Dale Jr.'s Epic 2001 Celebration & Dale Sr.'s Leadership Lessons

Summary

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The Dale Jr. Download

Episode: Dale Jr.'s Epic 2001 Celebration & Dale Sr.'s Leadership Lessons

Date: July 10, 2026
Host: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dirty Mo Media
Guest Contributors: Tommy Baldwin, Ward Burton, Kenny Francis, Jeff Burton, Tyler Reddick

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Episode Overview

This episode captures candid reflections from Dale Earnhardt Jr. and guests on two central themes: the iconic celebration after Dale Jr.'s emotional 2001 Daytona win—just months after his father's death—and the enduring leadership lessons instilled by Dale Earnhardt Sr. The conversation peels back the curtain on NASCAR victory lane culture, career choices, the business and family side of racing, and the complexity of leading in a competitive, evolving sport.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reaction to the TNT Daytona Tribute Piece

• [02:50-06:05]
  • Dale Jr. describes his surprise and gratitude after seeing a segment produced by TNT, focusing on his 2001 Daytona win.
  • The segment was unannounced, and he was moved by the drivers' and fans’ response.
  • Quote:

    “As soon as he started talking, I recognized the race he was presenting. And I'm like, oh... I was just awesome. I felt like a million bucks for that brief moment.”
    — Dale Earnhardt Jr., [05:38]

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2. 2001 Daytona Win: The Celebration & Meaning

• [06:05-10:13]
  • Dale Jr. reminisces about the unique, organic nature of that post-race celebration—choosing to put his team and emotions first, before the “scripted” ritual NASCAR prefers.
  • Winning and celebrating in his own way was a form of personal healing and defiance, especially in the wake of his father’s death.
  • The emotional weight seeing his uncle, Danny Earnhardt, in the celebrations hammered home the loss of Dale Sr.
  • Memorable Quote:

    “I was like, I'm gonna do what the hell I want and celebrate with my team... I don't want to be around any handlers, any NASCAR people telling me whatever I needed to be and go.”
    — Dale Earnhardt Jr., [07:12]

  • Moment of Pathos:

    “The look on Danny's face... is the same look he had on his face in February when we lost dad. And that's the hardest part for me... I was young and naive... I didn't realize what I'd lost. Danny did. He was old enough to know.”
    — Dale Earnhardt Jr., [09:18]

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3. Old School Racing: Crew Chiefs, Manufacturer Changes, Missed Opportunities

• [11:28-19:08]
  • Ward Burton and Tommy Baldwin reminisce about high and low points together at Bill Davis Racing, resource constraints, and the shifting landscape as big manufacturers like Toyota entered NASCAR.
  • Baldwin details turning down a chance to crew chief for Jeff Gordon (Hendrick Motorsports) after a sobering call with his father, opting to stay and “build something” where he was.
  • Quote:

    "You're in the middle of building one [a dynasty]. Where you're at, why don't you just build what you got there?"
    — Tommy Baldwin's father, as told by Tommy Baldwin, [16:20]

  • Ward even paid part of Baldwin’s salary to keep him, emphasizing loyalty within the team.
  • The segment highlights the challenges and pride in operating without factory-level resources, and the emotional bonds that often override career ambition.

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4. Championship Momentum & Luck in Racing

• [19:27-22:55]
  • Dale Jr. and Tyler Reddick discuss how string of race finishes and “luck” can color the season.
  • Reddick is open about the mental side of not winning, how drivers process a “dry spell,” and why regular season points can matter more than isolated wins.
  • Quote:

    "That's seven races without winning... that's a dry spell. But not winning doesn't affect momentum. Not if you can also win the regular season."
    — Tyler Reddick, [21:49, 22:39]

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5. Leadership & Family in Racing: Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s Lessons

