Blaney's Llama Escaped, Dario's Going Truckin' & Hearing From Hocevar

Summary

The Dale Jr. Download

Episode: Blaney's Llama Escaped, Dario's Going Truckin' & Hearing From Hocevar
Date: February 27, 2026
Host: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Guests/Co-Hosts: Mike Bagley, Carson Hocevar, Dario Franchitti, Freddie Kraft

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Overview

This lively episode of The Dale Jr. Download blends sharp analysis of current NASCAR controversies, tales from racing legends, locker-room humor about farm life, and candid interviews with some of the sport’s most buzzworthy personalities. The show covers everything from Carson Hocevar’s aggressive race moves and the sport’s need for “bad boys,” to Dario Franchitti’s foray into truck racing thanks to Jimmie Johnson, and the unexpected chaos of Blaney’s llama-infused farm life. Full of unfiltered insights and camaraderie, this episode delivers a deep look at the culture, personalities, and unvarnished realities of modern racing.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Carson Hocevar: Aggression, Reputation, and NASCAR’s Need for Controversy

[01:52-08:14, 26:12-34:32]

• Hocevar’s Driving Style: Dale Jr. leads a debate about Carson Hocevar’s aggressive tactics, focusing on whether they cross a line and if retaliation is inevitable.

  • Quote:
    “He bears the responsibility for everything that happened right there. … But eventually, yes, eventually, enough’s enough. And somebody will drop the hammer.”
    – Dale Earnhardt Jr. [03:12, 03:54]

• Locker Room Talk about Payback: Speculation on whether rivals will finally retaliate, drawing parallels to past drivers like Brad Keselowski.

  • Quote:
    “This is who he is, man. This cat’s different. … I don’t know that he’s going to take a ton of advice from his competitors.”
    – Dale Earnhardt Jr. [05:22]

• Team Influence vs. Driver Influence: Hocevar is more likely to heed his team than fellow drivers.

  • Quote:
    “He’s going to do what his people tell him to do because those are the people that matter. Those are the people that just committed to him.”
    – Dale Earnhardt Jr. [06:10]

• Why NASCAR Needs Drivers Like Hocevar: Dirty Mo crew agrees his style boosts the sport’s entertainment.

  • Quote:
    “While I know this is a massive thorn in the side of any of the drivers ... it is great for the sport to have at least a couple guys out there willing to shoot the gap…”
    – Dale Earnhardt Jr. [06:28, 07:41]

• Hocevar Responds to the “Podcast Universe” Frenzy: On Gluckcast, Hocevar gives his take on the attention, “Hurricane” nickname, and being compared to racing icons.

  • Quote:
    “I might not be, you know, everybody’s favorite driver, but I’m their favorite driver’s favorite driver!”
    – Carson Hocevar [31:38]

  • On Nicknames:
    “You can’t nickname yourself anything, so it’s got to come natural and it’s got to come from somebody else. Dale Jr. said that, too.”
    – Carson Hocevar [34:32]

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2. Dario Franchitti’s Truck Series Adventure with Jimmie Johnson

[08:14-14:20]

• How Dario’s Truck Ride Happened: Dario shares a detailed, humorous account of how a casual wine chat with Jimmie Johnson in London snowballed into a NASCAR Truck Series opportunity.

  • Quote:
    “Jimmy’s been the driving force behind it. ... He’s getting such a kick out of me getting back in the car.”
    – Dario Franchitti [10:55]

• Jimmie Johnson’s Role: Known for pushing friends into new experiences, Jimmie quickly orchestrates a ride, finds sponsors, and promises to coach Dario from the pit box.

  • Quote:
    “He got me into road biking. He got me on snow skis. ... Here he just puts it all out in front of you. Like, here you go. First class operation every time.”
    – Dale Earnhardt Jr. [11:21]

• Racing Adventures in Europe: Tales of road-tripping, vintage hotels, and tavern nights in Scotland; the camaraderie and culture off the track.

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3. Blaney’s Escaped Llama and Life on the Farm

[16:13-22:15]

• Unexpected Farm Drama: Freddie Kraft and others rib Blaney about his llama escaping and causing chaos on his small homestead, which now includes goats, chickens, and, of course, a llama.

  • Quote:
    “I run outside, shorts, no shoes, socks, no shirt, freezing. ... My goats are, like, going crazy running towards me. ... And the llama...broke out of our fence, like, just busted through it. I mean, he’s £350!”
    – Freddie Kraft [18:33]

• Llama Facts: Anecdotes on llama behavior (they protect goats, can spit—sort of), and repairing farm fences after their escape.

