Dale on Ch. 2, Mr. Excitement, & Exploding Windows

Summary

The Dale Jr. Download – October 24, 2025

Episode: Dale on Ch. 2, Mr. Excitement, & Exploding Windows
Description:
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the Dirty Mo Media crew take listeners behind the scenes for honest, insightful talk on NASCAR’s latest, team dynamics at superspeedways, a throwback with “Mr. Excitement” Jimmy Spencer, and some classic Earnhardt stories.

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on Dale Jr.’s perspective as team owner and broadcaster, focusing on the high-stakes teamwork (and rivalries) in NASCAR’s super-speedway races. The crew debates modern driver personalities and rivalries compared to NASCAR’s rough-and-tumble past with guest Jimmy Spencer, and closes with a hilarious “exploding window” story from Dale's youth. The cast keeps it candid, poking fun at themselves and NASCAR culture, with plenty of nostalgia and industry critique.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Team Orders, Strategy, and Plate Racing

• Dynamics at Daytona & Talladega:

  • Dale shares his perennial struggle: getting his drivers to work together without sabotaging their own race chances, especially when up against top cars like Austin Hill’s 21.
  • Clear messaging: “Help each other when you can, but if you can’t, don’t. And everybody gets over it.”
  • The futility of forced cooperation: “Trying to work together to get to the front ain’t the route... How you get there is your responsibility.” (Dale Jr., 04:32)
  • The debate on whether teammates should push each other or focus on individual results.

• Fan Criticism & Realities of Raceday:

  • Fans often misunderstand how hard it is to line up four cars and “drive by” the leader—realistically, it almost never happens.
  • “You’re sitting there as a driver... what’s the risk? What’s the reward? There’s a lot of risk, very little reward.” (Dale Jr., 08:31)
  • The pack simply won’t move out of line unless there’s a real shot for a pass, and mid-field teams can’t move the needle alone.

• On-Air Coaching & Radio Banter:

  • Dale narrates calling plays on the radio, especially during big wrecks near the end. “I’m 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.’” (Dale Jr., 10:21)
  • The chaos and comedy of spotters trying to communicate amid late-race scrambles.

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2. NASCAR Rivalries: Then & Now

With Special Guest: Jimmy Spencer (“Mr. Excitement”)

• The Lost Edge in Modern NASCAR:

  • Jimmy reminisces about the days of driver spats, helmet throws, and “water cooler talk.”
  • Nostalgia for unfiltered personalities: “They fined [Tony Stewart] like 50 grand... Bill France would’ve handed him the money and said, ‘do that again next week’... Today they’ve subdued the drivers.” (Jimmy Spencer, 15:14)
  • Fans don’t talk NASCAR on Mondays anymore; rivalry and color have faded.

• Corporate Culture’s Influence:

  • Tommy Baldwin Jr. points to sponsor-driven policing of drivers: fears that aggressive moves will backfire commercially.
  • “Our whole culture changed. Then we had to hold back all our drivers and say, man, we can’t do this because we’re gonna lose the sponsor.” (Tommy Baldwin Jr., 16:53)

• Ratings, Playoffs, and the Need for Stars:

  • Jimmy: He likes the playoff system and expects Martinsville to be “a hell of a race.”
  • Criticism of NASCAR TV coverage: “The TV does a terrible job of explaining how bad that really was.” (Jimmy Spencer, 18:58)
  • The takeaway: NASCAR needs more personality and grit to boost engagement.

• Classic Earnhardt Stories:

  • Jimmy Spencer tells a tale from Dover about riding with Dale Earnhardt Sr., navigating boos and cheers: “Earnhardt, he didn’t give a damn. He pushed the pedal.” (Jimmy Spencer, 22:28)
  • Moral: To win against the likes of Dale Sr., “you drove your ass off.”