• [26:40-33:47]
  • Jeff Burton reflects on learning the business side at arm’s length from his father, Dale Sr.—and how that forced independence actually paid dividends later in his career.
  • The group discusses the generational shift in work ethic, expectations, and the importance of starting from the bottom.
  • Jeff shares valuable lessons: balancing high expectations as a leader, learning to delegate, and the necessity of diverse personalities within a winning team.
  • Quote:

    “One of the things I struggled with for a lot of years is my own expectations of people... I was a very high expectation boss... and I've mellowed out a lot.”
    — Jeff Burton, [30:39]

  • On team composition:

    “You really don't want all the same kind of people in your business. You want different thinkers, critical thinkers, creative thinkers... That's very important in our business.”
    — Jeff Burton, [33:06]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "I'm gonna do what the hell I want and celebrate with my team."
  — Dale Earnhardt Jr. on post-victory ritual, [07:12]

• "The look on Danny's face...is the same look he had...when we lost dad. That's the hardest part for me."
  — Dale Jr. on the 2001 Daytona aftermath, [09:18]

• "You're in the middle of building one [a dynasty]. Where you're at, why don't you just build what you got there?"
  — Tommy Baldwin's father to Tommy Baldwin, [16:20]

• "Not winning doesn't affect momentum. Not if you can also win the regular season."
  — Tyler Reddick, [22:39]

• "I struggled with...my own expectations of people... I've mellowed out a lot...and delegation was a really hard one for me, too."
  — Jeff Burton, [30:39–32:54]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:50-06:05] — Dale Jr. reacts to the TNT Daytona tribute
• [06:05-10:13] — Stories and emotions from Dale Jr.'s 2001 Daytona win celebration
• [11:28-19:08] — Deep dive into team dynamics, missed opportunities, and manufacturer politics with Baldwin and Burton
• [19:27-22:55] — Racing momentum, points, and the role of “luck” with Tyler Reddick
• [26:40-33:47] — Leadership lessons, learning from Dale Sr., and the evolution of management style with Jeff Burton

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Episode Tone & Language

The conversation is candid, emotionally charged, and leans on storytelling and lived experiences. Dale Jr. remains authentic and candid about his own choices, while all contributors provide frank discussion about leadership, loyalty, and how the sport—and life lessons—evolve over time.

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For Listeners

This episode is a must for NASCAR fans who cherish behind-the-scenes memories, family legacies, and the evolving grind behind racing culture. You'll hear unfiltered wisdom, nostalgia, and lessons applicable far beyond the racetrack.

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Transcript

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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[Podcast Host/Announcer]

First question, this was a popular one, is what was your reaction to the TNT piece about your Daytona win?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Oh yeah, dude, I had no idea

that they put that together.

And I didn't even like connect it to July 4th. You know, it's sort of like a. They were.

So we get this text message from

our producer on the pre race and Jeremy, he's a great guy, tons of fun to work with, easy going. And they're, he's done some inside the NBA stuff. So he, he's like, hey, kind of wants our show to have that feel where we're just chopping it up and giving each other a hard time.

And he, he texts us. All right, man, this is what we're

going to talk about, y'.

[Tommy Baldwin]

All.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Segment one, most patriotic races in nascar.

Segment two.

You know, it's just, that's it, that's all you. All right, you're going to talk about that.

Segment one, no more notes, no more information than that.

You're on your own. And so we sat down at the desk and I got the, the text messages. Tomorrow we are on at 4am or tomorrow we're on the air at 4pm local. Here's what the outline of the show looks like. Segment 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. And it's just one bullet point for each segment. And so I start writing down most patriotic NASCAR moments. I mean, I'm having a hard time picking one. And so my mind went to like, you know, I just remember racing in Daytona or as a kid going to Daytona in July. And I thought that was epic. Being at the beach during that weekend, racing in the morning and getting out on the beach in the sand and playing as a kid or swimming at the pool by the afternoon after the race and Daytona Just felt like where we were supposed to be. And anyhow, you know, we're going through. Everybody else starts talking about a race, and they talked about the Dover 2001 race, which was cool. And then they. Marty started talking and teeing up this piece, and as soon as he started talking, I recognized the race he was. He was presenting. And I'm like, oh. And they started running this piece. I can watch it. We got a monitor in front of us, so I'm watching it happen, and the drivers are looking. I don't know what the drivers were watching, but they got this iPad, you know, and I guess it's, you know, scenes from the race or whatever. And that was just really cool, man, to hear them, hear them all have an opinion or a comment or. And then the fan reaction to it on social media afterwards. I got text messages from my wife