• Humorous Pet Ownership Challenges:

  • Quote:
    “I would start spitting at people, too.”
    – Dale Earnhardt Jr. [20:39]
  • Quote:
    “Makes me feel good for when my dogs are around him. But yeah, he broke out…”
    – Freddie Kraft [19:36]

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4. Mustache Maintenance and Penske Culture

[21:10-23:48]

• Driver Mustache Trends: Lighthearted talk on the challenges of maintaining a racing ‘stache, including trimming, petting zoos, and “flavor saver” jokes.

  • Quote:
    “If you get too long and you don’t have your stuff with you, you just bite off. He's starting to turn into a damn farmhouse.”
    – Freddie Kraft [21:45]

• Style at Penske:

  • Quote:
    “He likes it, he hasn't said he doesn't like it... Joey and I both saw each other, we're like, 'we are in this together.'”
    – Freddie Kraft [23:03]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Hocevar On Apology Texts:

  • “I don’t really like the conversation stuff... actions mean a lot more on the racetrack and that’s just important.”
    – Carson Hocevar [28:52]

• Richard Petty’s Surprising Praise:

  • “If I go back and watch him run, he reminds me of Dale Earnhardt. ... He’s just going to have to learn to get by with the things that he’s doing.”
    – Quoted on Gluckcast [30:35]

• On Nicknames and Legacy:

  • “I take it as a compliment... you can’t nickname yourself anything, so it’s got to come natural and it’s got to come from somebody else.”
    – Carson Hocevar [34:32]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic | |----------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:52 – 08:14 | Carson Hocevar controversy, driving style, NASCAR needs ‘bad boys’ | | 08:14 – 14:20 | Dario Franchitti’s story – how Jimmie Johnson got him a Truck ride, Euro tales | | 16:13 – 22:15 | Blaney’s llama escape, farm life chaos, llama humor | | 21:10 – 23:48 | Mustache grooming, driver appearance, Penske team culture | | 26:12 – 34:32 | Hocevar’s response: racing mentality, apology culture, “Hurricane” nickname |

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Engaging Takeaways

• Hocevar embodies a “no apologies, all-action” racing philosophy. He’s unapologetic about his style, unworried about political fallout, and only concerned with proving himself on the racetrack.
• NASCAR’s legacy of aggressive drivers is alive and well. The show makes clear that, like in the Earnhardt and Keselowski eras, a bit of chaos is healthy for the sport and the show.
• Off-track, the camaraderie and crossover between series and among drivers (like Dario and Jimmie Johnson) add richness and adventure to the racing community.
• Human moments—like Blaney’s farming misadventures—keep racing personalities relatable, blending the absurd and the real for fans who love the characters as much as the competition.

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Summary

This episode of The Dale Jr. Download expertly combines critical NASCAR discourse—focusing on Carson Hocevar’s disruptive presence and reputation—with behind-the-scenes stories from legends like Dario Franchitti, and colorful, self-deprecating humor about life’s curveballs outside the garage. With memorable quotes, fiery debates, and warmth, it's a must-listen for fans who want both insight and entertainment from the personalities shaping modern racing.

Transcript

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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[Mike Bagley]

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[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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[Mike Bagley]

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[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Indeed.comdalejr Terms and conditions apply. Hiring do it the right way with Indeed. Hey everybody. I'm Dalen Hart Jr. And this is the Dirty 30. The best highlights from all of our podcasts this week. 30 minutes every single Friday. The Dirty 30 coming at you. Let's get right to it. This episode of the Dirty 30 is presented by Arby's new Meat in Three box get more meal for your money. At Arby's, we have the meats. So let's dive into that race. Carson Hussevar racing aggressively. All right, Shocker. He. He wrecked Bell at the end, and everybody is, you know, everybody's wanting to hear our opinion. I suppose everybody's got an opinion about. Host of our. We've talked about him at length here, about his, you know, his style.

[Carson Hocevar]

I think Denny might have said, like, he's tired, like he's going for it. Yeah, he's going for it, but you're also ruining people's races now. And at some point, it's got to bite you, right?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Oh, I mean, he don't care.

[Mike Bagley]

But is anybody actually going to truly pay him back?

[Carson Hocevar]

I don't know.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I mean, why are we. We going to debate this what ifs or who will hypotheticals.

[Mike Bagley]

That's what TJ Saying is going to bite you back. But is it?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I ain't doing it.

[Mike Bagley]

Maybe not.

[Carson Hocevar]

You can't keep wrecking people with that.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I don't. I get so sick of that. We're here right now to talk about whether this is his fault or not. His fault. And I think it's clear that, you know, he bears the responsibility for everything that happened right there. Right. You know, does somebody come. You know, does this come back on him? We don't know. We do not know. And I'm not gonna. I don't want to waste time on this show going, well, yeah, I bet somebody gets him back. Oh, you don't think somebody will get him back? I bet they do. I bet they don't.

