Choose Your Own Adventure

Summary

The Dale Jr. Download – "Choose Your Own Adventure"

Podcast: The Dale Jr. Download
Host: Dale Earnhardt Jr. with co-hosts TJ Majors, Travis, Russell, and guests
Date: October 21, 2025
Episode: “Choose Your Own Adventure”

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Overview

In this episode, Dale Jr. and the crew dig into the nuances, debates, and drama of the NASCAR playoffs, discuss short track racing and regional series, dissect recent Cup and Xfinity series happenings, and share behind-the-scenes insight into teamwork, strategy, and the ever-blurring line between teammate cooperation and cut-throat competition. They also have an extended talk with Talladega winner and championship finalist Chase Briscoe. Lighter moments include humorous debates about bathroom etiquette, relationship milestones, collecting diecast cars, and hunting season stories.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. NASCAR Playoff Points System – The Old vs. The New (03:00–05:45)

• Dale Jr. reflects on ongoing fan debates about the current playoff format versus "old school" points systems.
  • Dale Jr.: “A lot of people go back to [Benny Parson’s] 1973 championship...he never finished on the lead lap except for the race he won. What they fail to tell you is, if there were 28 races, only 12 times did someone else finish on the same lap as the winner.” (04:35)
• Emphasizes that racing—and how we crown champions—has always been complex. Points systems simply reflect changes in the sport.

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2. Bathroom Etiquette and Relationship Milestones (06:00–09:40)

• The crew launches into a hilariously honest debate about closing versus not closing the bathroom door at home and when it’s “okay” to start leaving the door open around a new partner or fart in front of each other.
  • Dale Jr.: “If there’s anyone else in the house, I’m closing it. That’s a great point.” (07:30)
  • Travis: “I think it’s a gradual thing…like, get up in the middle of the night, or you’re in the bathroom at the same time. It just kind of happens.” (08:20)
  • Dale Jr.: “Holding a fart because you know it could be make or break the relationship—God almighty, that’s a terrible feeling.” (08:30)
• Provides a light-hearted break that fully embodies the show’s casual, unfiltered banter.

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3. CARS Tour Season Recap (10:00–16:40)

• Complete rundown of the CARS Tour finale at North Wilkesboro:
  • Pro Late Model: Keelan Harvick wins the race; Ben Mayer wins the championship via consistency—despite not securing a win.
    • Dale Jr.: “In our season-long points format, consistency pays off. And he was more consistent than any other driver.” (11:35)
  • Late Model Stocks: Kaden Quappl (full-time with Junior Motorsports next year) wins the finale; Landon Lewis wins the championship driving for Kevin Harvick.
    • Landon Huffman highlighted as a key up-and-comer.
• Owner champion Rick Ware receives special mention for fielding several drivers and bringing energy to the series.

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4. Regional & National Racing Series – ARCA Debate (18:00–22:22)

• Discussion about NASCAR’s “Regional Top 10” power rankings and the blurring of series lines.
  • Dale Jr.: “When did ARCA become part of regional racing?...ARCA to me has been kind of like a very similar series to the Xfinity Series.” (19:30)
  • Believes folding ARCA into “regional” rankings diminishes the legacy of both ARCA and true regional racers.

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5. Junior Motorsports, Crew Chiefs, and Career Moves (23:44–27:26)

• News: Jim Pohlman will become crew chief for Kyle Busch at RCR next year.
• Dale Jr. reflects on Junior Motorsports’ role as a “farm team” and its impact:
  • “Are we better with him? Yes, we’re a much better race team with Jim in the building—but that’s what this team is about.” (25:54)
• RCR praised for its respectful approach to recruiting; Dale is excited to see the pairing of Pohlman and Kyle Busch.

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6. Xfinity Series – Team Strategy at Plate Tracks (28:29–43:39)

• In-depth breakdown of team dynamics at restrictor-plate races (Daytona, Talladega):
  • Dale Jr. details the perennial struggle to balance “teammate help” vs. individual ambition.
  • Dale Jr.: “Choose your own adventure. The race is going to start, and we’re all going to meet at the front of the field. How you get there is your responsibility.” (32:16)
  • Pushes the philosophy: Be a good teammate, but ultimately everyone must look out for their own shot at victory.
• Insights on why it’s so difficult to mount a coordinated attack against dominant cars/teams, especially in pack racing.
  • TJ: “If Justin pulls out of line, the two is not going with him…If you’re the fourth car in line, you’re riding, you can’t go anywhere.” (34:52, 47:50)

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7. Cup Series & Penske/Plate Track Drama (46:24–53:36)

• Dissects the late-race restart at Talladega and Penske’s frustration that Brad Keselowski wasn’t pushing teammates “enough.”
  • TJ: “The fourth car is not the reason the 34 car passed around the outside.” (51:00)
  • Dale Jr.: “I just wish the 22 was closer, I wish the 6 was closer… Why would they say what they said?” (51:01)
  • Conclusion: It’s more about front-row coordination than anything a fourth car can do.

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8. Chase Briscoe Interview: Strategy, Playoffs, and Phoenix (55:08–64:47)

[55:08–64:47 – Notable Quotes Indexed Below]

• Briscoe’s perspective on the Talladega finish:
  • Chase Briscoe: “My full intention, truthfully, when I made the move into [turn] three was kind of just to hedge my bet against William leading the bottom lane because I did not want him to win the race. And then when Ty went with me, instantly I felt like I was going to be in a pretty good position.” (57:09)
• On pushing and comfort in the Next Gen car:
  • Briscoe: “It’s definitely better...but it's still not easy. We still wreck all the time, so they can't be too easy.” (59:11)
• Martinsville with no pressure:
  • Briscoe: “All of us want a grandfather clock…You don’t want to go to Martinsville and run terrible and carry that into Phoenix. You want to go there and have a good run and carry that momentum.” (59:22)
• On Phoenix and Penske threats:
  • Briscoe: “It's no secret…they [Penske] went to Phoenix and just dominated…So, I do not want a Penske car to go there.” (62:27)
• A heartfelt Talladega moment:
  • Briscoe: “Johnny Morris was in victory lane…He said he had not been in victory lane at Talladega since ‘99 with your dad. That was pretty cool.” (64:07)

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9. Collectors’ Corner & the “Ultimate Ultimate Racing Collector” (65:13–79:19)

• Features Howard Hitchcock, CEO of Lionel Racing, who gifts Dale a rare commemorative Goodyear diecast.
• Spotlights Tiny Boyer for his epic at-home sheet metal/diecast collection.
• Announces Matt Frederick as the "Ultimate Ultimate" Racing Collector, winning tickets and exclusive suite access to an upcoming race.
  • Matt Frederick: “Every one of these cars tells a story. Every one.”
  • Dale Jr.: “It’s our jersey. The diecast car is unique to our sport.” (78:41)

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10. Hunting Stories – Downtime & Disconnecting (81:38–96:56)

• Dale shares insights and stories from his annual deer hunting trips, the rituals, why bow hunting is his preference, and the family legacy of the hunt.
  • Dale Jr.: “I just like to sit in a tree stand in the woods—it’s just nice.” (82:33)
  • On morning hunts: “You gotta get up at 5:00 in the morning…It’s chilly, you climb, walk into a stand, not real familiar…but as soon as the sun comes up, everything starts moving. The world wakes up. I love that.” (85:41–87:33)
• Hunting as a way to unplug from racing and real life for a bit—a passion passed down from his father.

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11. NASCAR & Pop Culture: Favorite Commercials and the “Flipping Off” Debate (97:07–109:51)

• Dale shares behind-the-scenes stories of classic commercials (the “Dale Call,” Amp Energy camel race, Water Cooler Dale).
• The crew addresses Austin Hill flipping off fans at Talladega—context matters; embrace personality, don’t over-penalize.
  • Dale Jr.: “Denny has opened doors to show, hey, this is how you engage with fans. This is how you can give it back to them…It was once. It was a response to some individuals in the grandstands. They’ve cleared it up and I think it’s fair game.” (109:01)
  • TJ Majors: “It's actually fun. It's actually kind of fun.” (108:47)

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12. Martinsville Preview, Betting, and Playoff Picture (113:33–126:16)

• The betting segment (“Dirty Mo Doe”) dives deep into predictions for Martinsville:
  • Consensus picks: Blaney and Chase Elliott as favorites; potential for Denny Hamlin or Bubba Wallace to factor in.
  • Blaney’s precision style and recent Martinsville record earn special praise:
    • TJ: “Nobody runs Martinsville like Ryan Blaney nowadays…6 inches off the curb the entire race, both ends.” (117:00)
• Playoff implications:
  • Four drivers “must win” at Martinsville; Penske cars are biggest threat at Phoenix should they make the championship round.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dale Jr. (On playoff philosophies): “Choose your own adventure. The race is going to start, and we’re all going to meet at the front of the field. How you get there is your responsibility.” (32:16)
• Chase Briscoe: “My full intention…was just to hedge my bet against William leading the bottom lane because I did not want him to win the race.” (57:09)
• Dale Jr. (on the value of diecast cars): “It’s our jersey. The diecast car is unique to our sport.” (78:41)
• Dale Jr. (on drivers showing emotion): “Denny has opened doors to show…this is how you engage with fans. This is how you can give it back to them.” (00:00, 109:01)
• TJ Majors: “Nobody runs Martinsville like Ryan Blaney nowadays…6 inches off the curb the entire race.” (117:00)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:00–05:45: Playoff Points System Debate
• 06:00–09:40: Relationships & Bathroom Talk
• 10:00–16:40: CARS Tour Recap
• 18:00–22:22: Regional Series, ARCA Discussion
• 23:44–27:26: Crew Chief News & Junior Motorsports as a “Farm Team”
• 28:29–43:39: Xfinity Strategy—Teamwork vs. Self
• 46:24–53:36: Penske Drama, Plate Racing Tactics
• 55:08–64:47: Chase Briscoe Interview
• 65:13–79:19: Diecast Collector Features
• 81:38–96:56: Hunting Stories & Legacy
• 97:07–109:51: Commercial Memories & The "Bird" Debate
• 113:33–126:16: Martinsville Preview, Betting, Playoff Calculus

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Tone & Language

The episode maintains an irreverent, straight-shooting tone, with candid, unfiltered conversation typifying both the racing content and offbeat personal stories. Dale Jr. and his co-hosts blend technical expertise and locker-room levity, making for a show that appeals to hardcore fans and casual listeners alike.

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For more info and new merch: shop.dirtymomedia.com

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End of summary.

Transcript

[Dale Jr.]

Denny has opened doors to show, hey, this is how you engage with fans. This is how you can give it back to them. And I think this is perfectly. It's unique, it's unusual. I don't want to see every driver out there flipping birds. If he had driven down the front straightaway with his arm out the window doing it to everybody, it'd been one thing, but it wasn't that. It was once. It was a response to some individuals and grandstands, they've cleared it up and I think it's fair game. Community Coffee just came out with new great tasting coffees. They their first light blend and iced coffee K cups. This is a family owned coffee company that's been around since 1919 and they are now the official coffee of Dirty Mo Media. First Light is bright, delicate and a light roast with notes of honey and brown sugar. Their iced coffee K cups are rich and refreshing and they stand up to ice so your coffee isn't watered down. Available in classic black and vanilla sweet cream. Get 20% off these new community coffees by using the code [e-mail] that's code DALE D A L E20 for 20% off only at communitycoffee.com Deadlines move fast. So should your takeoffs with Lowe's blueprint. Takeoff, you can turn blueprints into competitive quotes. Bring us your plans and we'll generate itemized material lists to make quoting faster and easier. And when you're ready, we'll deliver everything you need straight to the job site. Visit the pro desk today to get started. Lowe's we help you save. The following is a production of Dirty Mo Media. This is the most fun I've had in this chair in the last hour and a half. Yes.

[TJ Majors]

I don't know if we've ever argued, did I piss you off over the.

[Dale Jr.]

Weekend or I'm still sour that I was the best man at your wed.

[Travis]

Who was your best man, Dale?

[Dale Jr.]

Tj. Tj, you don't need a cool vest for that race. What are you thinking? Get him, tj. That way. It's starting to show.

[TJ Majors]

All right, then.

[Dale Jr.]

Hey, Everybody, it's Dale Jr. Back again for another episode of the Dale Jr. Download. We're winding the season down. It's Tuesday. It's Dirty Air. TJ Majors is in the house. Travis is here. We're going to be doing some Dirty Mo dough. We're going to have a call in from this past week's winner, I assume.

[Travis]

Yep.

[Dale Jr.]

Chase Briska.

[Travis]

Excuse me.

[Dale Jr.]

Chase Briska. Hey, Risky. Also, are we. Do we have the ultimate collector segment.

[Travis]

That'S coming up, too.

[Dale Jr.]

There'll be a tiny Boyer sighting with.

[Travis]

A little something extra, too.

[Dale Jr.]

You don't know what kind of Boyer is, but you're about to learn. Tiny Boyer coming to the show later. Lot to talk about in this show.

[TJ Majors]

Lots to discover, lots to talk about.

[Dale Jr.]

I'm going to ramble just a little bit, and that's only because I saw this just a second ago on my social media. A lot of talk about the playoffs, the points, how, how we may decide the champion next year. Somebody said, well, oh, there's a. So there's the. There's the guy. There's a couple. Maybe there was one guy, but there's a couple different people on social media that'll give you the old school points every week. And they do it. They're doing it for the trucks. And they're like, yep, all they got to do in the truck series and in the Xfinity series with the old school format is start the next race or they've got it locked up a race or two ahead of time. Corey Haim and Zillich and these, all these people. And there's some people in the comments that are like, and this is what y' all want?

[TJ Majors]

Yes, that's okay.

[Dale Jr.]

Everybody's like, yeah, this is what we want.

[Travis]

See, even if you believe that, yeah, man, I wouldn't be on Twitter doing that right now because the fans are out with pitchforks. If you defend the current system, you're getting attacked.

[Dale Jr.]

And everybody's like, and so everybody's, this is where I'm going with this. So I saw a little post where it was like, hey, NASCAR man. Or somebody was celebrating Benny Parsons Championship from 1973, where Benny and his team had to weld the roll cage back in the car after a wreck at Rockingham to secure the championship. And a lot of people go back to that championship. Even Jeff Burton on door Bumper Clear said, hey, you know, be careful what you wish for. Because Benny Parsons won the championship and never finished on the lead lap except for once all year. He never finished on the lead lap all year except for the race he won.

[TJ Majors]

That's crazy.

[Dale Jr.]

And he won the championship. But what they fail to tell you is if there were 28 races in that season, 12 times, only 12 times in that year did the second place, or anyone else for that matter, finish on the same lap as the winner. So more than half the races, the winner won the race over a lap ahead of second place.

[TJ Majors]

That's Incredible.

[Dale Jr.]

That said, that's just, you know, so it ain't like, oh, you know, the point system sucked. Benny did this. Everybody was lap down that year. Not just benny.

[TJ Majors]

Wasn't just one.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. Only 12 times, I believe, did someone else finish on the same lap as the winner in 28 events. Crazy.

[TJ Majors]

And the majority of the winning was.

[Dale Jr.]

Done by probably three or four guys.

[Travis]

Yeah.

[Russell]

Okay.

[Dale Jr.]

Probably the Wood brothers, who didn't run the full schedule. That's why they showed up. That's why they didn't win the championship. Showed up brothers would run, like, 18 races and win 12. Yeah, I just thought that was.

[TJ Majors]

That's crazy.

[Dale Jr.]

I just. Something I was reading in the bathroom this past week. I just thought I'd bring it to the show for you guys.

[Travis]

I appreciate it.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. Good little nugget right there. We need probably take that part out. Bathroom nugget. I don't. Did you close the door? Yeah. All right. Yeah.

[TJ Majors]

You sure?

