not all. After Huffman’s terrifying accident, NASCAR fans are also getting active on the same topic. Looks like Dale Earnhardt Jr’s series got a few raps for allowing children to compete.
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Chase Elliott is F**kingly Rich- Expensive things owned by Him Exposed
Being the son of former NASCAR champion Bill Elliott and a six-time recipient of the NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver award, Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott remains one of the wealthiest drivers on the grid. Part of that wealth funds the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion’s lavish lifestyle.
Elliott, who has a net worth of $12 million (according to Celebrity Net Worth), indulges in a lifestyle filled with luxury and opulence, owning several expensive items that offer a glimpse into his extravagant world.
In this article, we take a closer look at the lavish lifestyle of Chase Elliott: The 28-year-old driver resides in a luxurious mansion situated in the Georgia mountains in Dawsonville, Georgia. The three bedroom, fourbathroom mansion spans three floors, boasting an open-concept layout on the main floor with a kitchen, living room, and half-bathroom, while the second story houses three bedrooms.
2. Motorhome
To navigate the demanding NASCAR season schedule, Elliott owns a luxurious Prevost motorhome, estimated to cost between $800,000 to $2 million. Customized to his preferences, the 47-foot motorcoach features a front entrance with driver and co-driver seats, a lobby area equipped with two televisions and a video game console, and an iPadcontrolled system for managing lights, temperature, and security.
3. Private Jet
Elliott’s passion for flying is evident in his ownership of a $1.8 million Cessna Citation 525 private jet. Beyond mere transportation, Chase Elliott has admitted that flying serves as a distraction for the Hendrick Motorsports driver, allowing him to focus on activities away from the racetrack
4. First car
Right off the bat, Chase Elliott made his stance clear when he revealed during an appearance in the Pat McAfee show that the Hendrick Motorsports driver was not a car collector. While the fact may come as a surprise for many given Elliott’s profession, he admitted that racing was his “speed fix.”
However, Chase Elliott did own a car once, and a very special one at that. A teenage Elliott, who was still coming through the ranks of Super Late Model Racing, was gifted a Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck by his parents Bill and Cindy Elliott.
In addition to his lavish possessions, the former Cup Series champion enjoys spending time on the golf course, indulging in his passion for the sport.
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Mercedes declares its prestaties Hamilton: “Lewis has become the slachtoffer van”
Lewis Hamilton probably imagined his last year at Mercedes differently. The Briton performs very poorly in the slow W15 and is regularly unable to keep up with teammate George Russell . The result? 27 meager points and ninth place in the championship. But why is that? Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ Trackside Engineering Director , tries to explain it using the set-up. Hamilton experiments quite often.
“It’s mainly about learning more about the car,” Shovlin told Auto, Motor und Sport . “Lewis is often open to major changes to the set-up this year. He wants to know better how he can get the most out of the car. Lewis has sometimes fallen victim to that, but if you don’t change anything, you don’t learn anything. It would be wrong to say: ‘it is what it is, let’s make the best of it’.
Shovlin also believes that Mercedes should come up with a solution. It’s not entirely Hamilton’s fault. “The bottom line is that we need to find a better balance. Then we don’t have to constantly deal with compromises. Often we solve one problem and get another in return. The goal should be to have a strong front axle without that it is at the expense of stability at the rear. The car must also turn well in the slow corners without causing oversteer in the fast corners.”
Mercedes just hasn’t found that balance yet, Shovlin admits. “We have not yet managed to be competitive everywhere and we cannot achieve that in one race. That is what we are currently working on. We no longer want to choose between being fast in slow or fast corners. If If you adjust the car low to the ground, you are fast in the slow corners due to the downforce produced. However, in the fast corners there is a possibility that you will hit the asphalt. The reverse works exactly the same you get maximum downforce in the fast corners, but you pay the price in the slow corners. It is difficult to find the compromise over an entire lap.”