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3. Behind the Scenes: Chatter From the Garage

• Resource Allocation Before Phoenix:
  • With two JGR cars in the championship, Justin Allgaier doesn’t expect a change in prep, but more shared data to analyze before the big race. “I’m not gonna get beat by equipment... it puts more pressure on me to go out there and get it done.” (Allgaier, 25:46)
  • Frustrations with mechanical issues in the crucial stretch: “Nothing would absolutely suck worse than to go to Phoenix and have a mechanical ... that took your opportunity to achieve your dream out.” (Allgaier, 27:06)
  • Coping with stress: You have to do your best and hope “the luck gods will stay in your favor.” (Allgaier, 29:49)

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4. Classic Dale Jr. Story: The Exploding Van Window

• A childhood mishap:
  • Dale tells a hilarious, self-deprecating story about riding to Bristol in a friend’s custom van, “a memory wagon” from his youth.
  • The moment of disaster: “I think, man, you know what’d be cool? If it’s aerodynamic if I clamp the front side of the window and open the back side. And it’s like a wing ... it shattered.” (Dale Jr., 33:20)
  • Lasting shame: “It was embarrassing. Even today, I still feel the shame about it.” (Dale Jr., 34:39)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dale Jr. on Team Dynamics:
  “Help each other when you can, but if you can’t, don’t. And everybody gets over it.”
  -- Dale Earnhardt Jr., 04:23

• On Racing Realities:
  “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.”
  -- Dale Jr., 08:31

• Nostalgia for NASCAR’s Past:
  “This is how the old man would have handled it... ‘Here’s the two grand, do that again next week.’...”
  -- Jimmy Spencer, 15:14

• Tommy Baldwin Jr. on Corporate Influence:
  “We had to hold back all our drivers a little bit and say, man, we can’t do this because we’re gonna lose the sponsor.”
  -- Tommy Baldwin Jr., 16:53

• Jimmy Spencer on Beating the Best:
  “Let me tell you, if you ever beat him [Dale Sr.], you drove your ass off.”
  -- Jimmy Spencer, 23:05

• Dale Jr.’s Self-Inflicted Window Disaster:
  “I start to make that thing do that, and it... shattered.”
  -- Dale Jr., 33:20

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Important Timestamps

• 01:27 — Dale on getting his drivers to work together (team orders, strategy)
• 05:23 — The "choose your own adventure" approach to superspeedway teamwork
• 10:03 — Armchair quarterbacking & radio banter during wild late-race moments
• 14:30 — Jimmy Spencer joins; critique of NASCAR's lost rivalries (old school vs. today)
• 17:36 — The clash of sponsors, culture, and drivers' behaviors
• 18:46 — Ratings trouble and playoff system discussed
• 21:22 — Jimmy Spencer on not racing half-throttle, and classic Earnhardt stories
• 25:07 — Justin Allgaier on JGR’s championship approach and car prep
• 31:21 — Dale launches into his “exploding window” childhood story

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Final Thoughts

This episode blends racing strategy, industry critique, and personal storytelling in the signature, no-nonsense Dirty Mo Media style. Dale Jr. and guests don’t shy away from tough conversations about what’s missing in NASCAR culture, while also keeping it light and personal with nostalgia and honest laughter. For fans, it’s part masterclass, part trip down memory lane—a must-hear for anyone who cares about the sport’s past, present, and future.

Transcript

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[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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[Dale Jr. (co-host)]

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[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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 [e-mail] hey everybody, I'm Dylan Hart Jr. And this is the Dirty 30. The best highlights from all of our podcasts this week. 30 minutes every single Friday. The Dirty 30 coming at you. Let's get right to it.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

Spiny race was good race.

[Dale Earnhardt 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 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 restricted 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 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 the, the, the. 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 the off. 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? 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 route. No, 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.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

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

[Dale Earnhardt 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 make it there first.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

I agree with that.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

That's where the teammate comes in.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

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

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

Yeah, no, I agree.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

That's kind of the messaging before the race and it seems to kind of be working all right. We're not win races every time we go to Daytona and Talladega. Going to be tough to do that with the 21 car in the field. But we are finishing races better. 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.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

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

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I don't know that, but I'm just saying move. Were we supposed to make.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

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

[Dale Earnhardt 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.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

The problem is you need a third. 21 is so fast and when he gets a 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 supposed to happen. Like, you supposed to just pull around him.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

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

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

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 Earnhardt 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 a line, the two is not going with him.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

Yeah, you're gone.

[Dale Earnhardt 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.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

100%. They're not moving.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. When you're looking, 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, the 45, or any of them cars that's going to go up there and pass a 21.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

Yeah, you're going to pass 21.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I'm going to pass a 21. Seven and two.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

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

[Dale Earnhardt 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.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

Yep.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

And they didn't.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

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

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Every one of them was sitting there going, I ain't giving up this spot.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

No.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

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

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I agree. Yeah.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

You know, like Josh and. And Honeyman, and I'm not trying to disrespect.