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, I closed the door. Yeah. If I'm gonna. If I'm gonna read, we're closing the door. If there's no reading involved, we're in and out quick. We don't close the door. Anybody indifferent.

[TJ Majors]

I don't.

[Dale Jr.]

This is James. Do you shut. In your own house, do you shut the bathroom door every time you go in to use the bathroom? Pretty much never.

[Travis]

But. Do you live alone?

[Dale Jr.]

Okay.

[Travis]

Dalton. You're married. Dalton.

[Dale Jr.]

Do you close the door every time? Dalton.

[Chase Briscoe]

Every single time.

[Dale Jr.]

Even when you're doing a pee? No pee.

[TJ Majors]

I'll leave it open.

[Dale Jr.]

What the hell? You said every time.

[TJ Majors]

Oh, we.

[Dale Jr.]

I thought we were referring.

[TJ Majors]

I mean, you're not reading when you're peeing?

[Dale Jr.]

No, every time. So when you pee, you leave it open? Yeah. Yep. If you're sitting down, taking a. Yeah, if I've got to sit in a number two, as they say, if I've.

[Chase Briscoe]

Got to sit down.

[Dale Jr.]

I'm not spreading that with the house. You're shutting the door. There you go. That's the way I am, too. Of course, the ladies, they shut the door all the time. I think it's really a, you know, matters whether you're standing or sitting, I suppose, or the time, the duration, the quickness, in and out.

[Travis]

I don't think it's that hard to close it, though. Like, if.

[Dale Jr.]

Either way, it isn't. It's pure laziness.

[Travis]

If you have kids, I'd say, no, no, no.

[Dale Jr.]

It's pure laziness. I'm absolutely lazy in multiple areas of life, and that'd be one if there's anyone else in the house, I'm closing it. That's a great point. James. James comes in. Finally, James comes in. Expert carpenter comes in and. And says something we're all thinking, and I think we all can agree with. If there's someone else in the house, you're shutting the door no matter what.

[Travis]

Question is, if you were dating someone, how long till you decide that I'm leaving the door open to go number one? How long, like. Cause early on, you're gonna be closing the door every time.

[Dale Jr.]

That's probably. I got an answer for that, but I don't know if we can say it on the show. I think once they've. Then it's all right. Don't you think once they. It's kind of like, all right, we're peeing with the door open at this point. Don't you think that's fair? Probably a little separate. Little longer. No, no, no. Once they. You're very.

[TJ Majors]

I think it's a gradual. I think it's a gradual thing. Like get up in the middle of the night, or you're in the bathroom at the same time. It just kind of happens, and it's like, okay. And then you do it again, and then it's okay.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Travis]

Like, early on, you're also holding in your fart. So you're not wanting to.

[Dale Jr.]

No. Yeah. You're holding farts. That's so terrible. It's the worst holding farts. Are holding a fart because you know that it could be make or break the relationship. God almighty, That's a terrible feeling.

[Travis]

She's like, hey, do you want any grapes to snack on? You're like, no, no.

[Dale Jr.]

No grapes.

[Travis]

No grapes tonight.

[Dale Jr.]

And you're like, you know, if I get up, I got to make this look like something, you know, I can't just get up and come walk around and then come sit back down. I got to make this look like I'm like, what am I getting up for?

[Travis]

A drink of water. You're thirsty.

[Dale Jr.]

I know.

[TJ Majors]

Oh, you gotta drink from the garage.

[Dale Jr.]

I remember those moments when you're. You had all those nervous things you were doing, you know, you were in a relationship. It's new. You're nervous, you want it to work, and you're like, God dang, I gotta fart, but I can't fart in front of her. Or you're riding down the road in a car and you gotta fart.

[Travis]

Oh, you turn the music up and hope you can get a quiet one out.

[Dale Jr.]

What. What about the smell oh, you're dead in the water. You know.

[Travis]

You know what? I don't want the windows down right now.

[Dale Jr.]

Oh, that's so embarrassing. I am so thankful that I'm out of that. I'm just fart sorry.

[Travis]

Amy's thrilled.

[Dale Jr.]

Yep. Why is every show that we do in this room come to farts?

[Travis]

I think that's more about the host.

[Dale Jr.]

It's inevitable that me and Amy are going to talk about farts Thursday at some point.

[TJ Majors]

It's definitely, probably going to happen.

[Dale Jr.]

Wasn't really getting into this show, but here it is. It's infiltrated the Dell Junior Download. I say we move on. All right, the Cars Tour had their season finale this past weekend at North Wilsboro Speedway. I want to give you a quick, quick update.

[Travis]

I got everything for you.

[Dale Jr.]

You do? I got it all right here.

[TJ Majors]

Most prepared you've ever been.

[Dale Jr.]

Starting with the pro late models. The race itself, TJ was won by Keelan Harvick.

[TJ Majors]

Great battle.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. Little battle late in the race.

[TJ Majors]

Little Robin.

[Dale Jr.]

Little Robin, huh? Yeah. Well, Kevin Harvick had a mechanical issue, an engine issue. About 27 laps into the race, he was out there racing. We had a few accidents, several drivers, probably seven or eight drivers, not finishing the race there, but had a really good race. Keelan doesn't run all the races and he's going to run a few next year. Kevin can shed more light on that. I'm sure about Keelan's plans next year, but that kid's racing everything. And so we decided our champion and it's Ben Mayer. Ben raced all season long with us and, and in the number 6M got a little number and a letter. But Ben had seven top five finishes and 10 top tens. He came so close to some wins and just couldn't, couldn't get it done. But in our season long points format, consistency pays off. And he was more consistent than any other driver with more top fives, more top tens, and he accumulated 46 more points than Brandon Lopez who finished in second. We had several drivers compete with us. Let's take a look here. 91 drivers will were in our points for the pros.

[TJ Majors]

And your champ didn't win a race.

[Dale Jr.]

Our champ didn't win.

[TJ Majors]

Geez.

[Travis]

Not my champ.

[Dale Jr.]

Oh, well, it is mine. Hey, he had more top fives. Only two drivers had six. He had seven.

[TJ Majors]

Yep. More top.

[Dale Jr.]

He had two more top 10 finishes. He's very consistent.

[TJ Majors]

Very consistent.

[Dale Jr.]

And that pays. That pays at the pay window in the cars tour. And then the late model stocks had their Final race as well at Wilkesboro this weekend. And Kaden Quapple, Carson's brother, a little.

[TJ Majors]

Bit of rubbing again.

[Dale Jr.]

He's going to be driving full time for Junior Motorsports next year. His dad Travis is going to be his crew chief. Just a little bit of a shift in our program. Brian Schaefer's going to ease on over to helping Wyatt Miller who's going to run some more races in our limited car. We're going to, we're going to. You know, Brian loves the personal connection and personal story and that's going to fit right in his wheelhouse. I'm going to run a race or two and Brian and I'll work together on that. But anyways, Kaden Cooppel, who will be our full time driver next year is, is, is ending the season on a high note with a victory ride. Yeah, ride the elevator. Yep, up to the top there.

[TJ Majors]

Great off season ahead for him and.

[Dale Jr.]

He beat Landon Huffman. That's Shane's son, S. Hoffman. Yep. Landon S. Huffman. There's two Landon Huffman's in our series, but this is Shane Huffman's son. Shane Huffman drove here at Junior Motorsports and Landon is a great little race car driver.

[TJ Majors]

He's been fast, he has.

[Dale Jr.]

And, and he's young. He's got a lot, lot to learn and a long way to go. So like the upside for this little kid is pretty awesome.

[TJ Majors]

And his dad was a great, great, great short track driver.

[Dale Jr.]

Great short track driver. So he's in good hands. Good cars, good equipment, good tutorial. Landon S. Huffman is a, is a name to keep an eye on going forward. Almost getting the win. Kaden was quite a bit faster and dogged in there for the last 30 laps or so and finally was able to get by him. They got a little physical but I felt like it was kind of the right amount of aggression.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, one more, I mean it wasn't bad enough if there was one more corner Landon was going to be able to get back. So it wasn't like a I'm done with you by. It was a little bit, just enough to get around him and it's a great race.

[Travis]

I think some higher up series can maybe take a note of how they race last weekend for this upcoming weekend maybe.

[TJ Majors]

They're going to be fine. They're going to show you this week.

[Dale Jr.]

We see.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, they're going to show you this weekend.

[Dale Jr.]

Don't worry.

[Travis]

That's what I'm saying though. They need to watch what they did.

[Dale Jr.]

And like, all right, we could get into that.

[TJ Majors]

I'm sure we will.

[Dale Jr.]

But anyways, so I wanted to say I'm sorry. Stepping back to the pros real quick. Our pro series owner champion, Rick Ware, the pro series owner, points, had a different team than Ben Mayer. Ben Mayer, I think drives for Setzer. So like Dennis Setzer, those guys, Brandon Setzer, they have a race team. I see Dennis at the racetrack all the time. It's pretty awesome having Dennis around. But Rick Ware actually won the owners series championship. He gave a great interview post race. Awesome to have Rick so excited and passionate about being a part of our series and having cars that race at our level. Pretty awesome. He had Luke Baldwin and several different drivers, his own sons.

[TJ Majors]

Race came in, done and done a really fine job.

[Dale Jr.]

Luke did a good job.

[TJ Majors]

He's done a really good job.

[Dale Jr.]

But he's had multiple drivers in that car. That's why they didn't, you know, that's.

[TJ Majors]

Why they were able to do it.

[Dale Jr.]

Have a shot for the drivers. But they did win the owners championship with the performance in the number 51. Rick Ware Racing Pro late model. Back to the cars tour, late model stocks. Landon Lewis ended up becoming the champion driving for Kevin Harvick. Landon is a great kid, really professional, great out of the car, great behind the wheel, hard worker, going places. You're going to see him in the truck series, I'm sure. Moving, moving up. Not sure what he's going to do in next year. He won four races out of the 15 late model stock races we run this year. Connor hall, our driver, was second in points. Kate Brown was third. You had Landon Huffman, Minnie Tyrell rounding out the top five in the cars Tour points. Pretty successful season, I'd say, for the tour. And we had, let's see. In the cars Tour, how many cars do we have run? Run our race?

[TJ Majors]

Looks like 11.

[Dale Jr.]

No, a hundred.

[TJ Majors]

Oh, so 109.

[Dale Jr.]

109 different teams showed up and tried to compete.

[TJ Majors]

It's a lot.

[Dale Jr.]

It is. It's awesome. I mean, there can't be 250, 300 late model stocks in the country because it's a very regional car.

[TJ Majors]

It is very regional.

[Dale Jr.]

Anyways, a great season for the cars Tour, the Z Max cars Tour. Thank you, Z Max. Thank you, sound gear and all of our partners for, for helping us put this season together. It. We learned a lot. See some areas where we can keep gaining and improving and looking forward to next year. We got a schedule to announce here soon for the cars Tour. Some pretty cool venues on that schedule. And yeah, I'm that's going to wrap that up for the car store. Let's move on into the nascar. Oh, this. I saw this, too, this morning. Another thought I had in my head when I was looking around on the Internet for. We got the show started. Tj, NASCAR regional, right? Yeah, they do. They do a top 10 and they'll post it on, on social media. So let me see if I can find it. I love this NASCAR regional. There it is. So NASCAR regional is like the modifieds, the weekly racing, the advanced auto parts weekly racing, and they do a top 10 power rankings.

[TJ Majors]

Is that it?

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. And so I love this because, honestly, man, this. I'm watching as much racing as I can, but I look at this list and I know that this is just somebody sitting there having a little fun, swapping names around, putting, you know, putting this list online. It's not official.

[TJ Majors]

They're watching.

[Dale Jr.]

It's not official, but it does. I see that list and I look at those names, you know, and I try to remember, all right, where's these guys race? Austin Beers runs modifieds. He plays in our, in our NCAA Football League on Xbox and PlayStation. Trevor. Trevor Huddleston. He races out west. Max Reeves, Ron and Silk. I just have one little bug with this, like, when did ARCA become part of the regional racing?

[TJ Majors]

I think it's because they have a, they have a west and an east, so it's your different regions of the.

[Dale Jr.]

Country, but it's not, I don't consider ARCA region ARCA so regional. Listen, I, I, it's a little bug that I have with this. It's, it's, it's not a big deal, but it's bugging the out of me. Arca to me, I've got a book at my house of all the ARCA history, right? And ARCA has been kind of like a very similar series to the Xfinity series.

[TJ Majors]

In my mind, it's a national touring series.

[Dale Jr.]

And to me, to me, it is, too. I would say that ARCA was even at a point above trucks or at a level of the Xfinity series, or even today it's around the level of the truck series. I don't look at ARCA as a local regional.

[TJ Majors]

Me neither.

[Dale Jr.]

Series. And I really think it's a disservice to ARCA and the brand and the equity built in that brand over decades and decades.

[TJ Majors]

It's higher than this. It's higher than it is.

[Dale Jr.]

And it, and the drivers in the ARCA series are. Shouldn't be, I mean, shouldn't be in the rankings of the regional rankings because then that's a disservice to the Austin Beers. To the, to the, you know. Yeah, the drivers that are really running in the regional series, that are running at their local short tracks and running. I think Mods as a touring series is still regional because they run all these little tracks, you know, and I know that, you know, the ARC Series schedule is dotted with, you know, local racetracks as well.

[TJ Majors]

It is.

[Dale Jr.]

But I don't know, I think, I really think that trying to plug the ARCA series into the regional conversation is a disservice to ARCA and also a disservice to the guys that are actually regional racers.

[TJ Majors]

All the regional guys want to get to that.

[Dale Jr.]

I just had to say that that was bugging the out of me.

[TJ Majors]

ARCA is the next step for all the regional guys.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, it's not regional.

[TJ Majors]

It's the next step. You go to Talladega, you go to Phoenix, you go to Bristol, you go to Daytona. That's not, that's not, that's national to me.

[Dale Jr.]

Like, I, I think you're right and it's above regional and I think that's just my feelings about that.

[TJ Majors]

When you're a race car driver, any lower level and you're coming up ARCA is how you're like, if you're regional, you're like, how can I get to arca? And to me, that's the step up.

[Dale Jr.]

Like, like, I mean, it's really been to, you know, I love the CARS Tour. We are, were all a spot. The CARS Tour, ARCA modifieds, all these areas are places that drivers can go and try to hone their craft. You got, you know, like Jamie McMurray, his son runs modifieds. I wish he ran late models. He doesn't. He runs modified. That's what he does. That's his route. Okay. Wyatt Miller, right? He's ran dirt stuff forever. I'm like, why are we running dirt cars? Why are we running trucks jumping, you know, running trucks jumping jumps in. In California? Why aren't we running a limited full body late model stock car somewhere? You know, everybody's got their opinion about how you get going and how you get, you know, experience and there's all kinds of little sandboxes to be in and. But I would, I wanted to say, you know, I believe ARCA doesn't belong in this. ARCA is my, my opinion and my, my understanding of arca's history and what they are. They're not regional.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, I agree.

[Dale Jr.]

They're bigger.

[TJ Majors]

Agreed.

[Travis]

Yo, tj, I see you've been walking around with the new phone. Where'd you get that new phone?

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, man, I love this phone. I recently joined a consumer cellular family and they hooked me up, man. I got a great new phone and the service is awesome.

[Travis]

That's great. But like, how's it, Iowa, Richmond, some of these other tracks. Because it's great when you're at home, but like when I'm on the road, my phone is crap.

[TJ Majors]

You know, I travel a lot with the RFK16 and I have had nothing but success with this phone. I've actually, it has bailed me out numerous times now. I was able to flip the hotspot on and use some Internet on it. Text, calls, everything. Man, I'm, I'm, I could not be happier with this phone.

[Travis]

All right, so, but how do I go about getting this? Because I don't have time. I'm not trying to go sit, stand in line at a store, wait, grab a number, wait 30 minutes, like I just don't have time for that.

