Defending Your Title, Engine Problems, and What-Ifs

Summary

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The Dale Jr. Download

Episode: Defending Your Title, Engine Problems, and What-Ifs
Host: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Guests/Contributors: Denny Hamlin, Freddie Kraft, Justin Allgaier, Carson Kvapil, Connor Zillich, Jesse Love, Jordan Bianchi, Tommy
Date: October 3, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the intensity and emotions of NASCAR's championship preparation and the unpredictable nature of the playoffs. Dale Jr. and his guests delve into how teams prepare cars for the final event, driver mentality heading into the championship, engine reliability concerns (especially for Toyota/Joe Gibbs Racing), and the mental "what-ifs" drivers face in the biggest week of the year. The episode is rich with first-hand perspectives on both team and driver strategy, and peppered with memorable anecdotes from recent and past dramatic playoff races.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Championship Week: Preparation and Pressure

• Car Prep & Team Workload

  • Championship week requires teams to put maximum effort into primary and backup cars (00:48-02:15).
    • “You got to have a backup car that is as good. We saw it last year… they win the championship because that backup car was pretty damn spectacular.” — Dale Jr. (01:20)
  • Shops are running at full speed right up to the event, with little left in the tank for the season-close (01:00-02:00).

• Owner’s Dilemma: Where to Watch?

  • Dale Jr., as an owner, faces tension picking which pit box to be on (02:22-03:47).
    • "Last year, I sit on Justin's because, man, we've been trying to get Justin that championship, and I felt like I can sit on this box and it not take away from whatever else is going on." — Dale Jr. (03:12)

• Getting to the Final Round: An Emotional Grind

  • The hardest part for teams is surviving elimination rounds, particularly chaotic ones like Talladega and Martinsville (03:49-05:08).
    • “That’s this playoff system... it’s hard emotionally to be up against elimination, to be up against some things that are kind of out of your control...” — Dale Jr. (04:06)
    • “Once you just get through this Martinsville race, you’re kind of like, you got to go refuel. You got to go fill a tank back up and get ready for Phoenix.” — Dale Jr. (04:45)
  • Denny Hamlin concurs, underscoring the pressure and sleepless nights (05:08-05:36).

2. Driver Mentality: Advice, Composure, and Teamwork

• Dale Jr.’s Message to His Drivers

  • Direct to Carson Kvapil and Connor Zillich: stay calm, avoid contact with teammates, and remember even comeback wins are possible (06:09-08:18).
    • “Let’s try to do our best to take care of each other. That means don’t touch, don’t rub, don’t give each other donuts.” — Dale Jr. (06:24)
    • “If you find yourself running 8th, 9th, 11th, struggling… just sit there. Calm down. Take an opportunity to work on the car. Things are going to happen.” — Dale Jr. (07:20)

• Resilience in the Race

  • Reference to Justin Allgaier's near-miracle comeback last year as an example to maintain composure through setbacks (07:40-08:18).

3. Playoff Recaps & Next Event Favorites

• Byron’s Big Win & Hendrick’s Strength

  • William Byron’s dominant performance at Martinsville is discussed, as is Hendrick’s strength heading into Phoenix. Guests debate whether there is a true favorite in the final four (09:59-12:09).
    • “Byron goes there, wins the pole, wins both stages, leads 300 plus lap. I mean his best all around performance of his career in that moment...” — Jordan (10:18)
    • “I don’t think there’s a clear favorite… two Gibbs, two Hendrick.” — Freddie Kraft (12:04)

• Recent Struggles Finishing Dominant Races

  • Discussion of elite teams sometimes leading—but not securing—wins, and how Byron’s finish could be a mindset advantage (11:05-11:47).

4. Engine Problems and Reliability Concerns

• Toyota/JGR Mechanical Issues

  • Multiple recent engine failures and other mechanical setbacks discussed openly (12:09-14:19).
    • “You’ve got to be worried about it… there’s just been issues there kind of all year long.” — Freddie Kraft (12:53)
    • “All four of those cars… will have the freshest engines they can possibly have.” — Tommy (14:14)

• Driver Perspective: Engine Jitters

  • Denny Hamlin and Jared candidly share concerns and first-hand stories about failures, starting with failed starts and blown engines (16:31-18:11).
    • “We blew up.” — Dale Jr. (16:41)
    • “My concern is that over half the playoff races I’ve had mechanical fires.” — Jared (17:52)

• Understanding Sealed Engines

  • Technical details about the sealed engine rules at Phoenix, adding another wrinkle to preparation and reliability strategy (13:46-14:29).