[Jimmy Spencer]

No, I know.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

I'm gonna say yeah, for sure.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

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

[Dale Earnhardt 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. You know, I thought we ended up all right. The 8 car had a. Had a opportunity, Some more points than. 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.

[Travis (podcast co-host)]

What do you mean you had fun on the radio?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Well, me and tj, we were armchair.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

Quarterback the whole time down there.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I had. 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'd he do that? Hey, tell him to do this.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

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

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Oh, I'm on the radio. When they wrecked the 19. 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, it's wide open.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

They're wrecking, like, right?

[Justin Allgaier]

Yeah.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

At the same time, we gotta go. And I'm like, regular buddies. They're like, we're.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

I was listening to it.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

And so he 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 Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

And I'm like, oh, gosh.

[Dale Earnhardt 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 wrecking, from this moment on, I'm going to stand in the gas and never lift. Yeah, right. And I'm going to just take the runs and hopefully drive myself up.

[Justin Allgaier]

We were.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

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

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I know.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

So.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

And I was thinking, all right, time to stop lifting. Time to. It's from this. It's two laps to go. Tell him 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.

[Travis (podcast co-host)]

And we won't be seeing. They'll be a spotters anytime soon.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

No, it was great.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

Oh, I would.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

No, it's good.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

I was on two.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Damn it. Talking on top of the driver.

[Travis (podcast co-host)]

I know.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

And so you.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

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

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

We want to give it a shot.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

We can try.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Dylan Hart Jr.]

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[Freddy Kraft]

What'S up everybody? Welcome back to Door Bumper Clear. I'm Freddy Kraft, spotter for Bubba Wallace, Dean Thompson and Geo or Giro this week.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Big winner.

[Justin Allgaier]

Pretty solid.

[Freddy Kraft]

Pretty solid weekend this weekend. Almost pulled two of them off but unfortunately got passed on the last corner there.

[Tommy Baldwin Jr.]

That was a tough one. It was nice, you could do.

[Justin Allgaier]

Nah, there was.

[Freddy Kraft]

We were sitting down.

[Tommy Baldwin Jr.]

You were gonna wreck. You get wrecked?

[Travis (podcast co-host)]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Spencer]

Oh, one second. Did you clear him on the back straightaway in the truck race?

[Freddy Kraft]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Spencer]

Damn, you were lucky I was watching that and I said that spotter needs a pair of glasses. Jimmy, that was close.

[Tommy Baldwin Jr.]

Jimmy, we gotta introduce you first.

[Jimmy Spencer]

All right, sorry.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Let's keep going.

[Jimmy Spencer]

Let's keep going.

[Freddy Kraft]

Jimmy.

[Tommy Baldwin Jr.]

Jimmy, we gotta introduce you.

[Freddy Kraft]

Tommy, I love you. Go ahead, Tom. What doing are you. You still Tommy Baldwin?

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

I'm still today, yeah.

[Jimmy Spencer]

Yeah.

[Freddy Kraft]

Tommy Fran. Not Tommy France.

[Tommy Baldwin Jr.]

No, Tommy Fran.

[Tyler Reddick]

No.

[Tommy Baldwin Jr.]

We've got Spencer on.

[Freddy Kraft]

Elton said to me the other day yesterday, he says, damn, I didn't know this Tommy France stuff existed. I said, oh yeah, Tommy's been kissing NASCAR's ass on here all year. So we changed his last name. Carson, how are you today?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Glad to be back. Only missed you guys a little bit.

[Freddy Kraft]

And if you couldn't tell already, our special guest this week, Mr. Excitement himself, Jimmy Spencer. Jimmy, welcome to door Bubble. Clear buddy. How are you sir?

[Jimmy Spencer]

I'm doing good from the outside.

[Freddy Kraft]

Looking in again now what's give me your state of the union for what you feel like in nascar.