[TJ Majors]

That's the easiest part, man. Just call their 100% US based customer service representatives and in about 20 minutes you'll be good to go. I chose the 2 for $60 plan. It's not a prepaid option. They help me decide which one was best for me and I know exactly what I'm paying each month. Everything is easy to understand with no long term contract. Switch to Consumers Hellier now and get 25 off with the code DJD25. That's DJD25 for 25 off. When you switch to consumer cellular, go to consumercellular.com DJD and use promo code DJD25.

[Dale Jr.]

Hey everybody, you want the latest Dell Jr. Download apparel? Visit shop.dirtymomedia.com we're always adding new stuff all the time. Especially like when we say something silly on this show. We'll put it on a T shirt again. Check it out at shop.dirtymomedia.com Jim Pullman going to RCR crew chief and Kyle Busch next year. Big news, Huge news. So look, it is hard to replace a guy like Jim. I told Jim I wanted him to stay, but I knew that he had this opportunity and that it was great for him to go and hear it out. Right? And you know, we've had a lot of conversations with Jim over the last couple of months around what you know, the plan was and what you know, you know, Justin has a couple, couple years left. He's sort of in that Denny Hamlin Phase where he's not quite sure, but he knows the Runway is out there. He knows the end. He's landing the plane. Right. And. And Jim knows that. What is. You know, what does that mean for Jim? And so here's an opportunity provided to him to go cup racing. He's worked at RCR before, so he knows that environment. He would know himself, whether that's a comfortable environment for him. And, you know, he. He made the choice to go, and I love it. I think it's, you know, it's tough to replace him. Are. Are we better with him? Yes, we're a much better race team with Jim in the building, but that's what this team's about, you know, and we don't always have to graduate people right up into the Hendrick fold, which is basically, we're that satellite farm team for Hendrick, but we also work with other teams. Right. We worked with Trackhouse, with Zillich, try to groom him and get him ready for his. His next opportunity at the cup level. So it's in. You know, we've had a lot of different drivers and crew chiefs and stuff go off to different organizations. This is what this company is about. This is what this company does. And I was going to say it's great. He's earned it.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, 100%.

[Dale Jr.]

He gave us a championship, maybe two, depending on how things go here in Phoenix.

[Travis]

It's also enticing for future crew chiefs and stuff to see, okay, I go to Junior Motorsports, and then the cup is a, you know, it's right there for me.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, that's right. So. And, you know, you're. You're going to get noticed, recognized. Your work here, your success here is going to get noticed and recognized throughout the entire industry. And Kyle Busch even commented on, you know, his, you know, Jim's leadership and what he saw Jim accomplish here at this business is something that he was. He was excited about for next year. So I'm. I'm ready for them to get to the racetrack. I can't wait to see how Jim and Kyle do next year. And. And I'm hoping, you know, I thought RCR handled it really well how they reached out to us to ask if they could discuss this with Jim. They. They did it all right. Instead of kind of going behind your back, you know, you want them to call you and say, hey, we really would like to talk to Jim. Is it okay if we talk to Jim? Even if I'd have said no, they probably would have still reached out to him.

[TJ Majors]

That's Classy move.

[Dale Jr.]

They probably still would have kind of made a, you know, made a go at it, but that was a classy move by, by all those guys over there.

[TJ Majors]

So exciting for Jim though, man. Like that. Like, I didn't know a lot about Jim until he got here and he's been nothing but great to work with. Great, great guy and he's earned this. It's always fun to see a crew chief like, like Jim get this opportunity with Kyle Bush, you know what I mean? Like, yeah, get the ship. Right. And you know, I still think Kyle can win races.

[Dale Jr.]

Jim is, I think Jim can do it, man. He's detailed, he does all, he works his tail off and he is, he is in the details and that's what it's going to take, especially with that car, the kit car that the, the cup guys are racing. Every thousandth of a fraction of a frickin inch in every little piece and part is, is what you got to work for to gain an advantage. You got to add it all up. And he's into that and he is into it. Yeah, I, yeah, so I think he'll have some success there. Justin Haley is out at Spire. Jordan Bianchi has reported that the seat will be filled by Daniel Suarez. Be interesting to see where Justin Haley lands and. Yeah, so we'll, we'll move on into, you know, anything else before we move on into the restart or the final start of the.

[TJ Majors]

You want to do, want to cover Xfinity at all?

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, that's what we're talking about. Okay.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, Xfinity race was a good race.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, no, I thought it was. I was on the pit box for the one and I was, I was on the radio quite a bit for this race. We had a, I went and we had a great conversation with the drivers beforehand. I tell them this has always been a real challenge for me. We go to these races at Daytona and Talladega and man, all four of our guys wreck and block and crash each other and we have these really, we had a couple of really embarrassing moments as a company at Daytona or Talladega and I'm thinking, what in the hell do I got to do to get these guys to understand how, how to, how to get to the finish line of these races without working against each other. Right. And make, you know, like. And so basically the, you know, when you go to Daytona and Talladega, the 21 car is going to be the car to beat. And I've, you know, and I tell them, I'm like, you know, if you're, if you're helping the 21, you have to understand that you're taking, you're lessening your chances of winning. If you push him into the lead or draft with him in, into the lead going into, you know, if you're, if you're like, oh, I'm gonna get second by putting Austin into the lead, you, you know, you've, you've hurt yourself in your opportunity to win. Austin Hill is a great restrictor plate racer and he, he's got the statistics, but he's also got a really badass race car. He knows what to do with it. And so, you know, I told the guys, look, you know, if you push him into the lead or if you help him at any point, you know, that's, I don't want you to do that. But I, you know, if you do that, you're going to have to understand that that's going to be difficult for you to try to win the race. But without that. With all that said, we sat down before the race and what I tell the drivers basically is I want you to be a good teammate, but I also want all the teammates to understand that at some point in the race, they can't do everything for you and they need. This is all you get, all four guys in the room and you say, all right, be good teammates when you can be good teammates. But if you see a teammate doing something, even though you know you can go help him but it's going to be bad for you or you don't believe in the move he's making, you don't have to do it. And the teammate that doesn't get the help needs to understand that the, you know, they decided, look, man, I don't believe in what you're trying here. I'm not going to do it because I think it's going to hurt us both or hurt me, and you can't get upset about that. What bugs the out of me is when our teammates come on the radio in the middle of the race and go, what the, My teammate left me out or, man, that wasn't a great teammate right there. I didn't like what my teammate did. And then we spend the rest of the race trying to, trying to like, get at each other or like, oh, well, next time he's in that situation and needs help, I'm not going to help him. And they do that. They sit there and they boil over that. And so what is good for them to hear, I think before the race is all together, guys help each Other when you can, but if you can't, don't. And everybody gets over it. Like in, you know, okay, your teammate didn't help you and he went by you, he decided to help someone else and passed you that. That he thought that was the move for him. And you got to understand that that's just the way it is. And also, like us trying to work together to get to the front ain't the root. Everybody, find your way to the front. It's basically like, choose your own adventure. The race is going to start, and we're all going to meet at the front of the field. How you get there is your responsibility.

[TJ Majors]

And the perfect world. If you do get there together, it is. That's when you have.

[Dale Jr.]

But don't worry about me. You do what you got to do. If you got to leave me, if you got to do something else, don't worry about me. I'm fine. I'll find my way up there. You may get there before me. I may get there first.

[TJ Majors]

I agree with that.

[Dale Jr.]

But the role, the goal is for all of us to individually meet at the front of the field.

[TJ Majors]

That's where the teammate comes in.

[Dale Jr.]

That's when we're going to get there and try to control the. Control the race, working together.

[TJ Majors]

We've messed that up before, though, too, so.

[Dale Jr.]

Well, look, I mean, that's the messaging.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, no, I agree.

[Dale Jr.]

That's kind of the messaging before the race, and it seems to kind of be working all right. We're not winning races every time we go to Daytona. Talladega can be tough to do that with the 21 car in the field, but we are finishing races better. We. We are looking a little more. A little more organized and a little more productive. You know, I saw a lot of people commenting at the end of that race about, you know, how'd you let the guy. How'd you let Austin win again? God, y' all don't do nothing to help yourselves. Like, I don't know what our guys.

[TJ Majors]

Are supposed to do if that race is another lap longer. Austin Hill is not going to win that race.

[Dale Jr.]

I don't know that, but I'm just saying, what the move were we supposed to make?

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, I don't. I don't know.

[Dale Jr.]

Justin's pushing this the one car as hard as he can. I mean, you're not going to push him, right? They think you just push right by the guy.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

That the 21 is so fast, and when he gets the lead, he knows how to move and get in front and get the energy off of the cars behind him. He is so good at it. And I don't know what people think is supposed to happen. Like, you supposed to just pull around him.

[TJ Majors]

He also knows that they're going to race really hard behind him.

[Dale Jr.]

Well, I mean, the fans are. Some fans are saying that we were where we're. We're racing each other instead of trying to work together and beat him. But I didn't see that.

[TJ Majors]

I mean, no, I didn't see it. Like, could you line up and run all four cars together the whole time? Yeah, but that's not going to be. It's going to be hard to do. Like, it's not guaranteed either.

[Dale Jr.]

Well, you know, everybody's sitting there. I think what they're really referring to is the 30 or 20 laps we ran at the top of the racetrack with him leading the race. You're looking at that lineup. You got Justin Allgaier in the seven running second, and then behind him is the two. I mean, if Justin pulls out of line, the two is not going with him.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, you're gone.

[Dale Jr.]

And then you had, you know, all these guys like Josh Williams and all these different people that are like, I ain't getting out of line. I'm running fifth.

[TJ Majors]

100%. They're not moving. Yeah, there's three of them up there that weren't supposed.

[Dale Jr.]

70 of the 40 didn't have a left front fender. He's bitching and complaining because nobody would work with him. I'm not drafting with you. When you see the 70 or the 45, this is no disrespect to these guys, but you. When you look at how their cars, Looking at the speed of their cars, you're. You're not going to push them into the lead. If they pull down to go make a run, you're not going to go with them because you're trying to say. You're trying to tell me that I'm going to shove the 70. I'm going to create a. I'm going to create a line with a 70 to 45 or any of them cars that's going to go up there and pass a 21.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, you're going to pass 21.

[Dale Jr.]

I'm a pass a 21. 7 and 2.

[TJ Majors]

Those guys aren't leaving that line, first of all, anyway, they're not leaving.

[Dale Jr.]

He ain't fast enough to go up there either. And so it's. You're sitting there as a driver in that line going, what's the risk? What's the reward? There's a lot of risk, very little reward. And if you looked at that. I told you we were on the radio. I'm, like, looking at the top 10, I don't see anyone making a move for a really long time. I can look at all those guys and tell you a bunch of reasons why none of them are pulling out of line. And they didn't.

[TJ Majors]

They were all staggered just right, too. Like, there was a car, a fast car, a slow car, fast car. Like, there was a gap.

[Dale Jr.]

Every one of them was sitting there going, I ain't giving up this spot now. And so that's kind of why people. I don't know what people think Supposed to happen. If all four of our cars got down in the bottom and even all four of them lined up on the bottom, we're not driving by them.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah. And credit to those guys for putting them cars in them positions. Like, that's tough to do as well.

[Dale Jr.]

I agree. Yeah.

[TJ Majors]

You know, like Josh and. And Honeyman, and.

[Dale Jr.]

I'm not trying to disrespect.

[TJ Majors]

No, I know. I'm just saying. Yeah, for sure.

[Dale Jr.]

Not at all. But I'm just saying, like, they. They. You.

[TJ Majors]

It makes it hard to make. It makes it hard to plan to make a move.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. I mean, if the 70 or the 45 were to go qualify on the front row, then I might. If I'm driving in the race, I might go, holy. You know, they got a fast car this weekend. If he pulls out of line, I might go with him because what the hell, right? But, you know, I thought we ended up all right. The 8 car had a. Had an opportunity to some more points. Then they kind of missed out on some points there late in the race when they had some fuel issues. We had a lot of fun on the radio, though.

[TJ Majors]

Huge pit call near the end to come down and take fuel. Big pit call. So that was. That was good.

[Travis]

What do you mean you had fun on the radio?

[Dale Jr.]

Well, me and tj, we was armchair.

[TJ Majors]

Quarterback the whole time down there.

[Dale Jr.]

I. I was. I would tell Carson some stuff to do, but most of the time, I'd sit on two and talk to tj Be like, damn, what the hell? Why do you do that? Hey, tell him to do this.

[TJ Majors]

We're three wide, and he's over there trying to have a conversation with me and stuff.

[Dale Jr.]

Oh, I'm on the radio. When they wrecked, the night team wrecked off of two, I was on the radio with TJ While they're wrecking, and I'm going, hey, tj, I Think it's time to start mashing the gas. I'm, like, wide open for wrecking, like, right. Yeah.

[TJ Majors]

At the same time, like, we got to go. And I'm like, right in front of you. Say, like, we're.

[Dale Jr.]

Well, TJ's a good enough spotter, so he's here.

[TJ Majors]

I was listening to it.

[Dale Jr.]

He's hearing, too, but he's also talking, and I'm not on top of Carson. Carson can't hear me, and so he.

[TJ Majors]

Can'T talk when I'm talking anyway, so Carson can't, so. But I'm listening as he's telling me we need to go. And I'm seeing him sideways.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[TJ Majors]

And I'm like, oh, guys.

[Dale Jr.]

It was at that moment I was like, well, so I'm sitting there watching, and I'm like, I don't know for sure if Carson's, you know, maybe having some moments where he's, like, checking up or. Like, there's a moment in those races where you're like, all right, unless something, like crazy wild in front of me happens. Like the 19 raking. From this moment on, I'm going to stand in the gas and never lift.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, right.

[Dale Jr.]

And I'm old. I'm going to just take the runs and hopefully drive myself up.

[Howard Hitchcock]

We were.

[TJ Majors]

We were lifting at that point quite a bit, I think.

[Dale Jr.]

I know so. And I was thinking, all right, time to stop lifting. Time to. It's from this. It's two laps to go. Tell them to put the gas down on the mat and see where you end up. See where you end up. And just as I said that, the 19 gets turned and they wrecked like hell, and we won't be seeing.

[Travis]

They'll be a spotters anytime soon.

[Dale Jr.]

No, it was great.

[TJ Majors]

Oh, I would.

[Dale Jr.]

No, it's good. I was on. Damn it. Talking on top of the driver. I know. And so you just wonder how you.

[TJ Majors]

Would be at plate race spotting for, like, an Xfinity car. Wonder how you would be.

[Dale Jr.]

We want to give it a shot.

[TJ Majors]

We can try.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, I'm sure they don't let me do it. He'd probably be like, come on. I mean, I'm sure a lot of people would be like, hell, yeah. Get your ass up there.

[TJ Majors]

I just wonder if you can see it. If you can see what you. If you can. Because if you can take your knowledge that you have. And it looks different. Like, I remember one time you came to the roof and you're like, man, everything looks like a slow motion up here. Like in Michigan one time, you Came up there and said that.

[Dale Jr.]

And only thing I think I'd have a problem with is the vision, like, pure visual.

[TJ Majors]

The depth perceptions are different.

[Dale Jr.]

Just be being able to actually look out there and confidently, you know, as the car's going down, down to back, straight, to confidently tell him like, it's. I. I liked the role that I had this weekend where, like, you're spotting, but I'm like, hey, he needs to clean up this, he needs to clean up that. Hey, he needs to be better at this. He needs to be better at that. And you would give him that information. You agreed. You were helping him. You were trying to tell him the same things I was thinking. And I think as the race went on, he became better.

[TJ Majors]

Oh, I think he got way better. Yeah, he's gotten better every plate race that we've ran.

[Dale Jr.]

And we told him, like, there was one time where Carson jumped to the top, went 3 wide the second run, drove his way up to the front.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, he did the first time to the.