5. Mindset: Handling the ‘What-Ifs’ and Experience

• Jared and Denny Hamlin on Pressure & Focus

  • Honest reflection on handling nerves, imagining next week’s outcome, and using veteran experience to stay focused (23:22-25:24).
    • “I think about it… I wonder what it’s going to be like seven days from now. I just, I can’t help but wonder like, oh my gosh, we’re seven days from knowing the result.” — Jared (23:39)
    • “Those thoughts only creep in between all the work and stuff that I have to do.” — Jared (24:00)
  • Importance of process, not outcome, in driving performance.

• Relief and Change After Winning

  • Justin Allgaier describes how the journey to a championship can be more profound than the win itself—especially after a nightmare race, and on using that experience to help others (27:03-29:12).
    • “Honestly, the way the race went changed it more than the actual winning it… I’m almost two laps down…” — Justin Allgaier (27:03)
    • “I would not, I would not—I don’t wish my experience last year and how the race went on anybody at this table. I would much rather us all come across the line 4 wide for the win at the end of the race.” — Justin Allgaier (30:44)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Backup Cars & Preparation:

  • “You got to have a backup car that is as good… they win the championship because that backup car was pretty damn spectacular.”
    — Dale Jr. (01:20)

• On Emotional Toll and Playoff Chaos:

  • “That’s this playoff system… it’s hard emotionally to be up against elimination… to be up against circumstance and fortune…”
    — Dale Jr. (04:06)

• On Advice to Drivers:

  • “Let’s try to do our best to take care of each other. That means don’t touch, don’t rub… If you’re going to commit to a move, you got to wrap the corner and do it right.”
    — Dale Jr. (06:24)

• On Mechanical Issues:

  • “My concern is that over half the playoff races I’ve had mechanical fires, so, like, five of the nine I’ve had major mechanical failures. The ones we haven’t, we won. I mean, that’s the good news.”
    — Jared (17:52)
  • “We can’t worry all week about it… We’re gonna cross our fingers and hope this thing sees this finish line.”
    — Denny Hamlin (16:50)

• On the ‘What-Ifs’ of Championship Mindset:

  • “I’d love to think about it but… those thoughts only creep in between all the work… The what ifs is not gonna dictate the result. It’s what you do now.”
    — Jared (24:00)

• On Comeback Mentality:

  • “Just calm down. Take an opportunity to work on the car… You’ll find yourself somehow some way through the chaos… never know what happens there.”
    — Dale Jr. (07:20)

• On Relief After Surviving Chaos:

  • “Once you just get through this Martinsville race… fill a tank back up and get ready for Phoenix. But you know what the deal is? You got to be the best of four. Before that, it’s just chaos.”
    — Dale Jr. (04:45)

• On Last Year’s Dramatic Championship Race:

  • “I was out of it… almost two laps down… we go down, we’re like side by side… I don’t know how we all didn’t wreck…”
    — Justin Allgaier (27:15-29:12)
  • “I had to get down and stare at the ground for the last two laps. I couldn’t watch.”
    — Dale Jr. (29:07)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Car & Team Preparation: 00:48–03:47
• Emotional Grind to Final Round: 03:49–05:08
• Owner’s Role, Advice to Drivers: 06:09–08:18
• Recent Playoff Race Recap & Favorites: 09:46–12:09
• Engine Problems & Reliability Fears: 12:09–14:29, 16:31–18:11
• Driver Mindset and What-Ifs: 23:22–26:12
• Allgaier’s 2024 Comeback Story & Race Dynamics: 27:03–32:46

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Tone & Style

Throughout, the dialogue is candid, sometimes humorous, and always rooted in the unique pressures of elite NASCAR competition. There’s a blend of nervous anticipation, dry wit, and hard-earned wisdom—true to Dale Jr.’s style. Guests range from deeply reflective to sarcastically self-aware, offering listeners an engaging, insiders’ perspective on what it takes to chase—and defend—a title.

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For those who missed the episode, this summary offers a window into the complexity and drama of championship week in NASCAR—from garage to pit box to cockpit—and why, in racing, the only sure thing is that nothing comes easy.

Transcript

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[Dale Jr.]

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[Dale Jr.]

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[Dale Jr.]

