Live from Nashville with Steve Letarte & Adam Alexander

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Dale Jr. Download – Live from Nashville with Steve Letarte & Adam Alexander

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Dale Jr. Download
• Host/Author: Dirty Mo Media, SiriusXM
• Episode: Live from Nashville with Steve Letarte & Adam Alexander
• Release Date: June 1, 2025
• Description: Hosted by NASCAR’s 15-time Most Popular Driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., this episode features insightful discussions with experts Steve Letarte and Adam Alexander, providing firsthand perspectives on recent races, driver performances, and the broadcasting experience.

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1. Race Recap and Victory Celebrations

The episode kicks off with Jeff Burton sharing his excitement over the recent Xfinity race victory by the Hellmann’s car. He describes the celebratory moments in victory lane, highlighting the camaraderie and the team's performance.

Notable Quote:

• Jeff Burton [01:28]: “When it’s time to go, he mashed a button and drove away. But that 7 car, it's fast every week.”

Steve Letarte adds a touching anecdote about a fan who was moved to tears by the race outcome, emphasizing the emotional impact of racing on the fans.

Notable Quote:

• Steve Letarte [01:32]: “I was talking to a fan who said he cried like a baby in the stands watching the Hellman's car come across the start finish line.”

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2. Tailgate Traditions and Favorite Foods

A lively discussion ensues about the best tailgate foods at the racetrack. The hosts and guests share their personal favorites, blending humor with their culinary preferences.

Notable Quotes:

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. [02:52]: “I like ice cold, cold chicken salad to go with my beer.”
• Jeff Burton [03:12]: “I was gonna go along with maybe a cheeseburger. Put some Hellman's mayonnaise in the burger meat and hold it together. Really works well.”

This segment showcases the personal tastes of the hosts, adding a relatable and entertaining layer to the conversation.

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3. Team and Driver Performance Analysis

The conversation shifts to an in-depth analysis of driver performances and team strategies. Jeff Burton praises Justin Allgaier’s skill on the Nashville track, while also discussing the challenges faced by other drivers like Kyle Larson and Ty Gibbs.

Notable Quotes:

• Jeff Burton [02:54]: “Justin’s really got something figured out about this track. He really does well with the car.”
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. [11:00]: “I was this real like is this team just off this week? Because he's never off.”

The hosts delve into the intricacies of racing strategies, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and mental fortitude in high-pressure scenarios.

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4. Broadcasting Insights and On-Air Dynamics

A significant portion of the episode focuses on the broadcasting experience. Jeff Burton and Adam Alexander share behind-the-scenes moments, highlighting the challenges and excitement of live race coverage.

Notable Quotes:

• Jeff Burton [23:54]: “I love what I'm watching. I sometimes worry that I’m a bit too much in the booth.”
• Adam Alexander [23:01]: “Our goal is always have a great show. Right.”

They discuss the balance between providing insightful commentary and maintaining a dynamic on-air presence, illustrating the passion that drives their work.

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5. Upcoming Races and Future Expectations

Looking ahead, the hosts discuss the upcoming race at Nashville, analyzing track characteristics and predicting potential outcomes based on current driver standings and team performances.

Notable Quotes:

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. [05:53]: “The racetrack of inches... it's really a game of inches and limiting mistakes.”
• Jeff Burton [07:15]: “Who can bring the battle to the big threes? Penske, Gibbs, and Hendrick.”

The analysis covers the pressure on drivers to secure playoff positions and the unpredictability that makes NASCAR racing thrilling.

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6. Audience Interaction and Questions

The episode features a segment where audience members submit questions. Topics range from broadcasting lessons learned during recent races to the impact of weather changes on racing strategies.

Notable Question:

• Garrett's Question [29:45]: “The last two out of four races here have started in the day but pushed tonight due to weather. How do you think teams have adjusted to account for that?”

Notable Answers:

• Adam Alexander [29:57]: “The engineering and the technology for all these teams is at such a high level, so that allows them to anticipate what to expect.”
• Jeff Burton [30:07]: “Racing on concrete is so unique... it’s an enormous challenge.”

This interaction highlights the technical adjustments teams must make in response to environmental changes, showcasing the depth of knowledge among the hosts and guests.

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7. Closing Remarks and Final Thoughts

In the closing segment, the hosts offer their final thoughts on the state of NASCAR, expressing optimism about the sport’s future and encouraging fans to enjoy the upcoming races.

Notable Quotes:

• Jeff Burton [30:47]: “NASCAR is in a really good place. There's a lot of great excitement and momentum.”
• Adam Alexander [31:24]: “Enjoy the race. We look forward to bringing it to you in the coming weeks on TV.”

They also extend their gratitude to the audience and sponsors, fostering a sense of community and shared enthusiasm for the sport.