[Dale Jr.]

He did it again four or five laps later or later on in that stage, and it was too late. Yeah, everybody was moving down to the bottom of the racetrack, and he didn't have the numbers up there. And so, like, explaining that to him and letting him know, like, hey, that one move was awesome. Yeah, way to be. And then later in the stage, you got to understand it cycles to the bottom and comes off the top of the race.

[TJ Majors]

You got to have the numbers, got.

[Dale Jr.]

To be ready, you know, Understand. All right, we're moving. It's kind of like, you know, in the middle of the stages, you got to be. You got to be starting to understand when everybody's starting to bail on the bottom and it's going to be that single line around the top. You got to start to. You got. It's like duck, duck, Goose. You got to kind of be ready.

[TJ Majors]

You got to have a feel for the race. Yeah, you got to have that feel when things move.

[Dale Jr.]

You got to be ready. And then near the end of the stage, they come off the bottom, the top, and they go to the bottom. The race, the stage ends on the bottom of the fastest way around, and you got to know when they're starting to bail out and you want to be in that group. Right. So you don't get sent to the back. It's. It's pretty fun part of it, but I had a lot of fun up there, man. We. I was standing on that pit box when that cost you came out from the 19, and I asked them about Fuel. And they were like, yeah, we think we might be ready. But we're hearing some guys are worried we're good enough for two more laps. And I'm like, man, we might get another. We might get another yellow, another green, white checker. We might get more. You know, we're going to run more laps than that. The big possibility. We do. Let's not run it out of gas and be mad at ourselves, like, you know.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah. No sense in that.

[Dale Jr.]

No sense in that. So come on. So we come down pit road and we were 10th and there were 10. Yeah, we were 10th place. There were 10 cars behind us. We come down pit road thinking we're going to come out around 14, 16th by time that everything cycled. So the two had to come. He was sputtering. The eight ran out. All these different people were starting.

[TJ Majors]

Seven.

[Dale Jr.]

Yep, seven. They saw us come down. A couple got nervous. Other people ran out more, got nervous. When we restarted, we're 12th. So we pitted it from 10th and restarted 12th.

[TJ Majors]

And all those cars from the green flag can go hard at that point, too, so.

[Dale Jr.]

Oh, yeah, he don't have to worry about fuel.

[TJ Majors]

They were all right behind us, too. So it was like, heck, yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

And yeah, Carson made some good moves at the end to get up to second place. Good results for everybody. But, yeah, I don't know. You know, Jesse loves in a good spot, points wise. To be able to get into the final round. We're going to need something crazy to happen to have four out of four Junior Motorsports cars in this final round. But Martinsville, there's going to be something crazy. I don't know what it's going to be, but it's going to be crazy. Martinsville has been a. Let's just face it, it's been a show.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah. Oh, it has been.

[Dale Jr.]

Martinsville has been a pure show in these cars.

[TJ Majors]

I hope it.

[Dale Jr.]

This series.

[TJ Majors]

I hope it doesn't turn into.

[Dale Jr.]

I don't want that.

[TJ Majors]

I don't want it either.

[Dale Jr.]

I want a pure straight up race. Straight up race.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

Some aggression, some rubbing and bumping, but what, you know, knocking the radiators out of them and, you know, destroying cars and smoking heaps, sliding across the finish line is not really what I want to see, but it's probably what we're going to see.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah. I don't want somebody to put NASCAR in a position to make a decision on something.

[Dale Jr.]

I don't. I mean, that's. That could happen, too, but I just wish the drivers wouldn't destroy each other at the end of the race at Martinsville. And look, I mean that's our. Our guys too. Our guys too. We've been in the middle of that at times. All right, let's head on into the cup stuff.

[TJ Majors]

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[Dale Jr.]

All right, so what's this here? Penske not happy with Keselowski? Yeah, what the hell, TJ restart with 17 to go. Brad Keselowski didn't give Blaney and Logano the push they wanted. Logano says the car behind me was saving gas. That kills the whole bottom lane.

[TJ Majors]

That's false.

[Dale Jr.]

So what happened? They had cars on the outside cycling forward and pulling down in front of them. And so Blaney and Logano, who were leading the inside line in just a handful of laps, are now sitting there, six, seven on that inside line, cycling back and losing control of the race. Yeah, this is, this to me isn't. This to me is exactly what I hope gets this frickin fuel mileage, gas, half throttle bull out of the racing at Daytona and Talladega.

[TJ Majors]

Well, that's not what was happening.

[Dale Jr.]

Well, I don't, I don't care what was happening, but if that's what they think, you know, if they're sitting there going, man, nobody could push everybody sitting there riding half throttle, same fuel we were. You know, everybody's a little nervous about having enough gas to go and can't run hard enough and all that. I mean, this is what the. So what they get for fuel mileage racing at Daytona and Talladega?

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, you know, I mean, I can tell you from the restart, we chose the bottom behind those two cars because we worked good together. We, nobody could pass us in the second lane.

[Dale Jr.]

Well, what do you think they're talking about when they say the car behind me saving gas?

[TJ Majors]

Because when you're this didn't start, who's saving? Nobody was saving.

[Dale Jr.]

So everybody was full throttle.

[TJ Majors]

Well, when you're fourth, fifth in line, you're just riding, you can't go anywhere. Like what happened on the restart was.

[Dale Jr.]

But they were like talking, were they not saying that there was a gap.

[Travis]

Between, there was a gap between second and third.

[TJ Majors]

And then, I mean we would run up there, we would get to Joey's bumper, push him a little bit. But you're not going to shove the 22 through the 12.

[Dale Jr.]

No, I know, I know.

[TJ Majors]

But this didn't start until you became the fourth car line. When you're the fourth car line, you're not really the factor anymore. The biggest Mistake here is them letting the 34 get clear on the outside.

[Dale Jr.]

But how he got clear on the outside because the inside line wasn't creating enough momentum.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, but that was. It was two by two and the five and the three pushed him clear. We've. From the time we took off, there was no lifting. Brad gets a Joey, he doesn't lift. You can go look at it.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[TJ Majors]

The only time that we start having to manage it is when we're fourth in line on the bottom. And I don't know. I don't know why. I mean, I. I'm guessing the 5 and 34 pulled them apart on the bottom.

[Dale Jr.]

Just.

[TJ Majors]

It's harder to stay connected. But they. Also. The reason why the. The inside lane was fading once the 34 got there is because the 34 had not been up front all day. He could not manage the gaps as good as Blaney and Joey could. Joey Blaney and Brad. That one time. He didn't know. He's not as refined at backing up and getting the push at the right spots. The reason the five cleared him is because he got four Carlanes clear off a term four and had to back up to Blaney. That's never going to work. The guy on the outside is always going to have enough momentum with a guy pushing him to do it. That's not the fourth car in line's fault. That's the first two cars working together.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[TJ Majors]

And the third car is there to kind of bail the second guy out. We're fourth car in line. I don't care what that car is doing. That car is not a factor.

[Dale Jr.]

Listen, I get it. I mean, I'm not. I don't believe that.

[TJ Majors]

You know, I don't. This. There was no savings.

[Dale Jr.]

I'm just surprised. I guess they were surprised that there wasn't better speed on the inside line.

[TJ Majors]

But we were, too.

[Dale Jr.]

And. Yeah. So do you think that they get out and go back and do they learn? See, look how Brad. Look at the distance.

[TJ Majors]

But it's two by two right here. What are you doing?

[Dale Jr.]

He gets up to his bumper.

[TJ Majors]

Okay, so we're full throttle right here. Right there. We lift a little bit because we have to. Yeah, that's not on us. Watch this. Here comes the 34 down.

[Dale Jr.]

If we could go a little further back.

[TJ Majors]

I mean, that's just the restart. That's to the green right there. We just took the green.

[Dale Jr.]

Really?

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, right there. The fourth place car is not a factor.

[Dale Jr.]

Why is the outside line tight in the inside lines? Not tight.

[TJ Majors]

Because they pull you apart. And then the 34 just keeps gapping them big. He doesn't come back quick enough. When. When Ryan and Joey were leading the inside lane, we were right on their tail off of turn four. When this is happening, we're never even close because the third car is never close because the 34 doesn't. Isn't doing a very good job of managing it. See how far he is out right here. They need to be connected right here. Already that's connected. Way too late on the bottom lane right there. I can tell you already that's way too late.

[Dale Jr.]

They just. The gap to the 22, the gap.

[TJ Majors]

To the 6, but they got this. The front two that are. That are.

[Dale Jr.]

I understand. I just wish that there was.

[TJ Majors]

See how far he is out.

[Dale Jr.]

I wish the 22 was closer. I wish the 6 was closer.

[TJ Majors]

Like right here. That. That gap up front should never happen like that.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[TJ Majors]

That's way too much.

[Dale Jr.]

Like. Look at the six right there. He's fading off the. Maybe got the feet. I don't know.

[TJ Majors]

Everyone's a car length apart on the N7.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. But I'm looking at the six. I'm like, where. Where's this push.

[Travis]

And Priest wasn't. Priest was behind you, right?

[Chase Briscoe]

Yeah.

[Travis]

But I don't think he was ever, like, pushing Brad. Like there was a space the entire time.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[TJ Majors]

The top. The most important cars are the first three cars.

[Dale Jr.]

I get it.

[TJ Majors]

The front two stay together.

[Dale Jr.]

I understand how this works. I'm just trying to figure out why. Why would they say what they said?

[TJ Majors]

I just have no clue. We're not saving fuel. But the fourth car is not the reason the 34 car passed around the outside.

[Dale Jr.]

I know. But I think what they're saying is, is how come the inside line wasn't more organized, wasn't tighter. There was bigger gaps, more gaps between cars.

[TJ Majors]

It's always like that.

[Dale Jr.]

The outside line is much more organized.

[TJ Majors]

It's always like that because guys can pull quarter panels on the outside. When you're on the inside lane, you're at the mercy of the guy. You're not.

[Dale Jr.]

You're just. It wasn't no different in the Xfinity race. That inside line was a death sentence. You were going to the back.

[TJ Majors]

It's the same. Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

Is awful.

[TJ Majors]

When we could control the line with Ryan and. And Joey and Brad, when we're the first three cars, nobody could pass them. Guys in the second lane, they couldn't do it because the 12 knew exactly when to come back. Knew exactly when to pick the 22 up, and Brad would get. There was a rhythm, there was a flow that was consistent every single lap. And those guys can do it.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[TJ Majors]

When you put somebody new up there, I mean, there was never a gap like that with Brad, with Joey and Ryan up front, never a gap. So.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, well, Briscoe, with his win, he's able to put it together in those final couple of laps.

[TJ Majors]

I mean, where was he all race? Dang. Show up at the end.

[Dale Jr.]

He's going to come on here soon enough. With his win, he locks himself into the final four. Pretty big deal for Briscoe, and that team's developed over the course of the year and put themselves in the end of the position since Pocono. Since his win at Pocono, they just really been one of the better teams in the series.

[TJ Majors]

I feel like they started the year off learning each other and growing.

[Dale Jr.]

It was a struggle.

[Travis]

He had to learn the car.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, well, it was a struggle, but him and Hamlin are locked in. Christopher Bell is plus 37. Larson plus 36. Huge gap back to Byron. And minus. Minus 37 and fifth. So Byron, Lugano, Blaney, Elliot, all those guys are must wins. Four guys with a must win situation. Four guys in really good shape. They just need to go run and not blow up or break a crash. Be interesting to see what their. What strategies are.

[TJ Majors]

And, I mean, I don't think there's any strategy for them guys unless something happens to, you know, Bell or Larson. Yeah, I think maybe then you can start. I mean, they'd have to get in Rex early or something.

[Travis]

Yeah, but Bell and Larson have to race each other.

[Dale Jr.]

Who does? Who does? I don't know if Briscoe will tell us the truth, but who. I wonder who they. They don't want to see in the final.

[TJ Majors]

He.

[Travis]

I mean.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, that or. I mean, of the Bell or. Yeah, you don't definitely want Penske. I don't think you want Blaney, and I don't think you want Blaney out there or Logano, honestly.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. So off. Yeah. So Hamlin, Briscoe, Bell, Larson, are they. Is there maybe their priority of the day to try to make sure that Penske doesn't get there?

[Travis]

Yes. But also, I don't think Briscoe or Denny would say this. Do you want Christopher Bell?

[TJ Majors]

He would be the next one that I don't want there.

[Travis]

I'd rather have, like, Chase and Byron.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. I mean, but I don't. I think Bell's. Yeah, it's definitely Logano. Or Blaney are definitely both of them. You don't want.

[TJ Majors]

No, it's Phoenix. It's going to be tough this weekend because Blaney's really good at. At Martinsville. Yeah, he's by far the best driver probably right now at Martinsville, like, 500 laps, 6 inches off the curb the entire time. That's how he runs it. And he's. He's gotten really, really, really good at it.

[Dale Jr.]

All right, so we got Chase Briscoe, the caller for today, from. From last week's Talladega win. Pretty awesome to. To see you. Go to victory Lane at Talladega. That's a special place. Hard to win at those racetracks. Kind of, you know, have to have a lot of things go your way, and that's what happened near the end of that race. Chase, first off, congratulations. You're locked into the final four going into Phoenix. You don't have to worry about what's going on this weekend at Martinsville, which everybody would love to have that. That convenience. But talk about how you put it together at the end of that race, the decision to not push Bubba to go to the bottom and how that all opened up for you.

[Chase Briscoe]

Yeah, it was honestly crazy how much, you know, my mind, just my mindset, I guess, was changing literally by the second throughout that green light checkered. You know, originally I started sixth. It was Bubba in front of me, and he was pushing Larson. Then I think it was William and Josevar, and I think. I think Bell inside of me. And my whole mindset was just, how can I push Bubba to push Larson to the win? Because for me, playoff wise, that was going to be best case scenario if a playoff guy won. I wanted Denny or Larson to win. And then we, you know, we were able to push Larson clear, and surprisingly, he went to the bottom. So at that point, I was. I was feeling like I was in a pretty good spot just playoff wise, as long as I could finish, because if Larson didn't win, more than likely Bubba was going to win, which was even better for me. But so then I was just trying to push Bubba to the win as hard as I could, and then Larson had his issue off of turn two and was able to kind of get clear and. And was pushing Bubba still. And I heard my spotter tell me that, hey, you're clear now the 54 is clear. And as soon as I heard the 54 was clear, I just decided to turn left. And it really, honestly wasn't even to win the race at that time. It was more Just to hedge my bet of now, I'm at least going to be leading the bottom lane. And, you know, William will not be leading the bottom lane. It's going to be at least a Toyota car, you know, or myself or Bubba that more than likely is going to win the race. And then Ty just did an incredible job of pushing me and staying connected and was able to clear Bubba kind of right as we entered the trial. And at that point, I felt like as long as nothing crazy happened, I was going to win the race. But, yeah, my full intention, truthfully, when I made the move into three, was kind of just to hedge my bet against William leading the bottom lane because I did not want him to win the race. And then when Ty went with me, instantly I felt like I was going to be in a pretty good position.

[Dale Jr.]

Potentially even when I have had an opportunity to do a little bit of drafting at Daytona. In the next gen, in way, way back when the next gen was just coming out, it was absolutely the most uncomfortable car to be pushed with or to push someone with. How has that changed over the years? How comfortable is it to be, you know, to be pushing each other in the cars now? Have y' all been able to really improve drivability and comfort in those situations?