[FanDuel/Arby's Advertiser]

and,

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

you know, just my sister, everybody. It was cool. I mean, it was just really, really cool. I was. I. I told Jeremy, thanks for that. I got connected to a couple of the individuals in the production team that worked on that piece directly and thank them, and, you know, I was just awesome. I felt like a million bucks for. For that brief moment.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

What do you remember of the celebration after you won that race? Because I think people. A lot of people were tweeting in about, you know, how iconic that was. What do you remember from that?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

You know, just.

I don't know how drivers feel about it today, but when you win a race, when you. Back then, when you want to race, NASCAR couldn't wait to get you into victory lane because they had an interview that needed to get done and everything. As soon as you got out of the car in victory lane, it was like somebody had you by the wrist or by the arm, and they were like, all right, go over here, sit here, stand here. Put this hat on. Smile. Take this picture. Change your hat. Hold this. Hold this photo. Hold this trophy. Put this over here. Hold this flag. Put this hat on. Change this hat. Put this hat on. And victory lane celebrations would often feel like a photo shoot or, like, work.

[Kenny Francis]

I.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

And

I got a taste of that

when I was racing in the bush series in 98, 99. And so I had an. I've had an intentional. Anytime I won, I was like, I'm gonna do what the hell I want to do. I'm all. I'm gonna celebrate with my team. Like, when we won the Daytona 500 in 04. I pull down on front straightaway and get out. We didn't do front straightaway interviews. They wanted your ass to maybe celebrate a little bit, but get to Victory Lane and get. Get. So the. So the. So the broadcast could get the interview and. Because the broadcast is trying to go off air. Yeah, we're on a big network, and they're trying to get the hell off air. They got. They got another damn show to run. They got another TV show, whatever it might be, that's got to start. And so you couldn't be farting around, you know, in the infield somewhere. But I was like, I'm gonna do what the hell I want and celebrate with my team. I don't want to be around any handlers, any NASCAR people telling me whatever I needed to be and go. And so we pull down into the infield and do some donuts, and I see Michael. Do. I see Michael in his car. And so I park and he parks, and we get out, and it's just like, man, we'll get to Victory Lane soon enough. No rush. We'll get. We'll get there. And then everybody runs out there. Chocolate Myers and all. My team, I think the hardest. When I watched that clip, When I watched that clip, the hardest part of it is there's a real short clip of Danny Earnhardt, my dad's brother. And I remember it. Yep. And the look on Danny's face, that's

[Tyler Reddick]

really the only time you see that, too.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Like, I saw, he just walks by

[Tommy Baldwin]

the camera as he's passing by, and

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

you can see him, and there's. Everybody around Danny is. Is in elation, and they're. They're.

They're.

A couple people got their hands on Danny, and they're shaking him, and everybody's just jumping and happy. Danny Senior has this look on his face like he. Like. Like the same look he had on his face in February when we lost dad. And that's the hardest part for me, because I know that I was young and naive. Right. I lost my dad, but I was young and naive, and I was. I wasn't. I didn't realize what I'd lost. You know what I'm saying? And Danny did. He was old enough to know. And so that was tough, but just a really cool piece. And I just remember we were going to get to Victor Lane. When we got to Victor Lane, we weren't no damn hurry. And so. But now they do the front straightaway interview and all kinds of stuff, so they go ahead and get the interview knocked out.