[Carson Hocevar]

We're supposed to do.

[Mike Bagley]

Talk about, like, I don't. I mean. I mean, Blaney gets a text message, and he's okay, but he's cool with it.

[Carson Hocevar]

Blaney talks about it.

[Mike Bagley]

I just don't see these drivers talk a big game about. And they never really truly go, like, do something to him.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I agree. Well, all right, I'll play this game. I feel like that eventually, yes, somebody will do something. Yeah, I do. I think that there'll be a time when you know somebody, and it may be Denny, you know, says, you know, what my race is, you know, I'm not having a good race today.

[Carson Hocevar]

And you are.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

And you are. And it's my. It's my chance. I'm already going to finish, you know, wherever. So here's my, you know, I'm going to just go ahead and make it hard on you. How'd you like that? You know, so, I mean, I definitely Think that, that, that will happen. I know the, The. The guys will. I know the drivers get out of the car and they. They'll say, oh, he's going to regret that one of these days. And we don't see anything. But eventually, yes, eventually, enough's enough. And somebody will drop the hammer. You know who it might be? Who could be anybody. Could be Gragson. Gragson likes to be the messenger.

[Mike Bagley]

Yeah.

[Carson Hocevar]

He likes to be the deliverer.

[Dario Franchitti]

He does.

[Mike Bagley]

It's going to need to be a driver that's not racing for a championship because you can't afford to wreck yourself.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

And I don't think anybody's got to wreck themselves. No, you don't have to wreck yourself.

[Carson Hocevar]

No. It's pretty easy to do if you do it right. Like, if you know what you're doing.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, well.

[Mike Bagley]

But is he going to learn from, like, do we think he changes like Ross?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

No.

[Mike Bagley]

Finally change?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

No.

[Carson Hocevar]

It's going to take two or three times for some.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

This is who do this. This is who he is, man. This cat's different. I don't think that he has the. And this is not a knock at all. I just don't think he has the ability to have the remorse or listen. I mean, I know he. I think he does understand right from wrong. I think he does know when there's. When he makes a mistake or he doesn't do something just right or he makes a bad decision or whatever. Right. He's gotten out, done interviews. We've heard him talk. We know that he has common sense. But I don't know that he. I don't know that he's going to take a ton of advice from his competitors. He might take advice from somewhere else.

[Mike Bagley]

I mean, he told you last year he's not really friends with the other cup driver, so it's not like he has a mentor to be like, hey, like.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, but I mean, he probably listens to other people. He listens to his team owners, the people inside his shop. What are they telling him to do? If they're telling him, hey, man, keep on being you, he's going to do what they tell him to do. He's going to do what his people tell him to do because those are the people that matter. Those are the people that just gamble. Those are the people that just committed to him.

[Mike Bagley]

You had to sign that extension.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. So, like, he. Those are his. Those are the people he's going to listen to. He's not going to listen to, you know, Danny or Logano or anybody else. Those aren't. Those aren't the people that are signing his paycheck or those aren't the people that are responsible for his future or his opportunity that he has right now. So he's going to listen to what his team owners say, you know, and his crew chief and all his people that he trusts, all his friends in his circle, if they're all telling him, don't change, keep being you, that's probably what we're going to get. I think there's one thing that I would love for you to put in a clip. Denny doesn't like it. He said so on his podcast, that the competitors aren't happy, but the media is. Well, he's right. The media. The media loves it. This is. While I know that this is a big, massive thorn in the side of any of the drivers that are in this guy's wake, it is great for the sport to have at least a couple guys out there willing to shoot the gap if, you know, willing to try to make a hole where there's not a hole. Willing to try to kind of like, you know, Brad Keselowski at Texas.

[Quince Brand Representative]

Right.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Right when he drove through Jeff Gordon. And they end up, you know, Jeff Flat.

[Carson Hocevar]

Very similar situation.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Very similar situation. Brad was that guy back then. He was going for the hole. He was going to take, you know, he's going to go for it. And it pissed people off. And it barrels, you know, spilled out onto pit road. And we had that incredible scene. And this is who Josevar is. And our sport badly needs a couple guys like that in the field.