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. Hey, Everybody, it's Dale Jr. Back again for another episode of the Dale Jr. Download. The teams are actively in the shop right now getting primary cars ready, also getting backup cars ready. You know, typically we just, you know, load a load of blank backup car and top of the hauler and hope for the best that we don't even have to use it. But on this particular weekend, you better prepare the backup car as well as you prepare the primary. There's a ton of work and this, you look out in the shop and I think this is probably the same for rcr, most all these race teams. Even on the cup level, everybody in the shop is spending whatever's left in the tank to make sure that they are as prepared as possible for the one final event. And they're all looking forward to the off season. They're all looking forward to a break. But whatever they got left in the tank, every guy out there, every role, they're all, you know, crossing the T's.in the eyes. And you're doing it for two race cars, not just your primary. You got to have a backup car that is as good. We saw it last year, the 7 car got in some damage, you know, got some damage in practice, had to go to a backup car. They win the championship because that backup car was pretty damn spectacular. And so that could, you know, you got to have every. All the bases covered.

[Commercial Narrator]

Yeah. Like when you leave the crew chief, office lights, they're still on.

[Dale Jr.]

Oh, yeah, they're still.

[Commercial Narrator]

They're logging laid out.

[Dale Jr.]

They were here Sunday.

[Commercial Narrator]

Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

Working. They race Saturday, and they were back in the shop Sunday after Martinsville. Justin has the experience, I would say also, when you look at Phoenix, Justin performs the best, has the best history there. Even though Connor Zillich has the most wins. You would look at the statistics this year, say he's having the better year. I think Justin can go and be competitive. I am not going to be shocked to see Jesse Love right in the thick of the battle and Carson Kwapo goes in with a, I think, an underdog mentality of, you know, I want to come in there and upset the. Upset the field. Right. And he could absolutely do that with a. With a clutch performance this weekend. I'll be watching the race. I don't, you know, probably from a pit box. I'm not usually. Like, last year, I was on the seven box, and I feel, you know, I kind of. Personally, I have, you know, I'm the owner of the car. Right. So I got to go. All right, which box can I sit on? Where Maybe I'll go sit on the eight pit box for this one. Last year, I sit on Justin's because, man, we've been trying to get Justin that championship, and I felt like I can sit on this box and it not take away from whatever else is going on.

[Commercial Narrator]

He was the only playoff driver, too.

[Dale Jr.]

That's true. But, you know, with three of them in there, I might sit on the. The eight box with Sammy and those guys, so we'll see. I don't know. I could move around, but what's this.

[Commercial Narrator]

Week like for you?

[Dale Jr.]

It's great. I mean, even when we only have one in it, you know, you just. You're thankful. A lot of reflection. I've, you know, I would agree with some other drivers that would tell you that getting to this point is the hardest part. Like, the hardest part is over.

[Denny Hamlin]

Yeah, I agree with that.

[Dale Jr.]

This has been. I mean, that's. This playoff system is just. It's hard. It's a grind. It is. And it's hard emotionally to, you know, to be up against elimination, to be up against some things that are kind of out of your control, to be up against circumstance and fortune, good and bad. So it, you know, in the way they stack the races, especially in the final round, you got Talladega, Martinsville. It's pretty. Pretty chaotic. So you're emotionally Spent. I think once you just get through this Martinsville race, you're kind of like, you got to go refuel. You got to go fill a tank back up and get ready for Phoenix. But you know what the deal is? You go into Phoenix and you know what the deal is? You got to be the best of four. Before that, it's just chaos. And so that's. I think getting to this point is the hardest part. And now that's over. And everybody may feel a sense of relief a little bit at this point.

[Denny Hamlin]

Yeah, I mean, before the Saturday night, before the cup race, I mean, those.

[Dale Jr.]

Guys be some sleepless nights. Oh, man. I mean, when. When you. So when you come to Saturday for Xfinity, the nerves come all back. I mean, you're just as nervous as you can be. And when that race is about to start, you're like, man, I don't know how it's going to turn out. And I hope at the end of the night I'm happy, but I don't know. You know, I just don't know. Yeah. Now when you take three cars, you feeling pretty good about it, but, you know, you. When you know this is the most.

[Denny Hamlin]

Cars you ever had in.

[Dale Jr.]

Right now we've had three in.

[Commercial Narrator]

Before we went to Taiwan, we went.

[Dale Jr.]

To Homestead with three in it. We were up against it was. We had three cars in it. And I think Hemrick was driving for RCR and they broke early. I can't remember. Maybe it was two. And. Yeah, I don't remember. I think we had three in it before. But either way, I. Yeah, I'm feeling really good right now. But I think, you know, come Saturday, we'll all have the anxiety and the nerves that you traditionally would have.