[Chase Briscoe]

Yeah, I think it's. It's definitely better than when it started. You know, when it started, it was out of control. I mean, yeah, just absolute chaos when somebody was pushing you. It's still like that to a certain extent, but it is better. And, you know, even sometimes I feel like it's better just to absolutely blast the guy in front of you or the guy behind you. Just have them hammer you instead of, you know, kind of gradually getting there. And that was something that, you know, when busher actually wrecked, for whatever reason, when I was pushing Bubba, he was just all over the place. And I talked to him yesterday about it, and, you know, he even kind of said the same thing, like I was better off if you had like a 10 mile an hour difference in speed. Just hit me as hard as you can instead of trying to, like, ease into it. So it is kind of weird how this next gen car just reacts differently, you know, based on the position, when you get connected and just. Yeah, there's a lot of variables that go into kind of getting pushed and being pushed in this car. But I would say over the course of the last, yeah, two, three years, we've. We've definitely made them better, but they're still not easy. I mean, we still wreck all the time. So they can't be too easy.

[Dale Jr.]

You go into Martinsville without any real stress. What is your, what's your role this weekend? What are you going to try to accomplish?

[Chase Briscoe]

I mean, for us, I think it's trying to just go there and win again, truthfully. I mean, all of us want a grandfather clock, right? And, you know, I feel like that's a place where I've always ran really, really good. I just haven't been able to win all the way. And, yeah, I mean, keeping the momentum up, confidence high. And truthfully, even as a company, you know, if me or Denny can go win the race, it essentially locks Bell in no matter what. So, yeah, our, our focus is trying to go there and win. You know, even tomorrow, I'm still going to go run sim for Martinsville. Just trying to be as best we can this weekend. So, yeah, for us, it's no different than any other week. You know, the stress is off in a sense of the playoffs, but, you know, you don't want to go to Martinsville and run terrible and run 28th and then carry that into Phoenix. You want to go there and have a good run and kind of carry that momentum.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, that's true. Phoenix has been a good track for you. You've had great success there. Do you still, do you feel that way? I mean, I don't, you know, I don't know how you felt about the last couple of trips, but do you still go to that racetrack feeling like it, you know, you know what you need, you know what the car needs to do and you understand the track really well.

[Chase Briscoe]

Phoenix is a weird one for me because it was always one of my three worst tracks and truth, my least favorite tracks to go to. And then, yeah, in 2022, I guess it was, or whatever, you know, I went there and won the cup race and got my first cup win there. And kind of from that moment on, I started to like it, obviously, and just felt like I got better around there. You know, I put a lot of work in there because I was so bad there. It kind of forced me to really look at myself in the mirror and try to figure out what can I be doing better here. And I don't know, some of it, I think helped that we used to be able to run up by the wall in one and two there. You know, that's kind of went away a little bit, but certainly when the track started to widen out is when I got better there. But, yeah, I feel really good about it. The JGR cars in general are Going to be really good at Phoenix. You know, I know James is super excited that we're going there. Yeah, I feel really good about it. You know, just where we're at as a race team right now. I mean, there's really not been a single type of racetrack we've been to where we've not been fast. And, you know, I know that we're going to be fast again when we go there next week. It's just a matter of, you know, executing and putting it all together for this weekend.

[Dale Jr.]

You know, there was. It probably will be downplayed a little bit by you and some of the other drivers, but after north, after New Hampshire, Denny Hamlin, several others commented that, you know, it's. It's still very obvious that Penske is very, very good at these type of racetracks, and we still have a ways to go to catch what we think they'll be able to do and how they'll perform at Phoenix. So with where they are in the points, basically, you know, either Logano or Blaney needing a must win this weekend at Martinsville. Not. Not that you'll do anything, race them differently or, you know, do anything detrimental to their races, but will that be top of mind as you're out there competing? Will you be wondering at times, you know, where they are, how their day is going, whether they have shots to win because of what that means for you when you get to Phoenix?

[Chase Briscoe]

I mean, yeah, I think it's no secret that, you know, the last three years, they went to Phoenix and just dominated. Nobody could even run with them. So, I mean, yeah, from a personal standpoint, I do not want a Penske car to go there. Just, you know, statistics would say if they get there, they're going to be the car to be eaten. You know, as a playoff field, we have them in a really good spot right now, right where they have to go to Martinsville and win. The problem is, is they're really, really fast there, too. So, yeah, that's part of going back to what I was just saying earlier. Like, the best thing that can happen for, really, JGR as a whole, is me going or Denny going or, you know, Christopher obviously going there and winning the race, because that would mean that a Penske car does not move on. So, yeah, I definitely think that the whole playoff field, not just Denny, myself, but even Larson, whoever makes the, you know, the. The Final Four, none of us want to see a Penske card, probably just because we know what it means or it has meant the last three years. There so yeah, I think the whole field will be, you know, paying attention to that, you know, the playoff guys at least. And yeah, I think all of us selfishly would hope that a Penske card doesn't win just because that'll make your job, you know, at least if you go by the statistics it'll make your job easier the next week.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, I love that storyline and it's going to be making this weekend a must see race in the schedule to see how this plays out. Regardless, you're going to Phoenix. You're going to race for a championship. I'm happy for you man. Love your story. Appreciate how you shared that with us even this past weekend after your win, showing your emotion and we're wishing you the best when you get to Phoenix. We'll see you out there. So have fun this weekend and and good luck in Phoenix.

[Chase Briscoe]

Yeah, buddy, I appreciate it. I was going to tell you it's pretty cool. So Johnny Morris was in victory lane this past weekend at Talladega. That was the first time I'd been able to win with Johnny there and he was jacked. But he was so excited that we won at Talladega just because what Talladega obviously means to him. He said he had not been in victory lane at Talladega since 99 with your dad and it was pretty cool. It was our third one of the year so we threw up some three for Dales and victory lane and yeah, I thought that was pretty neat. We did a phone call with him the other day with the company and he had the trophy from 1999 and had all kinds of pictures with you and your dad and everything. It was pretty cool I thought.

[Dale Jr.]

That is very cool. That's great. Thanks for sharing that. We'll see you, buddy. Thanks for being a good friend of the show.

[Chase Briscoe]

Yeah, thank you guys. Appreciate it.

[Dale Jr.]

All right, it's time again for this month's selection of our ultimate racing collector presented by Lionel the racing the official racing diecast of nascar. Lionel Racing. They're your go to source for all your racing Diecast needs. We have Diecast on this table every week. We ought to be, let's see getting close to throwing some of these off the table. We're about to get to Phoenix.

[TJ Majors]

We are.

[Dale Jr.]

You're going to check out your latest pre orders@lionel racing.com and also today to announce this month's selection of the ultimate racing collector. We have with us Howard Hitchcock, the CEO of Lionel. Thanks for joining us today.

[Howard Hitchcock]

Yeah, thanks for having me, Dale. It's great to Be here again. Really looking, looking forward to the segment with the. With the ultimate racer, and then we'll see what kind of fun things we can do.

[Dale Jr.]

What's this here?

[Howard Hitchcock]

Well, this is actually a special gift for you. So this is the car that we produce for Goodyear that goes on the Goodyear trophies. And there's only four of them.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Howard Hitchcock]

And so two of them are mounted to a base. Justin has one of those, and Goodyear keeps one for each year. And then back in Daytona, we took this exact same setup and presented it to Rick Brandt, and we had this one made for you.

[Dale Jr.]

That's amazing.

[Howard Hitchcock]

Something for your private collection now.

[Dale Jr.]

Man, I love it. I appreciate it. I know. You know, the car that Goodyear has made for the champions every year. Such a cool deal. They do. They've done this even in. Back in 98, 99, when we won our championships as a driver, they had a car that Goodyear would present to you. So that's a pretty. Pretty awesome trophy. Thank you for making this for me. I appreciate that. It's pretty cool display. I might put a couple cars up on there.

[Howard Hitchcock]

Yeah, it's got room for a few.

[TJ Majors]

Races, some action on there.

[Dale Jr.]

It does. Um, so let's take a look at this month's winner. Ready? Oh, you guys are going to love this name. All right. He goes by the name of Tiny Boyer. I'm trying to think. You know, I love that Saturday Night Live skit of Tiny Elvis. Nicholas Cage does it where he's riding around on a dash of a car. Pretty funny skit, if you want to check it out. This makes me think about little Tiny Boyer sitting on the dash in my car, driving around. Could you see a little miniature Clint Boyer?

[Travis]

I could never be funny.

[Dale Jr.]

That would be funny. Everybody's got that in their head now. Yep. All right, we're moving on. This dude here has everything. Let's take a look at this video. It's like his entire home is decorated with sheet metal.

[TJ Majors]

Nothing Tiny about his collection.

[Dale Jr.]

Not at all. He has some. Some of our bud stuff, but this appears to be not a man cave. This is literally this guy's whole house.

[TJ Majors]

The man house.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Travis]

I want to know if he's married.

[Dale Jr.]

Hmm. Tiny Boyer. I wonder who Mrs. Tiny Boyer is. Well, he's got a lot of stuff, and it's all scattered out through the house. Again, he's got. These are photos, but he put it in a video form, so. Good job. We like the videos. They kind of make it easier to kind of understand how big the collection.

[Travis]

Is he's got some sheet metal from your final season, Dale.

[Dale Jr.]

See here, he's got a little display for Jimmy. Jimmy. He's got little displays for different drivers.

[TJ Majors]

Lots of different drivers. Big variety.

[Dale Jr.]

Kind of a. Look at there. There's the. That looks like a Chase Elliott quarter panel.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

From the Darlington throwback. Man, he does have some pretty cool stuff. Look at that uniform.

[TJ Majors]

Nice. With a mannequin. I mean, gotta have the mannequin.

[Dale Jr.]

Josh Berries, Darlington rookie. Yeah, some more Josh Berry. Whoa. Lots of diecasts. All of your collectors. All your collectors out there. You know, to win this, you don't have to have just diecast, but obviously a big diecast collection is going to help you. But, man, there is a. Oh, some new stuff. Zillich Watkins Glenn. Oh, more Zillich stuff. That stuff's going to go up in value if he continues to have success. Pretty awesome job. He put together a really great video there. So congratulations to Tiny Boyer. I want to say it like it's a little Boyer guy. Like, it's a little Clint Boyer.

[Travis]

Tiny boy.

[Dale Jr.]

Tiny Boyer.

[TJ Majors]

You know, there's a little Elvis on your shoulder in the video shot when you're talking. Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

Watch kind of like, I need him. There he is. It's Tiny. We need a little Tiny Boyer back here. Pretty cool, though. Howard. We've had a great year, kind of presenting, you know, having this contest and just. I'm a collector of die cast myself, and my, you know, my collecting of diecast has kind of ramped up over the last two or three years. I've really, really gotten into it. We got back into the towers display cases that we used to have years and years ago. Those have kind of come back. So there's been this bit of a resurgence, and it's been fun to see other collectors with the same enthusiasm. Know that, you know, folks like this boy guy have been collecting for years, obviously, but it's awesome to see people, how they display all this different stuff that they've collected over the years.

[Howard Hitchcock]

Yeah. I mean, one of the things that's been so cool in all the time that I've been doing this is connected to the rcca, you know, which. Which actually next year we'll be celebrating its 35th anniversary. We have met some people that have absolutely incredible collections rooms on their house. This guy's whole house appears to be, you know, fully racing or raced out, but people have added on rooms. People have dedicated bedrooms or. Or parts of their home to this. I've seen some videos of guys that the entire basement is set up in. In terms of racing things. And it's. It's just cool to see the passion, you know, and. And we keep trying to push the envelope on what we can do with the diecast and make it happen as authentic as we possibly can. Obviously, it's a. It's a little bit smaller version than the real car, but, you know, technology has gotten better for us and being able to make it. If you take a look at these cars versus cars that were made 20 years ago, I mean, there's a. There's a massive difference. We actually pull the CAD data, you know, from. From NASCAR tech and from. From the OEMs to actually produce these things. But, you know, with the. With the ultimate racer piece, Dale, I really, really love what you've done throughout the course of this. This season.

[TJ Majors]

Right.

[Howard Hitchcock]

And, you know, what about the idea of what if we picked one winner, One ultimate ultimate racer?

[Dale Jr.]

So throwing all of the winners from this year together in Hatton and sort.

[Howard Hitchcock]

Of deciding, and then maybe we give them some. Some special prize.

[Dale Jr.]

Sure. Yeah, let's do it.

[Travis]

I've got a list. You use my hat here?

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, sure. All right.

[Travis]

I'll bring it out to Howard.

[Howard Hitchcock]

All right, that's cool. And then we can draw one.

[Dale Jr.]

All right, That'll be pretty fun.

[Howard Hitchcock]

See who our ultimate ultimate winner is.

[Dale Jr.]

Oh, you got it.

[Howard Hitchcock]

That was quick.

[Dale Jr.]

All right, so Howard's gonna draw. Go ahead, Howard. You draw it out.

[Howard Hitchcock]

You sure?

[Dale Jr.]

Yes, sir.

[Howard Hitchcock]

All right.

[TJ Majors]

All right.

[Howard Hitchcock]

It's gonna be Matt Frederick.

[Dale Jr.]

Matt Frederick is the winner. He's the ultimate ultimate winner.

[Howard Hitchcock]

Yeah, he is the ultimate ultimate winner.

[Travis]

Dale, what do you think? We take a quick break? Let me try to get a hold of him, and then we'll bring him on and surprise him.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Travis]

All right, let's do it.

[Howard Hitchcock]

That'd be really cool.

[TJ Majors]

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[Travis]

This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. World Mental Health Day is in October and BetterHelp is shining the spotlight on therapists. People who truly make the world a better place. Because the right therapist can change everything.

[Russell]

Yeah, Travis, you know, I think mental health is so important, you know, in therapy and just understanding yourself, where your anxieties come from, being able to process your thoughts that I think is so valuable. I've found a lot of benefits.

[Travis]

A lot of times you've got these feelings or emotions but you don't know what to do with them, how to process it. You can talk to a friend and they can help, but a therapist knows what to do and kind of give you some things to how to handle it.

[Russell]

Yeah, 100%, you know, better help. Therapists work according to a strict code of conduct and they're fully licensed in the US BetterHelp does the initial matching work for you so you can focus on your therapy goals.

[Travis]

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[Russell]

Yeah, that's right, Travis. This World Mental Health Day we're celebrating the therapists who have helped millions of people take a step forward. If you're ready to find the right therapist for you, BetterHelp can help you start that journey.

[Travis]

Our listeners get 10% off the first [e-mail] dalejr that's betterhelp.com dalejr.

[Dale Jr.]

Hey Matt, you hear me? Yeah, I got you, Dale, how are you? Hey, man, I guess you're probably wondering what's going on. It's me. I'm with the CEO of Lionel and Howard here. We are going to. We're calling you today because basically we decided you being one of the winners of the ultimate Racing Collector this year, we were going to throw everybody's name in a hat and have sort of an ultimate, ultimate winner of the racing collectible the Racing Collector by Lionel. And you, my friend, have won the prize. So congratulations. Thank you, man. It seems just too good to be true for me. This is incredible. Yeah, we have a little bit of a prize for you, obviously pretty Cool. To win one of the months in selecting the ultimate racing collector, but also being the ultimate ultimate racing collector, you're going to get two tickets to Lionel Suite this weekend at Martinsville. Access to the Truck Series, Xfinity Series, and the Cup Series. Race through that. No way. That's right. And you'll. That's pretty good because the weather's starting to turn, and that suite will be nice and comfortable. Oh, that's so awesome. Get a little chilly out there. Hey, you're going to get die cast prototype giveaways at each caution flag. What does that even mean?

[Howard Hitchcock]

So, basically, there's a caution, right? And we hand out these tickets and so. And Martinsville's loaded with caution, so there's lots of tickets that are called. And basically when you're called, we'll have a selection of a prototype diecast that the winner can choose from.

[Dale Jr.]

That sounds pretty cool.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

Holy moly. I'll be my first one. Five personalities from Dirty Mo Media will be visiting before the cup race on Sunday to talk to you at the suite. That'll be a lot of fun and also some great swag and a special raffle prize from Dirty Mo Media. What's. What's the raffle prize, guys?