[Carson Hocevar]

Oh, it's so good to have him so bad.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

All right, so Dario Franchi on the Dale Jr. Download, he is coming remote. So tell me, I guess, how this did come about. So was it as simple as a little conversation with Jimmy? Had you been telling Jimmy, you know, hey, man, you know, your car owner

[Dario Franchitti]

now, you know, you know Jimmy as well as I do.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Mike Bagley]

So

[Dario Franchitti]

I had seen that they announced that trucks are going to race at St. Pete on Saturday. And Dixon and I have always Talked about the MX5 race at St. Pete. Were like, we should do the MX5 race. That'd be so much fun. And now he's talking about he wants to do it at Daytona, but he's slightly insane.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, that's crazy.

[Dario Franchitti]

Right? But okay, I want to do something. St. Pete's a track I love. Can I. You know, that would be fun. That would be fun to do that. And so Jimmy and I at the time, Jimmy and Shani and the girls were in London and we would meet up a lot and we were sitting having a glass of red and I said to him, did you see the truck thing? That looks fun. I wonder if I should look at trying to do that. And Jimmy's. We had a bit of a conversation back and forwards, and I literally think it was the next morning, Jimmy calls and says, hey, man, I found your truck. What? He said, I found your truck. I said, is it a good truck? He said, well, it's a team called Tricon. And I'm like, well, Tricon that won the championship and just on the Charlotte Roval smashed everybody's doors in. Yeah, them. Oh, okay. So it's a good truck. He's like, yes, good truck. And I'm going to drive it in San Diego. I said, okay, well, we need to get a sponsor. He's like, yeah, we'll work on that with Legacy and the Legacy Motor Club and all that. He said, well, we'll work on it. You work on it. I'll work on it. So the next thing he calls me, he says, hey, Dollar Tree are on board. Sweet. He's like, yeah, they love the idea. He said, I'm going to come on the box and I'm going to advise you from the box like you used to do with me and IndyCar. I'm like, oh, here we go. So Dollar Tree came on PI Barker came on board, and Scott Borchetta with Borchetta Bourbon came on board. So all this thing happened and then. Yeah, I mean, honestly, Jimmy has been the driving force behind it. He's getting such a kick out of, of me getting back in the car. We raced at Goodwood together. We won in Aston Martin DB4 GT, which Jimmy put a rather sizable dent in it. And then we went to SPA and the six hours of Spa, Ford GT40. So we've done some great racing together recently. And he could see that I wanted to, wanted to do something, and he's, he's helped me make it happen. So I, I think, I think I have to thank him. We'll see after Saturday.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, I would. You know, that's Jimmy. He, he got me into road biking. He got me on snow skis. Like, he's that kind of guy that's like, oh, you've never tried this? Well, you got to try this. I, I, and I've got a guy, I'll fix it up. Don't worry. It's all here. Here he hand, he just puts it all out in front of you. Like, here you go. You're on, you know, first class operation every time.

[Dario Franchitti]

Let's go. Yes, but you've, you've experienced what I've experienced. I think, I think fans think of Jimmy as this very buttoned up, very, you know, he's so sort of polished, structured and polished. You and I know different. We know the Jimmy Jam. They are when he gets, he gets this twitch in his eye and that can mean you're about to get in a competitive situation with him and you're going to finish second or you're going to go skiing with him or something. And he skis like a lunatic. He's, you know, and he's, you know, I think he's one of those. We're so lucky to have him as a friend.

[Mike Bagley]

He's.

[Dario Franchitti]

He's nuts.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

He invited me and some other great friends on a trip and to, to Europe and we actually ended up at dinner with your wife, which was incredible. And I swear I, I've never been to London or never been to Europe, been to German Germany, but I've never really spent much time there. And I mean, we were in the top end places. It was just like a hotel everywhere. We went to eat first class, out of the, out of the park and felt like I was on another planet, like a really cool planet. But it was so insane. My, my Amy told me to, to tell Ellie, I guess to tell her hello

[Dario Franchitti]

right back out. Yeah, Ellie had fun. She told me all about it. I was so, I was so jealous.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I was a fish out of water, man. I was, I was so out of my element. But you just, when you're in those moments with Jimmy, you just trust, like, he knows where he's going, he knows what's. What you're. He's not gonna put you in a bad spot. But I was like, man, I don't, I have no idea where I'm at.

[Dario Franchitti]

And you went to Scotland, didn't you?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

We did, we did go to Scotland, which was. That was a little more, that was a little more my speed. Like we were out in the wilderness. Yes. Drinking beer and riding, you know, out in the woods, riding these bikes down, down this long creek and out in the middle of nowhere. It was so awesome. And the old place, the old inn where we stayed, the hotel we stayed in was just very vintage and like it had been there for 500 years or more.

[Dario Franchitti]

It probably had.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. Right. And so we, and we went into this town we stayed at and you know this, but I'm saying it's for the listeners. We stayed in this little town maybe, maybe 300 people live there. And we went to the local tavern and hung out with all the locals. And I mean, that right there is right in my wheelhouse. I want to do that kind of stuff right there.