[Commercial Narrator]

Do you talk to the drivers at all?

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, Yeah, I will. I think you got to tell them, like, you know, Justin probably not as much. He's been here, done that. But I'll sit down with Carson and I'll sit down with Connor, and I think I might all get them collectively together and say, hey, there's a good chance that you're all going to be very good and good chance you're all going to be battling for the lead together. Let's try to do our best to take care of each other. And that means that they can't hit. Don't touch, don't. Don't rub, don't. Don't get tired, you know, don't give each other donuts. None of that. Like, I don't like them sending it off on the. On the inside underneath them and getting loose up into each other and like that. We can't have that. Right. You got to know how to. If you're going to commit to a move, you got to wrap the corner and do it right. Can't put your teammate in a. In a precarious situation. So that's something. I think I have to say it just to make myself feel better and. But I think I'll talk to Connor and Carson just a little bit about their, you know, where their head's at in terms of. It's a. Anything can happen in this race. Like, you got to remain calm, fire off. First couple laps, the car ain't turning. Something's not great. You're too loose. Whatever. Calm down. Look, I'll tell them, look at that race that Justin had last year. He was out of it. Multiple mistakes, multiple mistakes, multiple problems. Looked like it was completely over. Just look, you're sitting there running 8th, 9th, 11th, struggling with the balance, thinking, oh, God, we're in trouble. Just sit there. Just calm down. Take it. Take an opportunity to work on the car. Things are going to happen all right. You know, you'll find yourself somehow some way through the chaos of the back half of the, you know, the third stage with a late yellow and an opportunity inside the top six. You know, on a. On a final restart, if you just stay calm and you never know what happens there. That's right. Don't take yourself out of it in stage one or two because you're panicking. You know, that's easy to do.

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[Freddie Kraft]

Hey, what's up everybody? Welcome back to Door Bumper Clear. I am Freddie Kraft. Spotify. Bubba Wallace, Dean Thompson, Gio Ruggiero Thomas. How is it having another wheel fall off this week?

[Tommy]

Yes, it's just awesome, man.

[Jordan]

How many is that this year?

[Tommy]

That's nine.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah, but who's counting?

[Tommy]

Yeah, yeah, it's been on Carson, how are you today?

[Dale Jr.]

I'm good.

[Freddie Kraft]

And of course joining us again for this show, this is normally Gluck's spot. We fired Gluck out of this spot and and we've brought his co host here, Jordan. Jordan, welcome back again.

[Dale Jr.]

Thank you.

[Justin Allgaier]

Appreciate it.

[Freddie Kraft]

All this playoff talk, everything else you get. The regular season champion goes out, delivers in the moment, needs to win the race. He goes out, wins the race. I thought the Hendrick cars were kind of the best cars throughout the weekend. The 9 was really strong at practice. The 24 was strong and they showed that in the race. You know they were Jordan up front basically the entire race.

[Jordan]

Yeah, they had a really great weekend. I mean Byron goes there, wins the pole, wins both stages, leads, 300 plus lap. I mean his best all around performance of his career in that moment with everything. And this is a two time Daytona 500 winner but he rose to the occasion in a race he absolutely needed to. And it was nice to see after how this round unfolded for him, obviously the incident with High Dillon and then Talladega and then he comes here and delivers. Really remarkable. And all that conversation last week about the Penske cars and how they're going to go to, you know, they're the teams to beat at Martinsville and if they get to Phoenix, look out. We all overlooked Hendrick Motorsports and but when you look at the numbers, Chase was really good there last year. Byron has won there before though in the fall has been a little iffy for him. And then Kyle Larson is just good there. It doesn't matter. They came to play this weekend and I think that bodes really well for their chances at Phoenix next weekend.

[Tommy]

I think, I think the 24 car, they had a two or three of these type of races this year and never finished it off.

[Commercial Narrator]

Right.

[Tommy]

I think Charlotte.

[Dale Jr.]

Right.

[Tommy]

And Vegas obviously.

[Jordan]

Darlington. Darlington. They almost threw a perfect game. Yeah, I mean they were, they literally led every lap until, you know, three quarters of the way through the race. And then they lost control of the race and lost the race. Charlotte, this year dominated that race. Ross Chestn passed them late. Iowa, they were able to hang on, and that was a race. But they've had these moments this year where they lead a bunch of laps and then the race gets away from them. This is an elite team that we often overlook, and we talk so much about Larson and Bell and all of the players. You know, Byron just kind of falls underneath that radar. A little bit of a great driver who's really good on all type of tracks.