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Conclusion

This episode of The Dale Jr. Download provides a comprehensive and engaging look into recent NASCAR events, driver performances, and the intricacies of race broadcasting. With thoughtful analysis, personal anecdotes, and interactive segments, Dale Earnhardt Jr., along with Steve Letarte and Adam Alexander, delivers a rich narrative that both informs and entertains enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

Key Takeaways:

• Celebrations and emotional connections highlight the significance of race victories.
• Personal preferences in tailgate food add a relatable touch to the discussion.
• In-depth analysis of drivers like Justin Allgaier, Kyle Larson, and Ty Gibbs offers insights into their performances and team strategies.
• Behind-the-scenes broadcasting experiences reveal the passion and challenges of live race coverage.
• Audience interactions emphasize the technical and strategic aspects of NASCAR racing.
• Optimism for NASCAR’s future underscores the sport’s enduring popularity and dynamic nature.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Jeff Burton [01:28]: “When it’s time to go, he mashed a button and drove away. But that 7 car, it's fast every week.”
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. [05:53]: “The racetrack of inches... it's really a game of inches and limiting mistakes.”
• Jeff Burton [30:47]: “NASCAR is in a really good place. There's a lot of great excitement and momentum.”

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This detailed summary captures the essence of the Live from Nashville episode, providing listeners with a thorough understanding of the discussions and insights shared by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his esteemed guests.

Transcript

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[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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[Steve Letarte]

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[Adam Alexander]

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[Jeff Burton]

All right.

[Steve Letarte]

How you guys doing? Take a seat if you want.

[Jeff Burton]

How's it going? How's it going? I just had to ask Ross when he was driving that at number nine again, so. Because that's a lot of fun, man. It's pretty fun having Ross drive your Xfinity car. You gotta have thick skin, though, because he's gonna. He's gonna rough up the competition a little bit. But that's okay. But good to be here. Thank y' all for being here. Great turnout.

[Steve Letarte]

Dale, you had some fun in the Xfinity race. The helmet's car won the race.

[Jeff Burton]

Hey, that's right.

[Steve Letarte]

I was talking to a fan who said he cried like a baby in the stands watching the Hellman's car come across the start finish line. That's how much it meant to him. So how was the win? How'd you celebrate?

[Jeff Burton]

Well, we went to victory lane and took some pictures, drank a cold beer and did a little interview or two, and that was that. You know, just when you come to Nashville, our cars are good here, and Justin Allgaier is good here. So that's a. I don't know that there's another driver you'd want behind the wheel. I mean, I know Zillich gave him a run for his money there, but I think Justin was just kind of riding in front of him there, just trying to take care of his tires. And when it was time to go, he mashed a button and drove away. But that 7 car, it's fast every week. But right here at Nashville, Justin's really got something figured out about this track. He really does well with the car.

[Adam Alexander]

I will say on the TV side, we appreciated him just riding.

[Jeff Burton]

That's right. Created some drama, buddy. Adam here was on the call. He's a busy man these days.

[Steve Letarte]

Yes, you are. We got two analysts and a play by play guy. We have a night race coming up and the party's already starting here in Nashville. I can see tailgating scene is starting in the day, it's ending at night. So I want to know from you guys, of course, with our friends Hellmans, what's the best tailgate food that you can have at a racetrack?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Ooh, that's a good one.

[Jeff Burton]

Oh, that's easy. Really?

[Adam Alexander]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Well, I'm a football guy, man. I like ice cold, cold chicken salad to go with my beer.

[Adam Alexander]

Chicken salad, man, I would have lost that bet. I would have lost that bet.

[Jeff Burton]

I guess it is more difficult for the tart. That's a hell of a combination. Chicken salad and beer.

[Adam Alexander]

It's good.

[Jeff Burton]

I was gonna go along with maybe a cheeseburger. That's right up. Put some Hellman's mayonnaise in the burger meat and holds it together. Really works well. You gotta get some buffalo chicken wings. Anything. Buffalo. You can put buffalo on anything and it's automatically better. Yeah. I don't know. I mean, corn dogs. My girls are into corn dogs these days.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Hard to beat a good corn dog.

[Jeff Burton]

Corn dogs left my life entirely. And then I have a four and a seven year old and now they're back. Corn dogs are back.

[Adam Alexander]

A corn dog is a hard thing to eat because you get. You got to keep sliding it up on the stick. You know what I mean? It's a little bit of a choke hazard.

[Brad Keselowski]

Is a dad.

[Jeff Burton]

It is a choke hazard. It's the physics of life. They learn that as they go through life eating corn dogs.

[Brad Keselowski]

Such.

[Steve Letarte]

Well, those are some good answers. Dale and Steve, you guys are reunited in the booth. And you know, Hellman's is all about bringing out the best. That's kind of the theme of this show. How do you guys bring out the best when you were driver, crew chief, and now in the booth working together?