[Jimmy Spencer]

You know, I related back to I was still. It's been a long time ago. We were at Bristol doing TV and love them both to death, Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart and they got in a little scrabble and Tony got wrecked. And Tony stood at the end of pit road with his helmet. He threw it at Matt. The fans went frickin crazy. They fined him like 50 grand. I went in the trailer the following week and I said, where in the hell you guys going? I said, this is how the old man would have handled it. Being Bill France. He'd have called Tony in the hauler, he'd have said, tony, how much was that helmet? Two grand. Here's the two grand. Do that again next week. That's the difference between how the old man ran the SP and how politically correct they trying to make the sport today. And to me, I think that they really did a lot to subdue the drivers. And in turn, I think that the last few years, I think the drivers have come so fricking boring. My buddy Kenny Wallace used to say it best, we are not the water cooler talk anymore. Monday morning, we're not the water cooler talk. And I think that the drivers need to learn a lot as far as trying to get the fans involved, trying to get the die hard fans to say, you know, like, why do people like the Cowboys? I mean, why do people like a baseball team? The Yankees, whatever. I mean, the Yankees and Red Sox, they hate one another. They really don't. But it's a rivalry. We don't have that today. It's pitiful. NASCAR needs to get these drivers to realize that these fans want to see something and not. Well, we had a good day today, you know, the Toyota.

[Tommy Baldwin Jr.]

No.

[Jimmy Spencer]

Yeah, that son of the spun me out, you know, or whatever. Remember Rusty and Earnhardt? Earnhardt. Rusty threw a bottle of water, called him Rubberhead, all kind of stuff. It was awful.

[Tommy Baldwin Jr.]

The problem again, you're going to call me Tommy nascar.

[Freddy Kraft]

Here we go.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Tommy nascar.

[Tommy Baldwin Jr.]

The problem is it's, I feel it's the culture change, right? Because what happened was, is what started happening was our favorite driver with a sponsor in the car would wreck somebody and then the fans would go off to the company that was on the car and say, we're never gonna buy your product again because your guy did this and your guy did that. Our whole culture changed. And then we had to hold back, all of us, all of our drivers a little bit and say, man, we can't do this because we're gonna lose the sponsor. We're gonna do all this because the fans are one side cheering and then on the other side complaining. So it's like a real fine line right now, unfortunately. Right?

[Freddy Kraft]

Yeah.

[Tommy Baldwin Jr.]

We need to start doing it and start adjusting the culture to really enjoy it. But it's the companies, right? It's all the Fortune 500, Fortune thousand companies that are controlling it. I wish we could all go do what we need to do and go have some fun, Right?

[Jimmy Spencer]

Not fighting, Tom. No, no, but just, you know.

[Tommy Baldwin Jr.]

But it's gonna lead to that, right?

[Jimmy Spencer]

Remember, I mean, how many times growing up, we watched guys argue with one another? They didn't punch one another, they just argued. That son of spummy up. He does it again, I park his ass in the grandstand. I mean, I don't know. You know what, though? What. What it reminds me of is, is you tell me this is the best hamburger joint in Mooresville. We go to that hamburger joint, we eat the hamburger, and I go, tommy, this thing's a piece of crap. It's terrible. That's where our sport is. The people are like, I can't watch our. You know, And I think it's hard for NASCAR to try to fix it, I gotta tell you. Yeah.

[Freddy Kraft]

And, you know, you talk. We talked about this last week. The ratings. The ratings are obviously not great right now. The star power is down. Like, you're talking about the playoffs. Does that affect it? You know, we have all this playoff talk.

[Jimmy Spencer]

I like the playoffs.

[Freddy Kraft]

You like the playoffs.

[Jimmy Spencer]

I do. I think that we're going to have a hell of a race at Martinsville. I mean. I mean, how the hell did Gibbs. I mean, you look yesterday how lucky the 19 was. You look at how unlucky the 24 was. So, to me, I think the TV does a terrible job of explaining how bad that really was.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Spencer]

And Ty Dillon, the son of a. Wrecked the 24 lead in the race, and it's okay. No, it's not okay. You cost that guy the champion. You cost that guy a shot. And to me, that's the problem, because I'm gonna tell you the way it is. And then you got the TV guys going, well, you know, he was awful high in the track. It really was bull. He. He wrecked the 24. Not. Not intentional.

[Freddy Kraft]

Yeah, but he still wrecked him.