[Tommy]

Yep.

[Freddie Kraft]

Yeah, for sure. And then now we end up with. I don't think there's a clear favorite. No, you know, there's. You know, if. If Blaney wins that race yesterday, you go into this week going, blaney's the favorite because how dominant the Penske cars have been at Phoenix. But now you've got two Gibbs, two Hendrick.

[Commercial Narrator]

I don't.

[Freddie Kraft]

I don't think you have a. A clear favorite.

[Jordan]

No, there isn't. In my ass.

[Tommy]

I think momentum wise, there is.

[Commercial Narrator]

Sure.

[Tommy]

Right. I think the 2020 going in, going with what they know now, they finally closed the race. Right. I think they are the favorite just because of that. But, yeah, I mean, but you got to remember, man, you know, Gibbs cars have. Have a history there of having a lot of brake issues. Right. Have going into Phoenix. You know, have they fixed them? And I know they've tried doing a lot of different things with the parts and pieces to make them last, but.

[Dale Jr.]

I don't know, man.

[Tommy]

It's going to be fun.

[Jordan]

Well, let me throw this at you. We've seen a few mechanical failures from the Gibbs cars the last few weeks. Now, those now that are engine at Martinsville and have been some other things. But is that concerning at all? Not just brakes, but just anything at all, or is this just kind of a. It happens, no big deal, we move on?

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Tommy]

I'm not sure, man.

[Freddie Kraft]

You got to be worried about it. Yeah, I mean, it's got to be in the back of your mind. You see, they've had a. They've had a lot, and we've had as well at Toyota with the 2311 cars. But starters, clutches, there's. There's just been issues there kind of all year long for. For the. Across the board. And then you saw it in practice or qualifying. I think it was with Danny. Denny had to get pushed off for qualifying because his car wouldn't fire up. Obviously has an engine issue. Yesterday. Herbst has an issue Herbst has an issue. Briscoe had an issue. I talked to Slugger this morning and. And Slugger said all three issues were completely different. It wasn't one thing they were trying. It didn't work out. The big thing to remember is about Phoenix. These are all motors that they've had to run already. They're sealed engines. You got to bring a sealed engine to Phoenix that you've had to run at least one time throughout the year. So it's not like anybody's got, you know, got some crazy throwdown motor they're bringing this weekend. And it's something that's already proven. So you would think that they'll be okay. But it's got to be in the back of your mind, I think, right, Tom?

[Tommy]

I mean, yeah, but I think they're again, knowing the 11 really probably didn't again, the forecast, right, for the engine. The groups with the sealed engines probably going into Martinsville. It's like they're already forecasting what engine to run where. Okay, 11 made the race, right? Let's swap. Maybe not Vegas, but, you know, could we do some stuff different? Maybe it was the Most mileage out 1. Maybe it was one that ran the road course, right. That did a high rev at once. You don't know. But I can guarantee you all four of those cars that show up have the freshest engines that they can possibly have for the championship.

[Freddie Kraft]

And when they say, like, let me. I don't know this answer at all, so I'm gonna ask you, but so they say this thing's got to run one time. Does it have to run one time in the 11 or could it just run?

[Tommy]

It's a group of engines that run with with all the manufacturer's cars. They can change them when however they want.

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[Jared]

Hey, guys. Welcome to actions detrimental.

[Commercial Narrator]

Your car.

[Jared]

What would you like to say, Travis?

[Denny Hamlin]

I was trying to avoid this.

[Commercial Narrator]

Where are you? It's my obligation to bring it up. Where are you?

[Dale Jr.]

Like, we blew up.

[Commercial Narrator]

Okay.

[Denny Hamlin]

Okay.

[Jared]

The engine went boom.

[Commercial Narrator]

And you're still gonna tell me that there's no concern?

[Jared]

Of course there's concern there. My first concern is will my car start? It was. It was as quite funny, actually, in driver intros. William and I were talking, and he's like, what happened to qualifying? He's like, they had to push start you. I said, yeah, well, I eventually got it going. He's like, man, that's kind of funny like that. It won't start, but once it gets rolling, it's actually pretty fast. Trav, we. We can't worry all week about it. We're not going to be able to change it. The. The parts and the pieces are already in the car. We just. We're gonna cross our fingers and hope this thing sees this finish line.

[Denny Hamlin]

All right? But should there be some concern for.

[Commercial Narrator]

People like Travis in the world? I mean, so there's the difference right there. Jared is. And I. I'll right.