[Ward Burton]

Hi, y'.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

All.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

This drum and Tiff Davis, our new weekly podcast is out now on dirty mo rodeo's YouTube channel and podcast platforms with new episodes every Thursday. Leave us a comment and a review and come see what this cowboy life is all about. Hope y' all come and check us out. Till next time.

Adios.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

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[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

Alright, time to move on to ask DBC with the questions you've all been waiting for. Get answers. So Ward, we'll start with From when in Daytona? 500 loose lug nuts at Watkins Glen. What's your favorite memory?

[Tommy Baldwin]

Bring that up because we're kicking their ass that race.

[Ward Burton]

Well, I.

[Kenny Francis]

You're really.

[Ward Burton]

They gave me a really good call, but we all made mistakes. Why are y' all busting Tommy's ball? I mean think. Think about it. How many crew chiefs also went over the wall and he wanted to do

[Tommy Baldwin]

it, but I have a choice. We didn't have the people.

[Ward Burton]

Yeah, exactly. He was damn good at it.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

Any other memory that maybe the cameras didn't catch between you two during your tenure?

[Ward Burton]

Man, we went through good times and not so good times as Tommy alluded to later when we were together. Resources. We were closing the gap with Tommy's enthusiasm. Davis was letting him do, for the most part what he wanted to do with the resources he had. The gap was being closed. I mean there was a time we were in top six in the points with the Gibbs and rcrs and the Hendricks Rouse. And technology just started changing it and we couldn't. We didn't have resource to keep up with it. And it was really at the time, I don't think Tommy understood what was going. Neither did I.

[Tommy Baldwin]

Well, I understood, but what was happening that I didn't know back then at Bill Davis Racing was Toyota was coming into the scene. And as everybody knows, Bill Davis was the one that started the Toyota truck team. Well, as technology was growing and becoming more important in our sport, all the tools and all the people were getting shifted to building this new Toyota truck program. So I was kind of left on an island. They took, they took our head engineer and they took my head body being Todd, Todd Holbert and they took my head body guy that back then, those are the two things that you relied on. And they went and went over to the. We called it area, they called it Area 51. It was three, four or five months before I even knew what was going on. And they took him and I was by myself for a little bit. So that kind of hurt. And obviously the Toyota program took off and was very successful with how they were doing it again. Toyota started their, everybody work together right from the beginning. I mean every Toyota truck was built in that facility for other teams. So Toyota had that mentality right from the beginning when they came into the sport. So once we switched to Toyota, we were behind on, even on in the cup. We were behind on engineering. And Joe, we relied on again, Joe Gibbs kind of information that you, you know, they, they weren't going to give up anything back then. So yeah, we, we lost our way a little bit there and yeah, it was hard. It was hard. We, I think we finished in the top 10 in points for two years in a row and won some races and lost a lot of, lot of races as well. But it was fun, man. We had a good time together.

[Ward Burton]

We did.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

Tommy, you passed up on a pretty good opportunity.

[Ward Burton]

Hold on just a minute. So you just told me a story and I didn't realize that, so thanks for sharing. And what did happen when it got publicly known, Darrell Jackson and another guy with Dodd called me at Dover and because they had just found out about it and they cut off all support too to the team, the Dodge support

[Tommy Baldwin]

one, because we were dodg.

[Ward Burton]

So it sent Davis into a different direction but actually killed us. It won't long after that he got released and then the next year I

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

got released while you were still with the Bill Davis team. Tommy, you turned down a pretty lucrative opportunity to go to a championship winning organization to stay with the 22. Why?

[Tommy Baldwin]

I mean Ward, Ward had a big influence after it and it was after the fact, right? I already, you know, I was going to take over from Ray Everham to do crew chief Jeff Gordon. And I made all my calls, right? I walked into Bill Davis, told him, because it had to happen quick because it was going to be almost past mid year at that point. And then I called my dad and I got silence from him. I'm like, I thought you did you really. Yeah, I got silence from him. I'm like, what's wrong? He's like, you know, he's. He's typical dad, right? He's like, dude, they have a dynasty already over there.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

You're.