[Jimmy Spencer]

But he wrecked him. And. And, you know, then the Ty goes, well, the spotter said I was pitting. That's bull. I mean, the kid. No matter what, if you're. If you're lapsed down or whatever you need to be aware of. I remember Darrell Waltrip telling me, the guy's not aware what's going on around him. Junior Johnson, the guy's Bobby Allison. You need to be aware what's going on around you.

[Tommy Baldwin Jr.]

Exactly.

[Freddy Kraft]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Spencer]

And these guys don't exactly.

[Freddy Kraft]

I thought that was. I thought that was interesting. You know, Chris Rice obviously stand up for his driver last week, but he Made a comment like, it's not on the 10 car at all. And I'm like, how could it not be on the test car? Who's Chris? Chris Rice is the president of the race team of Colleague Racing. And he.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

He.

[Freddy Kraft]

He made a comment like he must.

[Jimmy Spencer]

Need a pair of glasses.

[Freddy Kraft]

He made a comment like, you know, he. Even if he waved, nobody's going to see him because these guys can't get their hand out the window. I said, I don't know if you've been paying attention. My guy went viral two weeks ago because his arm was at the window flipping Denny off. You know, like, they can see when they want to get their hand out the window.

[Jimmy Spencer]

Yeah, the lemon cost of 23. Cool.

[Tommy Baldwin Jr.]

Cool.

[Commercial Announcer]

Not cool.

[Freddy Kraft]

That wasn't cool.

[Tommy Baldwin Jr.]

It was mad because he lost. He just mad because he lost.

[Jimmy Spencer]

I like old Bubba.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

You know the thing.

[Jimmy Spencer]

Hey, you know, Bubba won. The first time McDonald's car won since I won in 94 was Bubba.

[Freddy Kraft]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Spencer]

So I was proud of him.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

That's cool.

[Jimmy Spencer]

I'm gonna get a cheeseburger, Bubba.

[Tommy Baldwin Jr.]

You know, you probably still got the coupons. In the 70s, I still got the dolls.

[Jimmy Spencer]

We used to strap the dolls to the roll cage. You know, the fluffy and all those guys. You know, it's cool.

[Freddy Kraft]

You know what I would love to know is, you know, obviously we transitioned this to Talladega this week. How your last. Obviously your two cup wins come at plate races. One of the better plate races in your career, honestly. How would you handle if we told you, you had to go out there and ride around half throttle all day long so we can get in a decent position at the end.

[Jimmy Spencer]

You know, I'm looking at that guy right there. One of the best ever. Do you ever think he rode half throttle? I remember I was at Dover, this is my first year in cup, and we had. We had got in a little controversy the week before, and Earnhardt had qualified, like, 18th, and I had qualified 17th. So we were both riding around in the pickup truck, and Earnhardt goes across. And then people go, both. You know, you don't know who's more boo or yay. And I'm like, oh, wow, what a person to follow. So I follow him and I'm like, what the hell's going on? I mean, a lot of boos. And, you know, and I get in the truck and he puts his arm around me. Spencer, you're doing a good job. And I go, what? He says, listen, here comes Brett Bodina crossed. You see what I'm talking about? It Was interesting.

[Tommy Baldwin Jr.]

Editor's note. The Spencers and Bodines did not get along. Okay, keep going, Jimmy.

[Jimmy Spencer]

Anyway, that was, that was it. You know, Aaron Hart, I mean, he, he didn't give a damn. He, he pushed a pedal. I don't know. I mean, I, I, I don't know what. There's a lot of pressure on the drivers to win. There's a, I mean, I don't know. It's tough. Talladega was an interesting race. I did watch yesterday because I was coming on this show, but football was a lot more exciting to watch. The Giants lose. Very upset. That was very upset.

[Tommy Baldwin Jr.]

He's a Giant.

[Jimmy Spencer]

Yeah. No, I was upset over that. I'm like Michael Strahan said it best. You don't play to lose a damn game.

[Freddy Kraft]

That's what it looked like.

[Jimmy Spencer]

And that's what happens to a lot of drivers. You know, they play protect, protect, protect. That's some. Let me tell you, if you, if you ever beat him, you drove your ass off.

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[Travis (podcast co-host)]

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.

[Tyler Reddick]

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 benefit in that.

[Travis (podcast co-host)]

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.