[Travis]

It's.

[Russell]

I.

[Howard Hitchcock]

It's. It's pretty awesome.

[Travis]

It's a little bit of everything. Oh, yeah, give it all the way.

[Dale Jr.]

How about some jerky, boys?

[Travis]

Beef jerky, if you want to add that.

[Dale Jr.]

I love that. I got. I got two bags right here, I'll give you. So, anyways, congratulations, Matt. Thank you for being such a loyal fan to nascar. Thank you for supporting the sport and showing your enthusiasm for collecting. We see the collection behind you there. It's pretty amazing. Talk a little bit about how many cars you got in your collection. Oh, gosh. I did keep count for a little while. Then I just started putting them in a case. You don't even know the number. I don't.

[Howard Hitchcock]

Do you have any more wall space? Is the question.

[Dale Jr.]

We're about to put up some more walls.

[Howard Hitchcock]

Oh, that's good.

[Dale Jr.]

We're going to have to put more walls up.

[TJ Majors]

Why wouldn't we?

[Dale Jr.]

We're out of wall space. We're adding walls at this point. Some of the sheet metal will have to go out to the garage, and then we'll fill that space with more cases, more cars, and, you know, So I have two kids. One's 11, one's 14. They each have, you know, their drivers, and we got to keep filling these cases, you know, Are they starting their own Mini collections. Following your footsteps there. They have cars in their rooms already. They each have a case hanging, you know, and it's. I always tell people every one of these cars tells a story. Everyone. That's a great way of putting it, man. I've, like I said this past couple years, I've always collected different die casts for multiple reasons, but in the last couple years, I just. I don't know why, but I just. I've had a more of a, you know, I don't know, I've had more. I've been more driven to do it. I've been more driven to seek out specific cars. And now I've got these four towers that I'm sort of curating myself. And so it's been fun to pick it back up, you know, get back into it. And I've really enjoyed seeing everybody's collections this year. Seeing folks like you with the same passion for collecting die cast. I don't know. The die cast car is unique to our sport. Right.

[Howard Hitchcock]

It's our jersey, really.

[Dale Jr.]

It is our jersey. Yeah.

[TJ Majors]

That's a good way to put it.

[Dale Jr.]

And so we're thankful for you. Love your collection, man. Enjoy this weekend in Martinsville. Oh, this is going to be a blast. I'm looking forward to it. Thank you, guys. All right, buddy.

[Howard Hitchcock]

Thank you.

[TJ Majors]

Max, congratulations.

[Dale Jr.]

That's a lot of fun. Howard, thanks for coming by. Thanks for the gift.

[Howard Hitchcock]

Absolutely.

[Dale Jr.]

I hope you guys have enjoyed this. This year. We've enjoyed Lionel being a part of our show and being able to have these diecasts here just on the table to showcase to fans what's available, what's out there, all the drivers signing these diecasts, the guys that made the playoffs this year. It's really, really been fun to integrate your product, your brand in our show and. And look forward to doing more work with you in the future.

[Howard Hitchcock]

Yeah, no, we've. We've had a great season doing this. Really excited to. To have been partners with you guys. I think it, you know, it as. As we kind of said.

[TJ Majors]

Right.

[Howard Hitchcock]

It's the jersey of the sport. And I think by having you sort of have this on the table and speak to it in a way that I think from a. From a driver's perspective, you know, you were always so passionate about the individual details of the die cast cars. And so I think that really brings it to life and is very, very meaningful for the fans of the sport. And so we're. We're really proud to be partners with you on that.

[Dale Jr.]

Awesome. Well, we'll continue Our. Our work to seek out the ultimate racing collector. And again, you know, keep your ears peeled your eyes on everything we're doing on our social media with dirty mo media to see when the next racing collector, the ultimate racing collector monthly selection is. And it could be you keep sending in your videos, photos, and we'll keep celebrating all the people out there doing all the great collecting that we've seen this year.

[Russell]

We are live.

[Dale Jr.]

We're live right now.

[Russell]

We are live right now.

[TJ Majors]

Did you hit it? Hit the button.

[Russell]

I hit the button. You said you're ready.

[Dale Jr.]

Perfect time to tell you about jerky boys. Beef jerky. Here we go. Jerky boys. I got the hat and the greatest jerky ever invented, ever, ever made.

[Travis]

What do I have to do to get a hat?

[Dale Jr.]

Be a big fan of jerky boys.

[Travis]

I'm a super fan.

[Dale Jr.]

Nope, I don't. You're not quite there yet. Jerky boys. It's the best. It's. It's just.

[Travis]

I've got an idea for you, Dale.

[Dale Jr.]

I'm not. I've not give it to anybody that hasn't agreed it is good. I haven't given it to one person that said. Nope. This is second. Nope.

[TJ Majors]

This is third worst stuff I've ever had.

[Travis]

I've got an idea for you, Dale. If you reach a certain amount of bags bought, you get a. You get a jerky voice hat.

[Dale Jr.]

Oh, I like jerky. And this is literally the best jerky I've ever ate in my life. And I bought into the company because I liked it. It's incredible.

[Russell]

Available on Amazon too, isn't it?

[Dale Jr.]

It is available on Amazon. There you go.

[TJ Majors]

You can subscribe to it.

[Dale Jr.]

You can go to jerkyboys.com and subscribe there as well. I subscribe directly there, man. And we got it here at junior merch sports. There was a guy posting on the Internet this morning. He had a sun drop and a bag of jerkies and he said, just went to junior motorsports gift shop. That's pretty much my corner store these days. Get me some jerkaboys and a sundrop. Yeah, we got cold drinks in there.

[TJ Majors]

What a diet.

[Dale Jr.]

Yep. Another good piece of news. I just got my Ohio wildlife license to be able to go hunting. I'm gonna go hunting soon. I'd get to hunt once a year, busy schedule. But wedge it in there, weasel it into this little tight spot.

[Travis]

And I go, if you don't catch something, will be disappointing. You just like to be able to relax.

[Dale Jr.]

I don't care. I just like to sit in this In a tree stand in the woods and it's just nice.

[TJ Majors]

Normally they chain like a 12 pointer to a tree and let him climb up in the stand and just shoot it.

[Dale Jr.]

This would be one of the TJ isms I've talked to you guys about.

[TJ Majors]

It's not an ism. No, no, no.

[Travis]

I think an off season.

[Dale Jr.]

Like every show TJ has one liners just like that one. They're. They're gems. They're gems. I, I want, I want us, I want us to take just one show and like, so you listen to the podcast, right. Whatever it is, an hour, hour and a half and then at the end of the podcast you get all of TJ's one liners from that show and a little like two minute clip. No context at all. Just him just saying all these things.

[Russell]

I love stuff out of context.

[Dale Jr.]

I think that would be a big win.

[TJ Majors]

Jerky boys.

[Dale Jr.]

That'd be a big win.

[Russell]

Don't. You can't try though.

[Dale Jr.]

People would.

[TJ Majors]

I'm not trying.

[Dale Jr.]

People would love it.

[TJ Majors]

You can't try just to.

[Russell]

Right.

[Dale Jr.]

Just a highlight reel of one liners. I mean, so, so I like to sit in the stand. This deer hunting is so fun. In Ohio there's only bow hunting. They do have muzzleloader, but I don't mess with that. I like the bow hunt. It's hard. I'm not good at it. I can't. I'm not going to shoot at anything beyond 30 yards because I just, I'm not reliable. And nothing worse than wounding the animal and it, you know, it having to deal with that and never finding it or something. Yeah. So. And I am, I've. We've had this property, me and Truex and my, my brother in law lw we've had this property, property for eight years and I've probably only taken about three deer off of it. My standards are really high. Like we have a lot of shooters, like good 150s, 160s. But I'm not, I'm not going to be interested in anything under a 160. It's got to be a big monster and there's just not that many of those guys walking around out there. So my odds of going and actually getting a deer are, are really low because I'm going to let a lot of good deer walk and. But I love that part. I love sitting in the tree stand and a 150 or 155, 160 coming out and I'm going. I just love sitting there watching them.

[TJ Majors]

How do you know how big it is?

[Dale Jr.]

I could, I could.

[TJ Majors]

You can just.

[Dale Jr.]

Is there a way to kind of guess? Like if you see enough deer, you kind of guess. And we have a lot of deer on our cameras and we can sit in the, in the, in our little building and you know. Yeah, LW and Truex, they're really good at it. And they'll be like, Yep, he's a 150 and he's at the, he's at this stand and he's usually going to be there every day. They frequent a lot of the same spots. So that's why you pick the stand you're going to go to because you, you're kind of hunting a specific deer that you hope is going to come back that day.

[Travis]

What time will you get up and go out?

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, I don't get up. We don't do morning hunts. I, I'm gonna sit, sleep, I'm gonna sit there and, and sleep in and watch tv and when do you go out?

[TJ Majors]

After lunch or.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, we, we get up in the morning. Trex will go hunt in the morning. And I've actually had, I've went hunting in the morning. Had some luck. You can have luck, but hunting in the morning is, I don't know, it's just not as fun. You got to get up at 5:00 in the morning, a couple hour and a half for starts to come up. It's chilly and you climb. You got to walk into a stand. You're not real familiar with where the stand is. There's. What we do is take these little reflective tick tacks, you know, and we pin them into trees so they, you have this little like path to follow. You follow the tax on the trees. You can't see.

[TJ Majors]

You're just flashlight.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, you just got a little flashlight. You kind of keep the flashlight down so you're not shining it through the woods, but you're trying just to shine enough to highlight these tacks as you're walking toward the tree. And that's not really a pleasant feeling. Walking through the middle of Ohio in the middle of the woods. No climb in the morning? Yeah, yeah, I might get lost. I had to sit here at the bottom of a tree just waiting for the sun to come out so I can see where I'm at. And so I don't know, I don't really love. And then you're climbing into an unfamiliar tree stand without a lot of light, you know, and it's just uncomfortable. But. And then you get up in there and you know, the sun comes up and it's actually kind of nice.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, that'd be nice.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. And then things start moving around. It's funny, it's pitch black and it's quiet. But that's, but as soon as the sun starts to come up and over the stars to crest, everything starts moving. I love that all the squirrels start running around. It's like. It's kind of, just kind of comes up, the world wakes up. Yeah.

[Russell]

It's so cool.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, it is. It is. It really is.

[Russell]

That is a pro.

[Dale Jr.]

You don't take morning. I don't give a crap about that today, tomorrow. I don't, I'm. I don't, I don't see this. I don't pay attention to it in my everyday life. But when you go and you force yourself to sit out there and watch it happen, it's really kind of nice. And so by time, by about 10 o', clock, I'm coming out of the deer stand in the morning. If we hunt once, they, they're moving like dark as they're moving. Right, right as the sun's about to come up. Now you, you can shoot some deer at 9 o'. Clock. But I'm just saying right around 10 o', clock, they're done moving. They've gotten to where they're going to go and then, and then for, for the evening. So you're basically. I don't do the morning hunts. I just don't. I'm. I might.

[Russell]

After all that setup.

[Travis]

I don't, I don't blame you.

[Dale Jr.]

I don't want to, I don't want to get up. Yeah, I don't want to get up there. I don't. Because we stayed up, we sat around the campfire, we're drinking beer, we're laughing, we're hanging out. Ain't seen Truex in a year. So, I mean, we're, you know, I don't know if he's going to be there this trip. I think he's coming in late, but I got him taking another buddy with me. And so we're going to hang out and shoot. And so anyways, we, you know, you get up, you run to town, you get some corn, you go around the farm, you're getting things ready and all that stuff we can feed on. We can, we can hunt corn piles legally there. And so we, so we get, we get corn and stuff, go through that out. But probably around 2 o', clock, we start getting ready to go to the stand for the afternoon hunt. And so you get into the air Stand deer's not going to move until right before dark. So you get in the stand about an hour or two. Two hours before that, you want to be in the stand and comfortable before that by about two hours. So you're sitting there for quite a while waiting on this moment that may or may not happen.

[Russell]

So the anticipation, excitement, kind of.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. Or you're on your phone, whatever.

[Russell]

But like, when it happens.

[Travis]

Firing off some bets.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, you're firing off some bets, whatever. Hopefully you're in a stand that has some service. Some of our. Some of our deer stands don't have very good service. You can barely text.

[Russell]

Are you trying to say quiet for the most?

[Dale Jr.]

You don't move.

[Travis]

You don't want to scare.

[Dale Jr.]

You know I move, right? Quiet. Not like, of course you're quiet. You don't even move. Bambi come out like there ain't no moving arms or nothing. Sitting motionless. Like if you're messing with your phone and stuff, you just kind of have it down and you're just kind of looking at the bottom of your eyes. Minimal movement whatsoever. Because, I mean, that deer could be, you know, 100 yards away in the tree line and you don't see it yet. And they'll stand there for freaking 10 minutes. Like before they walk out in the field going, is there anything out here?

[Travis]

And their hearing is good.

[Dale Jr.]

They're in their visuals, too. They'll see things that don't look normal, don't look right. They've been in that field every day for the last three months. Right. So they can tell when something's a little bit off.

[Russell]

I don't hunt. So this is all fascinating here.

[Dale Jr.]

So, yeah, we'll get in the deer stand and sit there and man, I love it. Sitting there in the middle of afternoon, just chilling. Nothing to do and ain't got to worry about no problems. Nothing going on in. Whatever. Whatever's going on. Right. You just totally disconnected.

[TJ Majors]

Is that hard leaving?

[Dale Jr.]

Hopefully. Hopefully. Right before dark, the deer start coming into wherever you're at. Right. And usually in the evenings, you hunt open field, and in the mornings, you hunt the woods. In the mornings, you're trying to catch them coming out of the field to go to bed. So you're in the bedding area. In the afternoons, you're in the fields trying to catch them coming out of bed. Right. They're getting up and moving to go eat. They're going to eat all night and then they're going to sleep all day. And so you're sitting there and hopefully right before dark the deer start moving in the field, and then you're good. Like, just as long as you got something to watch. I don't care what it is, Little dough, whatever. You just want something to look at. And so you're sitting there watching whatever deer, and maybe more and more deer. And usually, you know, you're going to see a couple bucks, some good looking bucks that come out, and then. Then you got to try to get out of the stand.

[TJ Majors]

I was going to say, is this hard leaving?

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, it's hard leaving. So it gets dark. You sit in there until you literally can't see anymore. Like, you sit in the stand for the evening hunts until you can't see nothing. And it's illegal to shoot a deer beyond a certain point of.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah. Sunset or something.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. When it gets dark, you can't. Like, you can take. There's like little night vision and stuff like that. You can take out there and you can, like, still see what's going on, but you're not allowed to shoot at that point. And so. And with a bow, it'd be impossible. But basically, you sit in the stand and you gotta wait on the truck. So you can't get out of the stand because you'll bust the deer. You can't let the deer know that you're there at all, ever. And so if you were to climb out of the stand, the deer are going to bust. They're going to see you. They're going to scream. You're going to scream, blow. They're going to run in all different directions, and they never coming back. Like, they're done with this field because that's going to spook them for days. And so you got to wait on. I'll get to it, Travis. You'll. You gotta wait on the truck to drive all the way into the. Underneath the stand. And they, for some reason, aren't worried about that truck. They see them all the time. Right. They see vehicles and they don't. They don't think anything of it. And so you come out of the stand right into the truck, and then you drive out. That's the only problem. That's. That's the part I don't really like, because you're sitting there and the truck might be going to pick up multiple hunters, and you're like, well, I'm ready to go, but truck ain't here, you know, so sometimes you're sitting in there longer and you won't. All right, man. As usual, this segment of Ash Jr. Is brought to you by Xfinity. 11 years they've been the Xfinity series. It's grown into something special. They've backed young drivers, they've backed teams and crew chiefs and told everybody's story over the 11 years. Done a really good job of shepherding that series into the next chapter. It'll be called something else in the. In the. In the future. The O'Reilly series. Right. And the series name baby changing. But Xfinity, they're going to be around. They're not going nowhere. And we appreciate everything they do for us here at Dirty Mo Media. But yeah, sorry. Sorry to go on and on about hunting. I'm excited.