[Dario Franchitti]

You and me both.

[Mike Bagley]

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[Mike Bagley]

what's up everybody? Welcome back to Door Bumper Clear.

[Freddie Kraft]

I am Freddie Kraft joining us fresh off a 10th place finish I think

[Carson Hocevar]

last night top 10 our favorite one

[Freddie Kraft]

of our favorite guests. Mr. Blaney, how are you? Took me down a notch.

[Mike Bagley]

Well, I didn't want to.

[Freddie Kraft]

One of our favorite. It's my. You're my favorite, but Tommy can't stand you. I know. That's been for a long time.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Well, I'm excited to get into Reaction Theater today because I know we will have some excited Kyle Busch fans.

[Freddie Kraft]

I wonder if there's a toaster mentioned in it.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

The toaster comments never fail. So you, Freddie Craig, this guy bet on Bubba.

[Carson Hocevar]

That came in at 8:30 on Friday morning.

[Freddie Kraft]

That's an early. That was it.

[Mike Bagley]

That was the cold call.

[Carson Hocevar]

That was the whole call.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I called that in when I got here.

[Freddie Kraft]

I do that every day. Where were you Friday morning?

[Carson Hocevar]

I don't know.

[Freddie Kraft]

Trace that call.

[Carson Hocevar]

Playing with your llama?

[Freddie Kraft]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

What is with that pet llama?

[Freddie Kraft]

What's with my ll? Like, he protects our goats. Yeah, llamas are great, like small livestock. Did he make an escape? Like, when did you get it?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

When did you get into farming? Spit out, you guys. Spit out, you guys.

[Mike Bagley]

Oh, she.

[Freddie Kraft]

She loves. Yeah, she likes doing it.

[Mike Bagley]

Is she from.

[Freddie Kraft]

From farming for llamas? Yeah, llamas. Now, she grew up, like, riding horses and stuff, so.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Okay.

[Freddie Kraft]

Just wanted to get animals. And so did you. What am I gonna say no when

[Mike Bagley]

you bought the house?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

No, you're not.

[Freddie Kraft]

When you bought the house, did you envision the backyard being full of animals? No, but it has gone that way.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

And he.

[Freddie Kraft]

I heard. So what do you got? What do you got? Well, we got three goats. They're Nigerian dwarf goats. And then we have a llama. And I guess chickens are coming. And I heard we're gonna get three male goats now, so we can breed the females because she wants goat milk. Okay, so. And we have a three month older. So do you need to treat the llama better?

[Carson Hocevar]

Where did he blow?

[Freddie Kraft]

I heard he made an escape. He did make an escape. Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Well, I was.

[Freddie Kraft]

I was feeding Charlie like two weeks ago, and it's like 7:30, 8 in the morning, and. And this was like, when it was cold. Like, it was. It was before snowed, but it was like teens. And my wife's friend who was staying with us, she's like. She came down. She's like, hey, are your animals supposed to be like free roam? I was like, what are you talking about? They're like, no, they're in the front yard right now. Like, I was like, you're messing with me. She's like, no, they're in the front yard.

[Dario Franchitti]

It's like, oh.

[Freddie Kraft]

I run outside, shorts, no shoes, socks, no shirt, freezing. And I yell at my goats. They're, like, probably 200 yards away from my front porch in the front yard. And I yell at my goats, and they come running towards me, and they're yelling like, the goats are, like, going crazy running towards me. And if they could speak English, I think they speak Spanish. What do they speak? I don't know if they could use English. I know they were probably saying, like, look what he did. We didn't do it. That's what the way they were screaming at me. So they come up to me, and he's just looking at me, like, 200 yards down the way. I'm like. And this, like, he's like, two weeks. The llama we're talking about. Yeah, the llama. Like, we got him, like, two weeks ago. So I'm like, Jesus, man. So he broke out of our fence, like, just busted. Busted through it. I mean, he's £350. What do the neighbors think about all

[Carson Hocevar]

this going on, this farming?

[Freddie Kraft]

My neighbors aren't close.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Okay.

[Freddie Kraft]

So I think my neighbor caused it personally. Yeah. Because. And this is allegedly. She doesn't listen to this podcast.

[Dario Franchitti]

You don't think.