[Tyler Reddick]

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[Tyler Reddick]

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[Travis (podcast co-host)]

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[Justin Allgaier]

Hey guys, welcome to Action is detrimental post Talladega.

[Dylan Hart Jr.]

Well, now we've got two JGR cars.

[Justin Allgaier]

Locked into the championship for yourself and Chase Briscoe. Yeah, it's great for Chase. He's such a good dude and he's been a really good teammate and really happy for him and James Small. And I know that, you know, James works really, really hard for that 19 team and I love all their crew guys over there. Really happy for them to have this opportunity.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Does that change the amount of resources.

[Justin Allgaier]

That are going into prep for your car now that you got two JGR cars into Phoenix? No, I don't think so. Yeah, I don't think so. I don't know how soon that stuff all gets determined. What it does do. From my standpoint, it's another data point. You know, I'm gonna know what one of my competitors has. Now. The downside is one of my competitors will know what I have when it comes to, you know, more than likely at some point we will run each other setups to see, you know, what is he like, what's he gonna go into this weekend with? And I'm gonna probably do the same. You know, one variable though, for me personally, and we're all cocky and we all feel as though we're the best, is that I'm not gonna get beat by equipment. You know what I mean? At least one of my competitors. So it just, it puts more pressure on me to go out there and get it done.

[Travis (podcast co-host)]

You were, I think for the first time that I, since working with you, were animated about the car.

[Justin Allgaier]

And I've been animated before.

[Travis (podcast co-host)]

But the last, since you've had this podcast, though, I feel like you never say anything on the radio or the podcast that in any way, shape or form is negative about the pit crew or anything.

[Justin Allgaier]

I don't know. I don't know that is true. But I, by the way, my tone yesterday Wasn't like angry or anything like that. It was just a matter of fact. Like, we gotta, we, we gotta get, we gotta get it figured out. Like. Yeah, it's really, really frustrating because you want. Again, we want our results dictated by our performance on the racetrack. Nothing. I'm telling you guys, nothing would absolutely suck worse than to go to Phoenix and have a mechanical or something happen that took, took your opportunity to achieve your dream out. And so it's just we've had some issues with batteries and starters and clutches and just lots, lots, lots, lots this year. And I, I had all three. And, and you know, I always like to, you know, how should I word this? You know, I, I go there and, and I took, I took the week off as far as preparation for Dega is concerned. Not that I really prepare for Dega as much as I'll prepare for another racetrack. Most of my time was spent obviously on a few weeks from now, but, you know, I always, I'm thinking, well, what if, what if we didn't win? You mean like this, this could have been a pivotal moment in, in our championship hopes. That's, that's kind of where my frustration lied. And I don't think anyone at the shop, you know, when you look at the issues that we had, I don't, I don't think it's. Anyone necessarily at the race shop that is, is doing something wrong. You know, my, especially the, the guys that put my cars together just are phenomenal. Brandon, his whole team, like, I, I would go to war with that. A team versus anyone. It's just more of a, I don't know, just more of a. Just a mechanical issue. And it's not necessarily things that we put together that, you know, would love to see us fix. I don't know where that we're gonna fix it in a couple weeks, but you just hope that it doesn't play a factor when it really, really counts at the end of these races, especially the final race.

[Travis (podcast co-host)]

So how do you not worry about something like this that you say is kind of.

[Justin Allgaier]

Yeah, because I can't change it. Regardless if it happens, it happens. It doesn't. It doesn't. But it. I, you just, you just cross your fingers and hope that the, the luck gods will stay. Stay in your favor for one more week or the final week. It also just feels like just a little reminder of like, hey, yeah, we're in the championship. Let's just do everything in our power to remember that.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Let's have our everything buttoned up.

[Justin Allgaier]

Yeah, that's A great point, Jared. Fantastic point that. Like it Sometimes it is a good reminder that you just can't take things for granted. You know what I mean? And nobody is, you know, trying anything out of the ordinary or. Again, I don't think it's. I said the shop, but that is a very. Let me just say that's a very vague term. That's not. I don't believe these issues are in. In the race shop, if that makes any sense. And I'll leave it at that.