[Denny Hamlin]

Denny can't be concerned about this. That'd be stupid if he's concerned about this. But you and every other Denny Hamlin fan, I think, are going to be concerned about this.

[Jared]

My concern is that over half the playoff Races. I've had mechanical fires, so, like, five of the nine I've had major mechanical failures. The ones we haven't, we won. I mean, that's, that's the good news.

[Commercial Narrator]

All right, so DNF or first, they're.

[Jared]

Gonna bring their best. I, I, I'm, I'm confident we're gonna be fine. And if we're not, we're not. I don't know. I just. I, I hope I'm gonna do the best I can. I'm gonna drive it as fast as I can. But I'm confident this week, Trav. I'm, I'm, I'm not negative in any kind of headspace way.

[Dale Jr.]

It's.

[Jared]

Everything's gonna be fine. It's championship week.

[Denny Hamlin]

Did you get any clarity on any of these situations? I was like, why?

[Jared]

Not yet. I think they're, I got a text this morning, said they'll explain it in the comp meeting, so I'll know after that.

[Denny Hamlin]

Hopefully it's avoidable. It's like, oh, yeah, we just forgot about this.

[Jared]

No, I don't think it's gonna be that.

[Denny Hamlin]

No big deal. We won't forget that next week.

[Jared]

Yeah.

[Commercial Narrator]

Now you get to your champ. Four, Jared.

[Justin Allgaier]

Okay, well, I got one.

[Denny Hamlin]

I got one more question on this in that you won Las Vegas, right? Had a great, good Las Vegas race. But then the last two weeks, I mean, you were good yesterday up until, but the results just aren't there. You know, it just feels like it was like a week off in, in a way.

[Dale Jr.]

I.

[Jared]

I mean, I found myself Inside the top four at Talladega with 15 laps to go and my throttle hung open. Now, I, I've raced these two weeks to, to win. I will say I put in far less work into these two weeks. You know, if you want a real Anonymous number was 45 minutes to Talladega and about an hour and a half at Martinsville. That's it. That's all the work I put into those weeks preparing for those races. Um, obviously, we. There's bigger fish to fry, and that's where all the time has been spent, that. In the courtroom. That's for sure.

[Denny Hamlin]

Yeah, I think I'm just trying to get a, Get a temperature check because it seems like the guys who, you know, you guys get on rolls.

[Tommy]

Yeah.

[Denny Hamlin]

And, yeah, you know, you stay hot and you go into Phoenix hot.

[Jared]

I don't know there's any rhyme or reason to it. I don't know. I'm trying to think back of, like, my wins. Are they after good finishes or are they after horrible finishes? I have no idea. I don't think there's any correlation. I truly do believe in my heart of hearts that this sport is week to week. Nothing that happened last week is a direct correlation of what's going to happen this week. I can assure you that I left Martinsville in a pretty good headspace, and then I woke up this morning feeling even better. So I like where we're at.

[Denny Hamlin]

Where's your confidence level going into this weekend?

[Jared]

Pretty high. It's just generally pretty high. I think it was a benefit to have more time for myself, a person that's pretty analytical as it is, a week to week that, you know, to give me a little bit more extra time at that racetrack has been beneficial. Yeah. I think I'm smarter going into that racetrack than what I would have been had I just locked myself in yesterday. And some of the things just took time to learn. So I feel good about it. I feel like we'll bring speed. We've been good speed wise. New Hampshire was a little bit of a. You know, we weren't great at New Hampshire, and that's similar, you know, similar banking, similar tire. And so that was a little bit of a warning, but I think. I think we'll be good. I do.

[Denny Hamlin]

What about not having to race Penske, does that ease the nerves a bit?

[Jared]

Well, it's certainly psychologically makes you feel better. I don't know that it really matters, but it certainly makes you feel better. Just because you have to respect. You're an idiot if you don't respect what they've done at that racetrack. Right. I mean, we. I know Blaney downplayed this weekend quite a bit about people just expect me. Just because I won the last two Martinsville races, I'm gonna just. It's easy. I'm going to go do it again. He's like, it's not that easy. And he's right. But he nearly did again. And so when we. When we all talk about. And the media talks about mostly keeping Penske out, it's just because you have to respect what they've done. And you. You would think that going into that racetrack, if they were part of the Final Four, they would be. They would be a favorite to win it, which would be rightfully so.

[Commercial Narrator]

I have a question for you. As a fan, when, like, Ohio State getting ready to play for the national championship, I'm thinking about what it's like to win or whatever all that week. How do you, as a driver, keep yourself focused on the task at hand and not what it would be like to win. Or do you think about that?