[Travis]

I like that one person said that they had like their school, like, breaks were around. They had one like for like deer hunting season.

[Dale Jr.]

Let me tell you, when deer hunting season started, you didn't see dad anymore. I mean, it felt like. I mean, if it wasn't at a racetrack he was at is at a camp and his, you know, he'd be in Alabama, South Carolina, Texas. He'd be gone, I mean, days and days and days. And so that was normal to me. Three months out of the year, you know, you might see him if it was third, if it was 30, I mean, I'm sorry. If it was 90 days, you were gonna see. You're gonna see dad about maybe two weeks out of those 90 days. And so, I mean, he just gone. And that was the way it was. My uncle Robert, my uncle, Robert G Jr. Jimmy on my mom's side, same thing. Robert has worked in his shop as a fabricator. Back when we was doing steel bodies. Still here today, doing a lot of fabricating with carbon fiber and stuff. And when hunting season starts, he leaves. He'll be gone for weeks. That's just. That's just the deal we made. And so being gone for hunting is not unusual. I don't get to do it much. I don't really love it as much as my dad did. I do enjoy it. My dad was hardcore about it. I guess I could be, I guess. And maybe I will down, you know, in the future. But I don't know. I got all kinds of other stuff to do. I feel bad because I'm going. I'm. I'm going to go this weekend. And we got. The Xfinity deal at Martinsville is pretty big deal, pretty important, but it's kind of like you gotta weigh like the. Where are the parties? Where's.

[Russell]

You'll be in Phoenix, right?

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, I'm definitely making Phoenix. But you'll be there? Yeah, I Mean, I feel like this obligation to keep hunting is part of my life because I do love it, and it's part of my dad's life. Important to me. Yeah. And it's really. I can't go after this. After this weekend, I can't go.

[Russell]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

And it's just better to go in a specific time of year, around the rut and all that. Sure, of course. But I don't care if we get anything. I just. I like, you know, grilling steaks and hanging out, talking BS and the. Talking about what, you know, get back and talking about what you saw and taking a friend. That doesn't do it much. My buddy Sean, he doesn't hunt at all. He only goes when I take him. I gave him old bow, and so it's fun just to hang out and see their. What their experiences are like and how much they enjoy it.

[Russell]

Yeah, 100%. There have been a lot of people talking in the YouTube chat about hunting and Sports Addict. We saw this one. They said, do you remember the Dale call? And they want to know if you still had one.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. Let me tell you all something. I've told this story here before, but I had the flu that day. We filmed that. Oh, really?

[Russell]

Dang.

[Dale Jr.]

So I didn't know that. Yeah. So we're. I don't remember exactly what time of year this was, but I'm telling you, like, I was bad sick. And I call. I call Jake Backer, who's working the. He's working the Pepsi deal, the Mountain Dew Pepsi deal for Hendrick at the time. And I call him, and I'm supposed to go downtown Charlotte into a studio and get in this car and have it spun around in circles as we're doing that. You know, the donuts.

[Russell]

Right.

[Dale Jr.]

And there's a lot of other stuff, too, that I needed. They wanted me to film for that commercial. I'm pumped to do it because it's a great commercial. I think that thing aired in the super bowl or something, so. So, I mean, it's like. It's like, got to do it. This is really important, everybody. There's lots of money been spent for this production, and they're all down there in Charlotte waiting on me to get up that morning and go down there. Well, I wake up and I call him. I'm like, jake, I am sick. I can't come. I am bad sick. And he's like, oh, man, give me five minutes. He calls me back. He's like, dude, we got to do this. We can't not shoot this Today, you've got to figure this out. Can you come down here? We have whittled it down to literally nothing. You'll be here 30 minutes. And I'm like, all right. And, I mean, it was. I was miserable. But I drove down there, walk in, they put me in. I climb in this car, get my suit, get makeup and all that stuff, climb in, sit in this car. They spun me around. I did whatever they asked me to do and drinking the Mountain Dew and all that stuff. And they had me out of there in less than an hour. And I was so sick.

[Russell]

Wow.

[Dale Jr.]

But I was so thankful it still turned out fine. We didn't do everything that they. I didn't do everything they had in. In the. The skit, you know, but, yeah, we got it done and it ended up being fun. I didn't know that we were actually ever going to make those. We weren't planning on making the Dell call toy. We weren't. But it was such a. It was like an opportunity. Like, well, damn, I kind of wanted one. Who wouldn't want one of these, right? Yeah. Yeah, I did. Yeah. And so they made them. They. They had somebody. They came up with a company in a. In a. And a way to make that thing. They weren't even thinking to make it. It's fun how stuff like that, it gets. It does so well. And you're like, now we'll. We'll make it.

[Russell]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

It's brilliant marketing. Still signing some of those things here and there.

[Russell]

Oh, really?

[Dale Jr.]

Oh, yeah. Wow.

[Russell]

Do you have one yourself?

[Dale Jr.]

I do have one. Oh, yeah?

[Russell]

Yeah. That's cool.

[Dale Jr.]

Wow.

[Russell]

I had no idea. I never knew that story of yours. And, like, that's like one of the more memorable NASCAR commercials, I feel like, so to watch.

[Dale Jr.]

You know what commercials that I. You know what commercials that I thought were really good that don't get talked about that much were the AMP commercials. We did an AMP commercial with a gorilla and a camel, and we did all these commercials. I flew out to la, and it's right at the front of the Hendrick deal. So it's. We got a lot. There's a lot of excitement. We've got National Guard, Amp Energy, and I mean, there's a bunch of excitement around us racing for Rick. And they are spending a ton of money. They send me out to la and I'm in this gigantic studio where they had filmed, you know, like, Warner Brothers. It's a Warner Brothers lot. Like, we drove onto the Warner Brothers lot. We go in this building. It's like oh, all these different movies were made in here, and I can't remember them, but they were recognizable movies. And they had these sets. They had these big sets that I was going to be doing all these commercials and stuff in. And we did this. We did one with the. With camel. Like, I'm in a. I'm in a camel race, and I'm on a camel racing against other guys, and out in the. Out in the. You know, out in the Sahara Desert or somewhere right out there, and my camel gets tired, and so I drink some amp energy and throw the camel on my back, and I run to the finish line and win. And the commercial is made. It's out there. You watch it. One thing that I came up with that I thought would be so hilarious was in victory lane of the camel race, I had them make a giant check. You know how we hold up the big checks when we win stuff in nascar. And I had them have a check. And on that check was all of that. That crazy writing from, like. Crazy, right, the graphics. Yes. Yeah. And so I don't know what it said, like $100 million or a million dollars or whatever, but don't go to the video because it's not in there. So I'm like, hey, in nascar, when we win, you know, you get these big checks. But it'd be cool if it had all of that. That. That font or language. That language, yeah. And. And I could hold it up and be like, yeah, you know, with the camel. And we filmed it. We filmed that shot and that. And it didn't make the final. Damn it. I was disappointed. I wanted it to so bad. And then we had this. We did in the same day we shot or the same week we shot at a commercial. I'm sitting in a diner, and I open up an amp and take a drink, and an ape comes busting through the window. And it's like. I don't know, like. Like the energy of. Of the drink. Right. Was gonna make crazy things happen around you. And this is. I don't remember exactly the context or how that all. But I. There's a guy in this suit.

[Russell]

Oh, there's a dude.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, it's a dude. And it's what he. It's what he does for a living. Stuntman. He's a stuntman. He busts through windows all the time. And so he. I got. I was like, you know, I've never been in a scene where somebody busts through a window, and we got to do that over and over and over. And I was like, man, this is really fun. And he was great.

[Russell]

I thought you were going to say his job was like, he pretended to be like the ape. Like that. You're like, oh, he's a stuntman. Oh, okay. I thought like, he just. He owned the suit. Like.

[Dale Jr.]

No, like. Well, I mean, he, it was. He was. I don't know if he owned a suit, but he was.

[Russell]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

What are you. I mean, he's in the costume, right? Busting through the window. Yeah, no, it's that one. Those don't get talked about. That was so much money went into producing those. And I thought they were really fun. I love the creative, but they. Yeah. And there was. I forget there was another one where I was in a. I'd have to go back and watch those.

[Russell]

Well, let's ask the YouTube chat, what's your favorite NASCAR commercial? We'll bring some up.

[Dale Jr.]

The bud ones are going to always be popular responses in that question. The lipstick, so much fun.

[Russell]

Give us some deep cuts. YouTube chat. Bring some others up.

[Dale Jr.]

Getting chased by the guys. Like, what was that?

[Russell]

Oh, yeah, like the Mad Max Max.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, that was so much fun. So I'm out. We're literally out in the middle of nowhere, right out west, filming this. And all those people are dressed up like that. And I was literally seriously kind of intimidated.

[Russell]

You're actually scared.

[Dale Jr.]

And you walk up to them and they start talking like normal people. And it's like. It's like Bob from accounting and Jim, you know. Yeah. And. And you're like. And they're like, they're start talking like normal people. It was. It twisted your mind up like a pretzel. Oh, man. Just because I got bud on the car doesn't mean I got bud in the car.

[Russell]

Right?

[Dale Jr.]

Right.

[Russell]

Oh, man, that's so good. Well, as we see the YouTube comments roll in, we'll circle back to it. But just some racing related stuff this week. Chase asks, what was your reaction to Austin Hill? The picture of him that came out flipping off the fans.

[Dale Jr.]

I thought that. I'm glad you asked that. So I screenshotted this. So apparently there's a guy on Twitter that is the one who instigated it. Yeah, instigated it. And posted the photo on Twitter. That's gotten all this attention. That's a little bit different.

[TJ Majors]

That's not the same.

[Dale Jr.]

That's not. So that guy isn't the one that posted it, but there's a guy that posted it.

[Russell]

I think I saw the tweet you're.

[Dale Jr.]

Referring to and he's now responded and said to clarify to, to clarify some context to the picture. Yes, he flipped us off. Yes, we did it first. Yes, we thought it was hilarious.

[Russell]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

So he shouldn't be punished. I respect the gesture and it adds to the needed personality the field needs. I may hate him, but I love to hate him because that's sports. And I like that response. I do too.

[Russell]

Great response.

[Dale Jr.]

Now, let's be clear. Austin Hill did not drive. This is Austin Hill driving by the grandstands, driver's side toward the grandstand. He did not drive down the front straightaway with his middle finger in the air the whole way. He was flipping a guy off. And he's looking directly at the camera and he's responding to some fans who probably four, two or three dudes with their, you know, in the grandstands are probably sitting there double burden him, probably. And he's just giving it back. And I agree we need to embrace this to an extent.

[TJ Majors]

Why not?

[Dale Jr.]

We'll call it out for what it is. They love to hate him. If, if, you know, if you love.

[TJ Majors]

To hate him, this is for you.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. And so I'm, I'm good with it. I agree with, I agree with this post here about letting it slide because it does add some color. And, you know, there's not a lot of people out there willing to be the villain, to be the bad guy, to be the guy that's, you know, not a lot of guys willing to do that. And honestly, man, you know, Austin Hill, I think Denny's. I want to give Denny a little credit. Denny's shown you how to do that and survive it. Right. A lot of people are worried about being the bad guy because they think it could affect. Negatively affect your career. Right. Opportunity, things like that. So I think a lot of people are like. And sponsors. A sponsor gets upset and their driver's a bad guy. Kyle Busch probably worried years ago. That man is M&MS. Bothered by this perception. And I need to correct. Course correct this right to, to. Because Eminem's probably doesn't want the least popular driver to be right because you're their rep. So, yeah, you know, things are much different for Kyle these days, but in terms of popularity. But at one point in his career, I mean, it might have been a concern with, with, with the sponsor. So Denny has opened doors to show, hey, this is how you engage with fans. This is how you can give it back to them. And, and I think this is perfectly, it's, it's unique, it's unusual. I don't want to see every driver out there flipping birds, but.

[Russell]

Right.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[TJ Majors]

It's actually fun. It's actually kind of fun.

[Dale Jr.]

Well, if he had driven down the front straightaway with his arm out the window, doing it to everybody, it had been one thing, but it wasn't that. It was once. It was a response to some individuals and grandstands, they've cleared it up, and I think it's fair game.

[TJ Majors]

I think they're looking forward to next year's race.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. Hoping they want this again, do it again.

[TJ Majors]

They want this again. You know what I mean?

[Travis]

I think R.C. kind of liked it, too, probably. You got to think about the team that he races for.

[Dale Jr.]

Okay. I think they all probably thought it was fine. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't.

[TJ Majors]

It's fine.

[Dale Jr.]

No, no. No way. NASCAR should penalize this.

[Russell]

Jimmy Spencer said yes.

[Dale Jr.]

I saw Jimmy Spencer say that he was. I think Jimmy was, you know, feeling himself a little bit, you know, having a good time with the DBC boys and excited to be on the show. And I. And I don't entirely agree with that. I think you got a. There's. It's. It can't be so black and white. Look at the context here. Understand now, had he done it all the way down the front straightaway is a. Basically a bird to everybody.

[Russell]

That's different.

[Dale Jr.]

I'd say that's something. We need to get him in the room and go, listen, pal, you know that can't happen. Yeah, but this kind of stuff right here, just. It's like, no different than, you know, Kevin Durant going on Twitter and going back at trolls. I saw him, you know, he's like, hey, man, that's like my morning coffee. They're like, why do you give. Yeah. Why do you waste your time with this? He's like, you ought to try it. It's fun.

[TJ Majors]

You know, I think this is awesome that it even lined up like this to, like, the odds of this.

[Dale Jr.]

Like, great. It's like, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm fine with it.

[Russell]

That's. That's a fair opinion. We're gonna have to wrap this, Junior. It's been good, but I do want to follow up on some people's favorite commercials. I saw a lot of pancakes. Comments.

[Dale Jr.]

Oh, yeah. Water Cooler Dale. Water Cooler Dale was fun. That was fun.

[Russell]

Gnomes are magic.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, Gnomes was good.

[Russell]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

So Water Cooler Dale was great.

[Russell]

That was filmed at Junior Motorsports.

[Dale Jr.]

It was that.

[Russell]

Yeah. Cuz I recognized, like, the break room. Oh, dang.

[Dale Jr.]

I've warmed my food. Water Cooler Dale was awesome for me because it actually opened up this sort of reoccurring meme of me in all these various roles. Right. And so that actually was kind of fun because that kind of started something that continued. And so. Yeah. Yeah. Does everybody else feel like that he cuts us short on this every time.

[Travis]

We'Ve gone 30 minutes on.

[Dale Jr.]

Just ask Junior.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

Okay.

[Russell]

It feels like 10, 30 minutes is the goal time.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[TJ Majors]

Hunting. Hunting was a lot.

[Dale Jr.]

It feels like.

[Russell]

Hey, I do want to give a shout out to bluegrass boy in the YouTube comments. He just randomly gave us 20 donation, so I appreciate that.

[Dale Jr.]

If I knew where he was, he was standing right here, I'd give him this bag. All right. You know what else is good? Good in the world. Best in the world. Xfinity, Xfinity, WI Fi, Xfinity Mobile. All the things Xfinity does. As a series team owner, I rely on things that perform under pressure. We can't have our wi Fi dropping. That's why we go with Xfinity. Fast, dependable Internet with one price locked in for five years. No contact, no contracts, no slowdowns, no nonsense. Like, if you don't like it, you can get out. No contract. I mean, why. Why not try something? It's just like filter time. Why not try something if you can just. It's not for me. I tried it. No contract. I like that. I'm willing to give things a go that aren't going to lock me into something. Yeah, don't lock me in. Well, with Xfinity WI Fi, you won't be locked in. You won't be locked into nothing but reliable, strong Internet. Did you like that? That was a good segue, right? Xfinity is a proud premier partner of nascar. Thank y' all for tuning in. We've had some fun this morning. We've got a great show for you.