[Freddy Kraft]

Bubba Wallace here from 2311 Racing. You know what's slower than a pace car waiting at the car wash? That's when I fire up Chumba Casino. It turns these slow minutes into fast fun. With new games every week. You'll never get bored. Next time you're stuck in the slow lane, speed up with Chumba play [e-mail]. let's Chumba.

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[Dale Jr. (co-host)]

Hi, guys. Dale Jr. And I are back in the studio for another episode of Bless yous Heart.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I had a really bad road trip experience, so not a really bad one, but this was. I feel terrible about this. We used to ride around in these comfort coach vans. They were conversion vans, custom vans. The motorized back seat that would lay down into a bed. The big swivel chairs in the middle. These things are awesome.

[Tyler Reddick]

Wagon.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I've been trying to get one, and there was one that popped up three months ago that was. They're so cheap. And I'm like, look at this, Amy.

[Dale Jr. (co-host)]

But I said, no, please don't do this.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

She said, no, we've already bought a boat. But I was like, all right, I probably don't need it. I wanted to drive it to South Carolina to the beach house. And the kids be like, look. Look back. I could look back there and it'd be like looking in my own childhood.

[Dale Jr. (co-host)]

We have to redo all those things. Why do we do that?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I love doing that. I love being. I love, like, nostalgia and all that stuff. So that's like. I love that. So I'm gonna do that as much as I can, but I know it's not your thing, but we were. I was in one of these, driving down the road and the back. I'm in one with a friend. His name is Mike Whitcomb. His dad, Bob, owned the Purolator car that Derek Cope drove. I'm riding in their van to a race Bristol. It's about an Hour and a half drive. We're going down the road. We're in the back of that damn van messing around, bored of death. Those back windows is big. Back windows, they slide, right? They. They flipped open like the. They had these two little clamps. You unclamped them and the. And. And it would open the window this way, and so the bottom would have a big. You know, you could stick your arm out, right? My dumb ass.

[Dale Jr. (co-host)]

What you do.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

My dumb ass. I think, man, you know what is. It'd be cool if it's aerodynamic if I clamp the front side of the window and open the back side. And then it's like it's a wing.

[Jimmy Spencer]

Oh, my God.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

And I start to make that thing do that, and it. It's twisting that glass. You're bending, bending the glass window, the big glass window. I'm clamping the front and opening the back and flexing it, and it's shattered.

[Dale Jr. (co-host)]

How old are you, 14?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, the damn window exploded. And now we're going down the state. And the window's not gone, not there. And. And they're. The guy, you know, his. His brother or, you know, mom and dad or whatever. Somebody's up front. I don't remember who's in this thing. And they're like, what in the hell just happened?

[Tyler Reddick]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

And I'm like, I don't know. You don't know? I don't know what just happened. I don't know what just happened. Oh, I was so embarrassed.

[Dale Jr. (co-host)]

That's where Nicole gets it. That's why you're scared.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr. (co-host)]

You're like, she's really not gonna grow out of this. This is like, who she is for life.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

She's gonna break van windows.

[Dale Jr. (co-host)]

I thought you were gonna say that. You. You clamped your buddy's arm in it or something?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

No.

[Dale Jr. (co-host)]

Smashed his arm.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I could tell some of those stories. Oh, that's not. I gotta. Yeah.

[Dale Jr. (co-host)]

How did you recover from that?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I was just so embarrassed.

[Dale Jr. (co-host)]

Did your dad have to buy them a new window?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I was so embarrassed. I was just so embarrassed. It was embarrassing. Yeah.

[Dale Jr. (co-host)]

I don't know how it played out after that. I just got out and ran off.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

But, you know, I didn't get in real trouble. I didn't get my ass whooped or anything like that. But, man, I was a. I, I even. It's even today. I still feel the shame about it. Embarrassed of it. Check out DirtyMomedia on Instagram, Facebook X and Tick Tock.

[Tyler Reddick]

Tyler reddick here from 2311 Racing game night's fun until someone spends five minutes lining up one shot.

[Jimmy Spencer]

Chalk.

[Tyler Reddick]

Breathe, rechock. Still aiming While they figure it out, I fire up Chumba Casino. I can spin anywhere, anytime, and there's always a new social casino game every week. Spins happen way faster than that shot. Waitings for amateurs play [e-mail] let's Chumba no purchase necessary.

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[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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[Dylan Hart Jr.]

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[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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