[Jared]

You know, I, I, I find myself. I, I think about it. I, I, I do. It was last night at about 9:30 and I asked Jordan, I was like, I wonder what it's going to be like seven days from now. Like, you know what I mean? I just, I can't help but wonder like, oh my gosh, we're seven days from knowing the result. I don't know. I, I'd love to think about it but I also, those thoughts only creep in between all the work and stuff that I have to do. You know, it's when you wake up first in the morning and I'm not thinking about how I'm going to approach turn one, first lap of practice. I'm just thinking about, okay, the moment, what day is it getting closer. I think it's natural that you have thoughts about what if. But the, you know, that's not going to drive the result. I'm old enough and wise enough now in my years doing this to know that the, the what ifs is, is not gonna dictate the result. It's, it's what you do now, what you do tomorrow and how you react when things don't go as planned.

[Denny Hamlin]

Yeah, but in, in contrast to that, you've also probably thought about those things for the last 20 years. Right. This isn't your first chance at a championship for, right, 20, 19, 2020, like you've, you've been there times before where you thought, oh, I wonder what it's going to be like in seven days from now.

[Jared]

Yeah, and, and I've, I can lean on that experience. I certainly have, have been there before. I know the mentality. I know, you know, typically where my headspace is at, you know, in the days leading up. I know what my head space is typically at during practice. And I'm just going to use all those results and to, you know, refine how I approach this time around. And so listen, nothing is a given. But I'm confident that, you know, if, if, if I don't have any negative unlucky breaks like I'll be there, I'm going to be there and in contention, it's just a matter whether, you know, we got the speed and we got the execution, if we got those two things. I like our chances.

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[Dale Jr.]

All right, so on the Dale Jr download here, we got a lot of guests at the table. Carson Copple, Connor Zillitz, Jesse Love, Justin Allgaier, all the four drivers that are going for the championship this weekend in Phoenix. Talk about how winning that championship changed the, you know, the quest and the relief.

[Justin Allgaier]

Honestly, the way the race went changed it more than. More than the actual winning it, right? I mean, just the nightmare of a race that we had.

[Dale Jr.]

We were out of it.

[Justin Allgaier]

We were out of it. I mean, I'm almost two laps down and I remember. I remember after the race, though, feeling so bad because I cheered as soon as the caution come out, not knowing that Anthony Alfredo blew right front tire and, like, I mean, should have hurt himself, right? I mean, as hard as he crashed, you know, but you're rolling on a pace laps, you don't know what happened. And there's no car on the track, right? He was still rolling. And then I watched the replay back and I'm like, oh, man. But just the whole scenario, it actually is funny. So Jesse and I had had conversations and. And I'm open to helping anybody, right? Like, I feel like I help guys here at GM Sports if they ask for it, but I'm anybody that's in the garage if. If they come up and ask. Jesse and I had a few conversations. So anyways, long story short, come down to the end of the race and there's a restart with I don't know.

[Dale Jr.]

How many you go overtime.

[Justin Allgaier]

Was it overtime? Okay. And so we're like, hey, can we have the top? Right? Because at the same, like, at this point, like, I was expecting to get a dive bomb on the inside, and I'm like, I don't care if we don't win the race to turn one. I just want the top so we don't get cleaned out. And they were like, no, we're racing for a win. So I'm like, all right, now my goal is.

[Dale Jr.]

First I heard of it.

[Justin Allgaier]

Huh?

[Dale Jr.]

First I heard of that.

[Justin Allgaier]

Really? Yeah. We asked for the top and they. And you guys were like, absolutely not. We're racing for the win. Wow. So we take the green and I'm like, now I'm. I'm like, all right, like, something to prove. I got. I gotta go, right? I get the best restart I've ever gotten, and we go down, and we're, like, side by side. How the 98 even got to the outside of him, I have no idea. But the angle of it from the spotters at Phoenix is always weird. And so I, like. I expect Jess to go all the way to the wall, so I, like, hang her right up off the apron. And we. I don't know how we all didn't wreck. I mean, it was. It was ugly. We got smoke rolling off the cars.

[Dale Jr.]

And the last restart.

[Justin Allgaier]

Yeah. And I was.

[Dale Jr.]

I had to get down and stare at the ground for the last two laps. I couldn't watch.