[Freddie Kraft]

No, no. So llamas right there, they don't like foxes, coyotes, that's what they protect against. So they'll freak out if there's a fox or coyote around. So I don't think there was a fox or coyote, but I think my neighbor's dogs, they sometimes just run over through the woods, and I think or dog was out there probably barking at this llama, and he was like, I'm gonna get this. And so I was kind of proud of him for breaking out, doing your job. I don't want you to break through this thing. But, like, you. You had a goal, and you were trying to get this dog. Not. Makes me feel good for when my dogs are around him. But, yeah, he broke out, so we had a. We had to wrestle him back in, and we. Then we had to reinforce our fans, rebuild the game. Yeah. He does not spit. I know you asked that question, but

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

did I make that up? Do llamas spit?

[Freddie Kraft]

They do.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Okay.

[Freddie Kraft]

So I learned a lot about him from the guy I got him from, and I. I brought that question up. I was like, gosh, you know, all you read about is llamas. They spit at you and stuff like that.

[Quince Brand Representative]

Yeah.

[Freddie Kraft]

But that's. He's like, oh, no. He's like, that's. If they're, like, in petting Zoos and stuff. And they get hand fed all the time, and then they get mad. You're not.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I would start spitting at people, too.

[Carson Hocevar]

Yeah.

[Freddie Kraft]

And it's not even saliva. Like, it's like. I heard this somewhere. Like, they regurgitate and then they spit vomit, which is even worse.

[Quince Brand Representative]

All right, I don't need to spit

[Freddie Kraft]

on us right now. It does make you nervous. Like, if he'll get in your face, you're like, are we doing this right now? Is this gonna happen? I'm gonna have to box this llama. I'm going to lose. Like, if I'm not gonna win. But he has not spit on me yet. But it's been a couple times.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I'm like, is today the day?

[Freddie Kraft]

Today might be the day.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. That's funny. Next one is less of a question, more of a demand in quotations.

[Quince Brand Representative]

Their words, not mine.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

They need the mustache care routine.

[Quince Brand Representative]

Please.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Is there one?

[Carson Hocevar]

Yeah, Yeah.

[Freddie Kraft]

I mean, I. I have little scissors. I trim it up, try to make. It gets a little long. It curls into my mouth. That's when I know I have to trim it a little bit. You know when you get. You sometimes get strays and you just chew them off. Yeah. I tell you, anybody who has longer mustache, he's hanging out with this lima too much.

[Mike Bagley]

Yeah.

[Freddie Kraft]

If you get too long and you don't have your stuff with you, you just. Just bite off. He's starting to turn into a damn farmhouse.

[Carson Hocevar]

How have we.

[Freddie Kraft]

Have we started to curl it at all? Are we going to get away with that? I mean, that's too much. When they do get the. The curly flies put the oils in it. I put a little, like. It's like beard butter just to where they don't get super. You know, it's just like everything. Hair and stuff. I mean, you put something in your beer, right?

[Mike Bagley]

Yeah.

[Freddie Kraft]

It's like a butter.

[Mike Bagley]

Yeah, yeah.

[Freddie Kraft]

He puts beer in there.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

That's about it.

[Freddie Kraft]

Beer, butter. Yeah. I will say, though, it's a pain to eat. Like, wings are a disaster.

[Carson Hocevar]

I'm a big.

[Freddie Kraft]

I'm a big pasta guy, too. Pasta sucks. Like Alfredo outweighing all this.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Or. Or what?

[Freddie Kraft]

I live with it.

[Dario Franchitti]

Yeah.

[Carson Hocevar]

Yeah.

[Gluckcast Host]

He deals with it.

[Freddie Kraft]

I like it too much. It's a flavor saver. Man's good with it. Like, Gianna's like, She's the reason I have it.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Freddie Kraft]

Because I. I gotta go into details. When I shave my beard. Pause. When I shave my beard off, I go like a week. I'll do like, funny looks like chops like a goatee and like soul patch and stuff like that. And I got handlebar and then I got to this and she was like, well, that actually looks fairly decent. I was like, okay, like, I'll keep it. How about your other boss?

[Gluckcast Host]

We.

[Freddie Kraft]

Yeah, you've kind of changed the old Penske way, you know? Yeah, yeah. You've got. I mean, he. I think he likes it. He has. He hasn't. Has he told you so? He hasn't said he doesn't like it. Well, you know, I know he's been overseas for a while, but has he. Has he even seen it? He has, yeah. Yeah, he's seen it. It was funny though, because when Joey and I walked in the shop, like one bald guy, one guy with a mustache. Well, well, it's so like we go in for Penske production day, like, you know, a few weeks before the season. And then when we do all our photos and I got this, Joey went shaved, but he also got the scruff. And he and I both saw each other. We're like, like we're in this together. Yeah. I'm like, we are in it together. It's perfect.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Oh, I love that.