[Tommy Baldwin]

You're in the middle of building one. Where you're at, why don't you just build what you got there? And I'm like. I hung up the phone. I was like, oh, right. I'm like, now what am I going to do? Right? And they're getting ready to announce raise on the plane on the way to Michigan. And they were going to announce it that afternoon, right? So I called, I called Tommy, Tommy iii. I said, hey, I just want to let you know I'm all excited. He starts crying, right? He started crying. Oh, Jeb, you know, because him and Jeb are friends.

[Ward Burton]

Why are you leaving?

[Tommy Baldwin]

I'm like, oh. And then I called Ward. I just want to let you know. And Ward went to. Ward went to bat for me. He hung up the phone, and within a half hour, he called me up and he says, all right, here's what we're gonna do with this. This, that, that.

[Ward Burton]

I paid part of his salary.

[Tommy Baldwin]

Yeah. He ended up paying part of my salary for me to stay because David wouldn't do it. Yeah,

[Ward Burton]

it was. Yeah. Because we, we had what we needed with his leadership.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

What year was this?

[Tommy Baldwin]

92,000.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

So before the 500, I went to

[Ward Burton]

Jeff Gordon and got on his, you know what at Indy, like, you trying to steal my damn. He said, what? It ain't me. I said,

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

and then one more thing on the manufacturer front. So, 2000, you got the first win at Darlington in the spring race and the Pontiac for Bill Davis. And then that was one of the teams that transitioned to Dodge in the first year. You go back to Darlington in the fall and win the Southern 500. How did you gel so quickly going from the success with the Pontiac car to the Dodge car in that day and age?

[Tommy Baldwin]

Yeah, I mean, the Dodge was a better body, so we actually helped us going to the next races. I mean, we, we used all the same tools, same setup and stuff. I think there was a couple different things you had. You had to do from the spring to fall Darlington race to, to make the cars just as good and we knew what needed to be done. So, yeah, we had a lot of fun at Darlington, man. I mean, we. We had a lot of really good, good races at all those facilities. And again, man, it's just. We were racers, right? When I. We brought a bunch of racers, you know, you heard Chris. Chris Rice last week on the show.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

Just.

[Tommy Baldwin]

We had a lot of people. We had a lot of fun too, right? And we worked hard, we played hard, and it was good, man, good times.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I wish y' all would have, at some point when y' all did have opportunities to go somewhere, looking back on it, y' all could have went somewhere that had more resources.

[Ward Burton]

Robert Yates called me and he wanted both of us to come.

[Tommy Baldwin]

Yeah, they didn't have a lot of resources.

[Ward Burton]

He had everything when he needed it. But then when the sport grew, they didn't care.

[Tommy Baldwin]

Yeah, they were in the same boat as kind of like we were, so.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

Well, big picture here. Fortunately for you, the 45 had an unfortunate day. So you're able to make up. Not make up, but add 40 plus points to this regular season championship race.

[Tyler Reddick]

Yeah, I mean, there, you know, that's. That was. So when we talk about luck and racing, sometimes it gets used to over. Well, it doesn't. Sometimes a lot of time to get overused to a blanket statement of you having a bad day. And sometimes when you have, you know, you get caught up in a first lap wreck not of your doing. Sometimes that's luck. But sometimes when it happens back in 30th, it's like. Yeah, but that's where things typically happen. So this was definitely bad luck. You know, for Tyler Reddick, I obviously something punctured the radiator. All kinds of fluid was going out and they. They went lapsed down. So definitely on a string of bad luck there. I don't know how good his car was. It didn't appear that it was great when I was around it, but I think we were at different tires. Well, no, at the. There was one stage where he started right behind me and then he was behind me in the short run, but then the long run, I didn't see him. So I thought maybe Bubba probably had the best. The best 2311 car, but who knows? I mean, great, great finish for all those guys, 6, 9th, 10th for all those guys. Certainly you would imagine the 45 would have been up in the top 10 as well.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

Is that now the, the primary focus? With a handful of races ago, just win this regular season championship.