[Justin Allgaier]

It's terrible. It was terrible. And I had no intention of running into him. I just wanted a really good restart, and I wanted to make sure that I beat him in turn one. And so then I created an enemy, right? And, yeah, you were mad at me. You were mad at me. And then. But then over time, it's been fun because I. I really do enjoy the drivers right now. And in the Xfinity series, we have a great. I mean, there's always outliers, right? But we really do have a great group of people in the sport right now, and it's fun every week. I mean, we. We all have our challenges, but I want to win this year just because I'm. I've enjoyed the racing, right? Like, I've enjoyed how much. How competitive it's been this year. I've enjoyed the. The battles that we've all had, and. I don't know, It's. We're going to have fun. I mean, like, I look at this table, last year was so different. When I look at the table we sat here at last year and the group that was in it, and it's so different than what it is this year. And it'. I don't know. It's gonna be fun.

[Dale Jr.]

What do you mean?

[Jared]

Those guys. I would feel scared at the table. With AJ And Austin, it was.

[Justin Allgaier]

I don't know. It was just a different.

[Dale Jr.]

AJ Was fun. Remember? He was great on the show, had.

[Justin Allgaier]

A good time with it.

[Dale Jr.]

Austin's always gonna be Austin.

[Justin Allgaier]

Aj Though, was funny because it can't be anybody's friend.

[Dale Jr.]

He's gotta be. He's like, all y'.

[Justin Allgaier]

All. It was funny, though, because AJ Was like, I got no shot. I don't know why I'm here. I'm just hanging out I'm having a good time. And I don't know, it was. But it was. It was cool. It really was a lot of fun. So I would not. I would not. I don't wish my experience last year and how the race went on anybody at this table. I would much rather us all come across the line 4 wide for the win at the end of the race.

[Jared]

But when I was watching that race back yesterday, I was like, I cannot imagine the thought, like, after Riley side drafted you, whatever. Put a donut on your tire.

[Justin Allgaier]

Oh, no. It blew the left.

[Jared]

Oh, yeah. Yeah. The left rear. Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

Holy.

[Jared]

Yeah. And then to come down or whatever, the restart violation. And then I was like, oh, my gosh. I cannot imagine the thoughts that were.

[Dale Jr.]

Going through your head in a backup car.

[Justin Allgaier]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Dale Jr.]

Destroyed a primary. Yeah. You know, you guys know how much time and effort they put into these cars for this race, right? They're, like massaging on everything. So, yeah, the primary gets wrecked out. I mean, I think when. When. I don't know how you guys feel about it, but, like, I know you're all watching all the tape and you're watching last year's races and you're watching everything you watch in car and all that stuff, trying to get ready for this race. But, like, his. His race last year is a great example for anybody to, like, know that, you know, it's never over like you thought. We thought it was over. It was over.

[Justin Allgaier]

Hey, listen, I'm telling you right now, if it wasn't such a far walk to the Info Care center, he was ready to quit. Yeah, I was going to come down pit road, pull my pit stall, and just get out, but I knew I had to walk all the way to turn one, and I didn't want to walk that far.

[Dale Jr.]

It's just. Yeah. So you just never know, you know, you just never, never know. And NASCAR is going to keep it interesting, you know, so there'll be. They'll present some opportunities if you find yourself behind a little bit, I expect. Jesse said that. Well, I. I just. It's. I have to feel that way. Right. If I. As an owner, like, I'm. I'm trying to wear my media hat today, but as an owner standing there without any control, I can't drive a car. I can't steer. I can't do anything. Can't tell y' all what to do. I just have to know that in that there's going to be a late restart, and all four of you are going to be right up there in the top three rows and it's just going to come down to, like, who's willing to do what it takes to, to make it happen.

[Justin Allgaier]

I mean, think about Sunday Martinsville, right? The race is going to green out. William's going to win the race. It's done. Like, there is, like, there's no way that it doesn't work out.

[Dale Jr.]

Yeah.

[Justin Allgaier]

And then it never fails when you're like, hey, this is going to be the easiest thing ever.

[Dale Jr.]

I just poked my head in his in in their office and they're watching last year's race. The 19 spins down onto pit road in pit road and the caution comes out. It's like, hell, he's on pit road. Like, why does the caution need to come out? So, I mean, the yellow flag will fly if there's. If the wind blows the wrong way. So just be ready. Check out DirtyMomedia on Instagram, Facebook X and TikTok. Bubba Wallace here from 2311 Racing.

[Freddie Kraft]

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[Dale Jr.]

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[Dale Jr.]

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[Jared]

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[Dale Jr.]

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