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[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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[Gluckcast Host]

All right, everybody, welcome back to another episode of the Gluckcast. Every single, every, every single media person, every single podcast was talking about this person this week. So let's bring him in to see what he thinks about all this. Carson Josevar is once again posted Atlanta the talk of the NASCAR podcast universe. I don't know if that's a term I need to make that, that needs to be a term like the Marvel universe or whatever it's called, the podcast universe. So the man himself, what do you, what do you make of all this conversation about yourself once again this week?

[Carson Hocevar]

Yeah, I mean, I mean, last year was pretty much, you know, a little deja vu, but I think our cars are faster that, you know, for me, I felt like last year was a shock. We were second and in contention where this year I feel like we've, there's been four races if you count the duel in the clash, and we've led laps in all of them. So I feel pretty good about our trajectory here. You know, we had a shot to, to win both points paying races.

[Gluckcast Host]

You, you said you told Sirius that, you know, you, you saw this move open up for a second, you saw the middle, and then by the time you got there, it was closed. But obviously did result in contact with Christopher Bell. So how do you. Do you have to reach out to him and clean that up? How did you approach that? Or will you have a conversation with him about that?

[Carson Hocevar]

Yeah, well, so, you know, I, I had an idea for the middle, so it was, it was very top of mind. You know, I sat there on a red the whole time thinking about, you know, the, the, you know, just opportunities, right? You know, I got three Chevys behind me. I'm gonna go top. Am I gonna go middle? Where, where am I gonna go? And, you know, I, last year I hit Bell and filled middle on him. And I remember him saying he was, didn't even know I was there. Like, did not. Like, when I got next to him, he was, he didn't even know that happened. You know, he didn't even know it happened. So I kind of obviously remembered that. That he might give up the middle. I mean, I, you know, he's obviously really, really good championship contender multiple years, but I was shocked when I heard he. He didn't even know how I did that and how I got there. So you remember that. That stuff and felt like when I saw the 43, you know, the two 2311 cars separated, and I saw a huge run from Ross and a shove, and they just started to open up just a little bit. That right before I got the push, I was like, if I get a big enough shot, I could kind of get there and spook them and scare him, and, you know, it's going to be really, really tight. But, you know, they all have cameras, they have spotters. You know, they're all really, really good. Maybe they'll. They'll move. You know, if it's half an inch or an inch not enough, maybe I could fit in there. And by the time I get there, you know, it kind of. I kind of squeeze through and. And sees maybe part. And I think they started to rate when I got the shove, it started open and then started to close. So instead of an inch closed, which I was hoping for, by the time I got there, it was probably two to three, and so it turned them and everything. So.

[Freddie Kraft]

Yeah, I don't.

[Carson Hocevar]

I mean, I don't know. I feel like we're racing. I. I mean, I don't know what I. What I. Me saying anything would. Would do for him, right? It, you know, he. I. I don't really like the conversation stuff. Like, I feel like, you know, if he has to race me harder, like, I mean, saying anything is not probably going to change that if I need to let him go every now and again and, you know, give him an extra inch, you know, as. As. As a. You know, my bad. Like, I feel like everything's just on the racetrack and then the rest is just noise. So, you know, I, like, I texted Blaney, but, like, I didn't text Blaney as, like, you know, I'm. I'm. You know, I texted Blaney because I. I don't like that stuff. Even when I'm on the receiving end. Like, I'm like, okay, well, this. You know, I'm never getting a text from somebody that wrecked me as an apology. You know, I'm never getting a text that's not an apology. It's always a text, you know, of like, do you actually mean this? Or are you nervous? Are you. Cover your bases for next week. You know, it's. I Always think of that. So I feel like, you know, just actions mean a lot more in the racetrack, and that's just important. But, like, I texted Blaney mainly because I was fighting demons in my race car at that point, and super tight, and I pounded the fence in front of him, and I just wanted to let him know why I did that. And I was like, I'm so sorry. Like, I had to make them change my car. I was really, really tired. I knocked the fence down three times myself because I was so bad in dirty air, you know, I just wanted to tell him why I did that and not like I was just trying to block you and just running in the fence, you know, because I thought that dialogue is better than, hey, I just wrecked you. Please don't wreck me next week. Here's an apology text.