[Tyler Reddick]

I'd like to win one more race before we get into the playoffs. Just, I thought Chicagoland was going to be the best chance of that.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

What if it's Indy?

[Tyler Reddick]

Indy would be next, then Richmond, then New Hampshire, then North Wilkesboro, then Iowa, then Atlanta, then Daytona.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Are you saying you want this win because of the standings? To make you feel comfortable? You're just saying because you just want a win.

[Tyler Reddick]

No, I just want to win. I just. That's seven races without winning. Add the two that we now three in a row that we haven't won. So that's 10 races. That's a, that's a dry spell.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

The three in a row you haven't won. Were any of, were two of those on the table?

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Hey, they still count.

[Tyler Reddick]

Well, it's still, I mean it's still does that.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

So you're saying, does that affect your, your demeanor and.

[Tyler Reddick]

No, because I, I, I, I, I know where we're at. I feel good about where we're at, obviously. But you know, you just, you want to win and that's, that's always been my main goal. It's just to win as many races as I possibly can.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

So not winning doesn't affect momentum. That's not a thing.

[Tyler Reddick]

No, not if you can also win the regular season. Know what I mean?

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

Right?

[Tyler Reddick]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

Yeah. Because whether you, you win the next six races or not, you, you win the records, you're not getting any added benefit as long as you win the regular season. Right? It's that points.

[Tyler Reddick]

That's right. You're gonna. The winner of the regular season will start with 2100 points whether he has 10 wins or one.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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[Podcast Host/Announcer]

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[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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[Kenny Francis]

Your dad was famously protective and guarded about the business side. How much of what you know did you learn from watching him and how much did you have to figure out the hard way after he was gone?

[Jeff Burton]

Yeah, you know I, at the time with my dad when he was living, I had a really tough time with the way that he allowed us to be part of the business, you know and he, he allowed us to be part of things in a very arm's length way. So you know we worked at the dealership under you know, the, the leadership there and or you know, I worked at Sports Image at the time with Hank Jones back in the day. That eventually came action performance. But we never got to work inside of Del and Hart Incorporated or I didn't I should say. Dale eventually got there but I think that was helpful in the way to learn from other people and not have to worry about those family boundaries that happen especially when you're less mature. Right. When you're a young 20 some year old and you don't have the different experiences that I think are so important. You have to be exposed to things in order to get those experiences. And I think that's what's really, you know, crucial about the way we go to work in business and that starting from the ground up and things like that. But my dad, you know, even in at home, you know, we learned from him and the way that he carried himself and the way that he did things and the business and all that. He and I got to learn that sitting on the opposite side of the table at Sports Image, you know, let's say because I was, you know, involved in being an account manager for some of his sponsors. And so, you know, he was the opposite side of the table putting the pressure on us, on, you know, what their expectations were and things like that and how to live up to those expectations. So I did get to learn a lot from him and, you know, after, I mean, I was 27 when he passed. So I feel like I had a really good foundation of, you know, business and things to learn and do. And then, you know, I've said this too often. Once I came to work for Dale, you know, I really leaned on other people in the industry, like John Bickford, Jeff Gordon's stepfather, and Mr. Hendrick and so on and so forth, to really, you know, not reinvent the wheel and get good people around me that could continue to mentor and continue to teach, which I think is important. You know, one of the things that. And I think this kind of question comes up later is, you know, about our younger generation workers and things like that. You know, I think that a lot of our workers, you know, they expect to come in making the most money right at the top. That work ethic of start at the bottom. You know, you hear Steve Latarte talk about it, I don't forget it sweeping the floors at Hendrick to becoming a crew chief. I'm sure you have similar stories, Jeff, of where you started. Caitlin Vincy working at her local short track to get involved and then make it to where she's at today, you know, and getting those opportunities. And that's, you know, that's how it works. You know, I didn't, I didn't, you know, get to buy a fancy brand new car when I was 20. You know, I didn't get that opportunity till I was much older and had had a career and had a job and those kinds of things. So you got to work for that and work for that experience as it comes along, but. And take advantage of those opportunities to learn from people around you as you