[Travis]

Getting caught in awkward situations can really make you sweat. For me, it was being shown on national television during Ohio State football games in the college football playoffs. I'm nervous or upset about how the game is going, and then they show me on tv. Thankfully, while the world knew I was upset, I didn't have to worry about them seeing me sweat because I had that taken care of. Thanks to Dove. When you upgrade to Dove Men plus Care, you can conquer almost any awkward moment. Dove Men Antiperspirant dry spray helps neutralize odor killing bacteria that thrive on stress. Sweat. Keep your cool all day long with 72 hours sweat and odor protection. Get comfortable with uncomfortable pick up. Dove Men plus Care dry sprays at your Target, Walmart or Amazon.

[Dale Jr.]

Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen. Place your bets. This segment of Dirty Mode is brought to you by FanDuel. Dirty Mo Doe with Tampa, Timms and Russell. No surprise, Vegas has the playoff drivers as the top eight. Good job, Vegas.

[Travis]

Boring.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. Blaney is the favorite at plus 400 going into Martinsville. Larson, Hamlin, plus 500. Bells in there. Elliot, Byron, Logano plus 850. Briscoe at plus 1600.

[TJ Majors]

Wow.

[Dale Jr.]

Last week's winner. Briscoe should be offended.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah. But I think that's fair right here. He's got a win. He's just trying to.

[Dale Jr.]

He should take that and use it as fuel.

[TJ Majors]

Use it as fuel, win the race.

[Travis]

Screw you, Bucks.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. Yeah. Russ, does your model agree with Las Vegas? I'm close, but my model is not emotional, and I think Vegas is more emotional. So, like, I don't have Blaney at the top because of that. Oh, really? Well, the numbers say, like, Denny Larson, Chase Elliott, then Ryan Blaney are like you, that it's. They're exactly the same. So did Blaney have a bad. Lenny have a bad hot dog or something? What's going on? No, no, it's just that's. He's been good. Well, recent. Like, he's up and down recently. Give me the statistics. He won this race the last two years, so that's where Vegas. Wait, but he's been up and down.

[Travis]

Where's the down.

[Dale Jr.]

Where's the down part?

[TJ Majors]

More than the most of them.

[Dale Jr.]

He is down because of the way he's run this year. He's not as consistent as he. Oh. Since he didn't have a good race at Michigan. Oh, he's not got a chance at Martinsville. I see.

[TJ Majors]

Oh, he cut that tire. He got a tire at Kansas. That was bad. Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. Wow.

[TJ Majors]

Bad, bad deal.

[Dale Jr.]

You have a problem with him being tied for third behind Hamlin and Larson? Sorry. Yes, you do. Has he won this race the last two years? Yes, but Denny's won here six times. Then he's raised for 35 years. He's running 10,000 races. I mean, Denny won here in the spring. Denny won here before. Like, since Blaney won here. Yeah. So I would take the guy that has won more recently.

[TJ Majors]

So you think there's that much separation between them, though?

[Dale Jr.]

You're wrong. Vegas has got it right. You're doing the emotional part.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah. You're emotional here. I've watched the how driver, and Denny's great at Martinsville. Don't get Me wrong. But nobody runs Martinsville like ryan Blaney nowadays.

[Dale Jr.]

TJ, Telly.

[TJ Majors]

I mean, I've watched TJ's up there.

[Dale Jr.]

TJ's up there watching every corner. He's emotional.

[Travis]

The.

[Dale Jr.]

The model.

[TJ Majors]

Not emotional. I watch it with my eyes. Yeah, the eye test. Yeah, you know, the eye test. That's not emotional.

[Dale Jr.]

Yep. I don't have the eye test. I have.

[Travis]

No.

[TJ Majors]

That's obvious.

[Dale Jr.]

What makes him so good at this track.

[TJ Majors]

Tj, the. I mean, they've just. They've been good here setup wise, even since Brad got really good at Martinsville in the 2 car before.

[Dale Jr.]

Damn. I knew Brad was going to have to drug into this conversation that started.

[TJ Majors]

Penske started then getting really good and then they. I don't bring it up. I'm just telling you they've been good since there. Like, this has been one of Penske's tracks.

[Dale Jr.]

Okay. Okay. All right.

[TJ Majors]

It's been Joey's one here.

[Dale Jr.]

We were going to win this argument.

[TJ Majors]

We still are going to win.

[Dale Jr.]

Brad Keselowski tie.

[TJ Majors]

I'm saying Penske has. And it's. No, it's in the show sheet. The season ends with Penske's strong tracks. This is a strong track for Penske. This is a strong track for Ryan Blaney. And watching. This is where the. The. Like I'm telling you, watching Ryan run this track, he does not waver on his line. He doesn't search. He is 6 inches off the curb the entire race on both ends. He has the lowest exit of turn four. He has the. The most smoothest one and two that you can run. And he's just good here. Like, he's really good.

[Dale Jr.]

They are going to. You're. They are going to Martinsville in a race they must win, a race they've won the last two times we've been there. They. Not only is he good there and the setup they have is somewhat successful there, but they will be pushing the limits. They. The car they're going to take to Martinsville might be more aggressive than what they'll eventually take to Phoenix. This is like an all in Hail Mary.

[TJ Majors]

It is. You got to have.

[Dale Jr.]

And so. And Denny is going there. The guy that the model has ahead of. Of Blaney. Denny's going there locked in like he's got.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

He doesn't have the same pressure. He doesn't have. His team doesn't have to have the same aggression. They're going to. They're going to save that ability to really push the boundaries in the tech line. Next week in Phoenix. They're not going to go get their ass in trouble and get draw the scrutiny of nascar, draw the spotlight when it doesn't matter. And so I feel like, you know, the car, but just unloading the cars, Blaney is going to be the favorite. And then when you factor in what everybody's up against and how you know Denny's safe.

[TJ Majors]

He is safe.

[Dale Jr.]

I don't know that.

[TJ Majors]

Briscoe safe.

[Dale Jr.]

They don't listen. And I know you're going to say this too, and I agree. They don't want a Phoenix. They don't want a Penske car to win. They don't want a Penske car to be racing them at Phoenix, but they also don't want to get to have the speed. He'll be the fastest car of these eight.

[TJ Majors]

You don't want to go to Phoenix also with on guys list that are going to race the heck out of you either. Like, you don't want to make somebody's Martinsville bad.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[TJ Majors]

And then go to Phoenix and have to face that guy that's not in the championship.

[Dale Jr.]

What do you think about that, Russell?

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, we think about that.

[Dale Jr.]

I agree it's emotional.

[TJ Majors]

I know it's emotional, but I mean.

[Dale Jr.]

I'm just, I'm just here for the numbers. I can't be as emotional.

[TJ Majors]

Your numbers are. Are really weird sometimes. I think sometimes your numbers are entered into the computer emotionally.

[Dale Jr.]

The numbers never lie. TJ yeah. Well, Tim's question for you. Hey, does a, Does a non playoff driver have a shot?

[Travis]

No.

[Dale Jr.]

Zero. Zero shot. Zero shot. Who win, who wins? Where's your favorite?

[TJ Majors]

I like, I like Ryan Bunny and Chase Elliott. Chase Elliott was really.

[Dale Jr.]

I'm really surprised I don't have Chase. I'm, I'm. This is purely emotion. I haven't got that confidence that you guys have in Chase.

[TJ Majors]

I don't see. I just think it's. Blaney's really good there. Chase was really good there last year. I think one of those guys can win their way in. And the battles between Bell and Larson.

[Dale Jr.]

Bell, 8th and 9th for the.

[TJ Majors]

To get in. Really?

[Chase Briscoe]

Yeah.

[TJ Majors]

I don't, I don't think they'll win. I don't think Briscoe or Hammond will win.

[Dale Jr.]

Where's Bell's? Bell's been great at this racetrack. Is he, is he not got it this year, guys?

[TJ Majors]

I just don't believe in him.

[Dale Jr.]

He's been hit or miss lately here. Yeah. And Chase has been really giving you guys a lot of confidence lately. Chase has been top four the last three. He's averaging 100 laps led here in the last 10 races.

[TJ Majors]

What about the focus at Hendrick, though? The focus is going to be on the 5 and 24. Right. Don't you think that would add a little bit?

[Dale Jr.]

No.

[Travis]

What do you mean? Why wouldn't I focus on the nine, too?

[Dale Jr.]

No, I don't know.

[Travis]

I mean, I just think the Chase.

[Dale Jr.]

Set this one out.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, you're right.

[Travis]

You and Bowman go sit over there.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[TJ Majors]

I just don't have confidence. But you're right. Chase can show up and be dominant at times, and he could very well do that here. He could do it now.

[Dale Jr.]

I think I love what you guys are saying about Chase. I'm being educated here. He's. He's obviously, you know, with what you're telling me, I feel like Chase is my Chevrolet driver for this weekend.

[TJ Majors]

Yes. 100%.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah. I like. I like Byron. I mean. Sorry. I like Blaney and Chase. Now, when we. When we think about the Toyota camp, you know, is it Bell? You know, do we see Hamlin even trying to influence Bell's success this weekend? Man, I think they're just like.

[TJ Majors]

They're ducks till Phoenix. Honestly.

[Dale Jr.]

I think Denny will be. I think. I think Denny can go outrun Bell this weekend. So, like, who is our Toyota guy?

[TJ Majors]

I like Bubba.

[Dale Jr.]

Yep. Sorry, Bubba.

[TJ Majors]

I don't think. I don't think 2311 has anything to lose at Martinsville.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, he's run pretty well here last couple years. Give me some statistics back then.

[TJ Majors]

Russ.

[Dale Jr.]

Get the statistics. Help him out, Russ. And two of the last three here.

[TJ Majors]

There you go.

[Dale Jr.]

Really? I don't know if that's good enough for me to feel confident. He can be.

[TJ Majors]

He's just the best non playoff driver.

[Dale Jr.]

You're going. What are you going to.

[TJ Majors]

All right.

[Dale Jr.]

And you're getting good odds on that.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, you would get good odds.

[Dale Jr.]

I mean, that means that. That influencing your choice.

[TJ Majors]

Oh, yeah, that's 100%. I. I think he runs better than Briscoe. I think he runs better than Bell. And you just beat now Denny. And I don't know how much Denny's going to go up there and rough up the cash, but if Denny's car is good, he's going to.

[Travis]

That's the thing is Denny's going to want to win.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, I don't. I mean, if Denny's car is definitely.

[Dale Jr.]

Going to want to win, everybody wants to win. I just. You got to factor in all of the. The thing, the prep, the things going into it.

[TJ Majors]

I agree. When you're talking Toyota, Denny is the most feared guy. If you're picking Bubba. I agree.

[Travis]

Would you take bubba at top 10 for plus 110?

[TJ Majors]

Yes, 100. I think he's a top 10 guarantee. So if he's in the top 10, you're probably beating. He's probably first through third of Toyotas.

[Dale Jr.]

Let's talk some matchups real quick. Bell, Larson.

[TJ Majors]

I think Bell beats him head to head. I do right now. Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

Russell. I like Larson. All right. The inconsistency from Bell is reared its head. Larson seems to be back on track, don't you think, Russell? I agree. All right. Logano, Blaney. I'm gonna go with Blaney here. Logano is right there on his heels, though. That guy ain't no fool. He's. He's a no slouch at Martinsville, but I just feel like Blaney's success there, I don't know. Why would you pick Logano over him?

[Russell]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

Russell, we need. Yeah, I agree. Now logano's finished top 10 in the last 12 races there, but like. Yeah, but he's. Blaney still beat him in most of those, so. Yeah. Byron, Chase Elliott. I think we're all saying Chase Elliott. Yeah, Chase Elliott, Hamlin, Briscoe, I think we're all going. Hamlet. Yeah, those last two, I feel pretty confident. About the others, I'm not quite as sure. Talk about some other drivers. Okay, so you, you talked about Bubba for a top 10. Who's some other drivers, do you think still a top 10 man, I think Ryan Priest has.

[Travis]

It has a chance.

[Dale Jr.]

He's been top 10 and two of.

[Russell]

The last three there.

[Dale Jr.]

I love it.

[Travis]

Plus 300.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[TJ Majors]

I throw in Reddick, but I'm not confident in it. I just, I don't lightly like most of the non playoff guys besides Bubba. I really don't.

[Dale Jr.]

Bubba Priest, about the only two worth.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, maybe Bowman, but I doubt it because he's the.

[Dale Jr.]

He's the fourth car. They're not. They're not going to focus on him. Chastain would be the other one that I would. He's actually going to. They're actually loading up a truck for him. He's going to race a truck in this race. He's not even going to have it next year.

[TJ Majors]

He's not going probably.

[Dale Jr.]

I mean, Ginger's like, yep, no more. You don't even show up. You're racing a truck.

[TJ Majors]

I honestly kind of forgot Chase was still like eligible like because he got so far back.

[Dale Jr.]

I'm just saying, like, he goes to every race.

[TJ Majors]

No, I know, but being. Being 62 back.

[Travis]

Maybe if you tell Brad to push.

[Dale Jr.]

The business on your job.

[TJ Majors]

Did he say he's a nice and 62 points?

[Dale Jr.]

Sorry. Gee, sucks.

[TJ Majors]

Whatever.

[Dale Jr.]

You said Chase being a sissy, too. That's what you said. I heard it.

[TJ Majors]

That bright blue Napa car doesn't even exist. Yeah, that's not there.

[Dale Jr.]

That's not out there. But dj, everyone below the cut line basically has to win, so.

[TJ Majors]

Oh, 100%. This is kind of.

[Dale Jr.]

It doesn't matter if you're 36 back or 62 back.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, I said in the beginning of the show. And even, like, two of these guys are gonna have to wreck early to even have a shot at pointing the way in, like Larson and Bell or whatever.

[Dale Jr.]

That's right. Well, the last thing we have to do, guys, before we wrap up this segment of Dirty Modo is determine our Toyota car. Is it Hamlin? Who is it Hamlin or Bell or Bubba?

[TJ Majors]

Man, I've honestly got to go with Denny. I think Denny goes to Martin's with a little bit of an edge already.

[Travis]

Because of any bro.

[Dale Jr.]

So our parlay. Our parlay this week is going to be Denny Blaney, Chase Elliot, sprinkle a.

[TJ Majors]

Little bit on bub on the side.

[Dale Jr.]

All right, well, we've had a lot of fun. Thanks for coming. Russell, good to see you. Tampa Tim's this 30 mod doe segment was brought to you by FanDuel, the premier gaming destination in the United States. All right, it's time for the white flag. The teardown was live on YouTube and Twitter following the race. If you haven't already, head over to dirty mo media's YouTube page. Subscribe turn on notifications. You won't miss anything. Door bumper clear. Dropped on Monday. Jimmy Spencer was the guest. You got to check that out. Actions detrimental also dropped. And he had a great breakdown of the final laps in the battle between Chase Briscoe and Bubba Wallace in Sunday's race. My guest interview tomorrow with Raja Carruth is out Wednesday. And then Herman Schrader and Speed street. They'll be dropping Wednesday as well. Thursday, another episode of Bless yous Heart. And then finally the Dirty 30 on Friday. We'll see you. It's Cybersecurity awareness month, and LifeLock is here with tips to help protect your identity. Use strong pass, set up Multi factor authentication and report phishing scams.

[TJ Majors]

And for comprehensive identity protection, LifeLock is your best choice. LifeLock alerts you to suspicious uses of your personal information and also fixes identity.

[Dale Jr.]

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[TJ Majors]

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