[Gluckcast Host]

Yeah, that was really interesting. I heard Blaney say that on door bumper clear, and it perked my ears up because, you know, you've said in the past that you. What you just explained. It was interesting, though. I don't know. You probably saw the clip of Richard Petty on his podcast this week, and I'll read the quote. He said, that boy in the 77, he has him a time. A lot of the things he's getting by, what they're doing are not really that wrong. If I go back and watch him run, he reminds me of Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt learned to get by with that stuff. That boy in the 77, he's just going to have to learn to get by with the things that he's doing. And that struck me as interesting, Carson, because I think that a lot of us have felt like, well, you're young, and once you learn the ways of cup, you'll, you know, be like all the other drivers that they're all saying, oh, he'll learn, he'll learn. He'll figure it out. But here's Richard Petty saying, well, actually, he might be able to just get by with learning how to deal with this stuff and still have success on the racetrack, which is the thirst. The first time I'd ever heard one of the older guard people say that about you, I guess. Did you hear that comment? And what did you think of what he said?

[Carson Hocevar]

I did. I mean, it's. It's super cool, right? I love old races. Like, I love 2000s, 1990s, even the 80s. So it's. It's been really cool. Like, I didn't even know. Rick Mass had a podcast, and he talked about it, and, like, you know, I get Tad and all these clips. And, you know, I was just kind of laughing and, you know, I kind of just made the joke to my buddies. I was like. I was like, hey, I might not be, you know, everybody's favorite driver, but I'm their favorite driver's favorite driver. Like, I was like, I don't know why. I don't know. Like, I'm just. I'm just out there racing. I'm not anybody. I'm not trying. I'm not, you know, out there, like, what famous race car driver am I gonna play pretend today about? I'm just. I'm. I'm just racy, and I am gonna be super aggressive. And, you know, I don't. I'm not thinking about, oh, I'm gonna. How can I, you know, play mental mind games to get away with this? Or, how can I do this? I'm just. I'm just getting after it. And, you know, I, you know, if. If anybody wants to, you know, settle the score or whatever, I don't know if they're gonna like this.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Like.

[Carson Hocevar]

Like, you know, like, you know, then I feel like you, you know, anytime I do it unintentionally, right? I'm just like, man, I. I'm sorry. Like, there was. There was a tension. I used the example in series XM of just like, man, everybody. When you go skeet shooting, you might shoot 10ft off or 5ft off or even close, but the intention is you're going out there to hit the thing. You're going out there to shoot the thing. You might close one eye. You might have one eye open. You might have two eyes open. You might hold the thing close. You have different ways to try and get the same result, but the attention's still there. You're not just. Let's just hold the gun sideways and around backwards and see if it somehow flips around and shoots the ski. Like, there's a tension with everything I do. Like, there's a tension of, like, you know, if that. That barely started open, there's one inch, I think I can make it happen and. And barely squeeze in and kind of rub off of them and be fine, because that's what the next gen seems to reward, you know, the clash. You saw it just. Everybody just goes in there, leans on, everybody rolls through the corner and goes off. So these cars are kind of indestructible, and they reward that a little bit, so, you know, doesn't have to be a. All gap anymore. So, you know, I. I think, you know, if anybody wants to you know, per se, settle the score. You know, that's intention. And, you know, I feel like that's. That's. That's two points on the score part versus mine, maybe one. You know what I mean? And then we're not really even. So that's how I've always looked at it.

[Gluckcast Host]

Well, I was also, you know, in terms of people talking about you, obviously, the nickname hurricane has now gone from NBC over to Fox as well. I don't think I've heard from you.

[Mike Bagley]

What.

[Gluckcast Host]

What do you think of that nickname? Is that something that you like? Is that something that you're. We're going to see on a T shirt or you.

[Freddie Kraft]

You.

[Gluckcast Host]

You hoping for something. Something better?

[Carson Hocevar]

Yeah. Well, I wasn't sure how much they were going to use it because obviously it was Lee Diffy's thing. And then we. We're switch over. And I was like, man, you're not even going to hear that thing till next year in the fall. And I was like, I don't know, they might have something different. But when Fox took over, I was like, okay, well, I guess we can make a shirt or something. I don't know. But, you know, I. I take it as a compliment. You can't nickname yourself anything, so it's got to come natural and it's got to come from somebody else. Dale Jr. Said that, too. I heard that. So I did listen there. Yeah, I take it as a compliment that we're running good enough that they want to, you know, help the sport and, you know, think it's. It's a value for their time to think of something. So, yeah, I'm all for whatever they want to do.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

All right. That was another episode of the Dirty 30 presented by Arby's. New meat in three box. Get more meal for your money. At Arby's, we have the meats.

[Mike Bagley]

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[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

At our house, family feuds are settled at 200 miles per hour. Visit the NASCAR hall of fame and relive the iconic VI racing moments that made Petty, Earnhardt and Allison household names. Make new memories in our realistic racing simulators and interactive pit crew challenge. Or get up close with the cars along Glory Road that span generations. Plan a trip to the NASCAR hall of Fame in Charlotte. [e-mail] NASCAR hall of Fame this is our sport. This is our house.