[Kenny Francis]

go, you know, so you, you talked about the things you've learned. What's something you've had to unlearn from growing up in racing that didn't actually serve you, as you found out when you stepped into a leadership role.

[Jeff Burton]

You know, I don't know that this is really something I unlearned from growing up in racing, but one of the things that I have that I struggled with for a lot of years is, is my own expectations of people and, and what I, you know, the consequences if they didn't meet my expectations, which are sometimes harsh, you know, like, okay, if you're, you know, why are you sick today? You know, can't you get in here and, and do something, you know, or whatever. Like, I was a, I was a very high expectation boss of, you know, what you, what I expected out of you in my younger years. And I've mellowed out a lot. You know, I think a lot of that comes with, you know, having your own kids, family, all of those things that you have to start managing instead of being a single person. You know, when you're a single person, you pretty much can do what you want to do. You know, you can. You don't have these different things that you have to manage and balance like you do when you have family and things like that. So, so that was, that's something that I've, I've mellowed out in the. My expectations and grace that I give people and then have a lot of that. And that's probably something I learned from my dad, I would say, and have a lot of grace for people either. You know, the expectations were high and, and, and so that's something I've had to learn to like, give up a little. And delegation. Delegation was a really hard one for me too, to, to delegate to people and to trust people to get things done. You know, sometimes I just felt like it was easier to do it myself. Do you ever feel that way?

[Kenny Francis]

Well, I. Here's the thing. I think what I hear from your talking about this is that that's sort of like this high achiever, high work.

[Jeff Burton]

Absolutely.

[Kenny Francis]

And the problem is for people like you that have. That is when it's very hard, even, even there may be very good people, but to meet that standard that you see in yourself.

[Jeff Burton]

Yeah.

[Kenny Francis]

Is very difficult to live up to. So it's sort of a balance that you have to walk as a boss where you don't, you don't want to like, just let people get away with not working hard or something.

[Jeff Burton]

Yeah, yeah.

[Kenny Francis]

But it's also not realistic perhaps to find an entire company of people that are going to operate at your same level so that it's got to be such a tough balance and learning process for you.

[Jeff Burton]

Well, and you really don't want all the same kind of people in your business. Right. Like, you know, you want, you know, different. The different thinkers, you know, critical thinkers, problem solving thinkers, creative thinkers, outside the box thinkers, those that just do it by the rules. I mean, you got to, you know, you want all of it. You. To me, what's very important in our business is that we hire people, that we keep our culture. You know, there's that, that base and foundation of our culture that's important, but we need different mindsets, bringing different things to the table, different skill sets, those kinds of things.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

All right, that was another episode of the Dirty 30 presented by Arby's new Meet in 3 Box. Get more meal for your money At Arby's we have the me.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

When racing through life, staying informed helps you stay on track. And as a leader in the GLP1 space, Ozempic is making moves with the bold way forward the ozempic pill. Call 1-833-OZEMPIC or visit ozempic.com to view the medication guide. And before the next turn in your treatment journey, ask your doctor If Ozempic semaglutide tablets 4 and 9 milligrams are right for you.

[Tommy Baldwin]

My mom inspired me to dream big and work hard.

[Podcast Host/Interviewer]

What would you like the power to do?

[Jeff Burton]

Bank of America Proud to be the Official bank of U.S. soccer and FIFA World Cup 2026 bank of America NA Member FDSE.