[Jeff Burton]

Well, I gotta say, I've always enjoyed working with Steve, but I've never worked with Adam before. And just kind of keeping this guy in line has been a real challenge. Right out of the gate. We're one week in, and he's just a wild man making jokes all the time. And it is. I thought me and Steve were goofballs, but Adam Kind of fits right into that narrative as well. And so we, you know, people keep telling us that it sounds like we've been doing it for a while, and I think we all felt that immediately when we were doing some of our practice broadcasts, we would go to a studio and practice over the FOX broadcast. And, man, it was easy and simple and fun. And the 600 is a badass race, so who wouldn't want to broadcast that one? That was a good. That's been a good one the last several years. So just an awesome, awesome weekend.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

It was a great weekend. Like, it's as simple as enjoy what you're doing and enjoy who you're working with. Like, I don't really like working with a bunch of jerks. So when you hang out with people and then you get to work with the people you want to hang out with anyway, I think it comes across every. In our broadcast. Right. I think we're having a lot of fun. We're covering the race. We would have watched anyway. Really. The only difference between the first half of the year and the second half of the year is we can't drink during the second half of the year. We're still watching the races. We're still. If we're not talking about it, we're texting. There's always, like a thread of analysis of what we think's going on in.

[Adam Alexander]

The race, and then the second half analysis.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

See, he fits right in already.

[Steve Letarte]

He does. Well, I will let you guys take the reins. We've got a big race coming up here at Nashville. I heard Austin Cindrick say it's got an identity crisis, this racetrack. So I will leave it to you guys to take over the show. But what do we expect tonight at Nashville?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

So what I think the identity to Nashville is, is it's the oddball. It's not like anywhere else. You could say it's concrete, like Dover. They run the same tire at Vegas. You could give me a bunch of similarities, but it's not the same as anything, which is what makes it great. The entertainment of the town, kind of. The market obviously accelerates at this type of crowd, gets everybody fired up to be here. But what the drivers are getting ready to do is just very difficult. This is a racetrack of inches. It looks like it's one of those tracks where when they go around Las Vegas, I can't believe they're going that fast. And when I watch a car here, I don't know why they're going so slow. It looks like you should be able to go so fast, but there's so little grip that they're slipped and sliding around. So it is really a game of inches and limiting mistakes. In a year of what I've considered a year of mistakes, people just continue to mess up week in and week out.

[Adam Alexander]

I love the unpredictability in general in nascar, but I feel like it's exaggerated here because of all the things that Steve just said about this racetrack. And when you look at the lineup tonight, 11 of the guys starting in the top 15 have not won this year. The playoff field is half full. We're getting into the summer. The pressure's on for these guys to get into the playoffs. And I think back to last year. You know, Joey snuck up and surprised everybody and ends up getting in and winning the title. And I think tonight could be a coming out party for someone as well, because there's so many guys up there that haven't won. And if you can get it done here, it makes a major statement on who you are as a driver. I think.

[Jeff Burton]

I think that this racetrack has really exceeded my expectations when they brought it back onto the schedule, and we've ran four races here. I really. Watching the Xfinity races from over a decade ago, I anticipated this racetrack to really be bottom dominant and passing to be a premium and very limited. And, you know, it's. There are three wide, multiple grooves in the corner. They go all the way to the top of the racetrack to find speed. As a driver, you love that. As a broadcaster or a fan, I think you love that because it presents opportunities to pass. You're not stuck in one lane behind a slow car. You can move around and find your way around somebody. I loved watching the battles that we've had develop late in these races here in the last four years where there's the faster car trying to pass a slower car for the lead late in the race, and there's some defense that has to happen. There's some creativity that has to happen by both drivers, and it's really fun because they're the best in the world, and we get to watch them try to compete and battle each other out. So we've been presented with some really solid events. I don't think the day will be any different. To your point, Adam, some great storylines building up in the series. Great battle right around the bubble for the playoffs. You got Ricky STENHOUSE Driving that 47, overachieving like crazy. This guy, he's one of the. We got a. We got a. We got sort of a demographic or a Way to sort of rate the teams. And he's. He's not one of the fastest teams, but he's actually outperforming a lot of teams that are quicker than him, better than him on pit road, better than him at passing, better than him at defending. But he's just tenacious and will not quit. And he's sitting there right now above the cut line with a chance to go to the playoffs, and there's some teams below him. They should be freaking embarrassed. And so it's a really cool storyline that builds around that bubble. I like that. And obviously, who can bring. Who can bring the battle to the big threes? You got Penske, Gibbs and Hendrick. Trackhouse did it last week. Can they do it again this week? What are some other teams, man, that can take the fight to those three? They're the best teams. They got the most money, the most funding, support, resources, engineering. They're far above the rest of the competition. But every now and then, the underdogs prevail.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

That's really. I think that's the thing. I think a 2311, right? So it's been almost 100 races since Bubba's won. Tyler Reddick continues to be fast. I think he's great here. They got a little called out by their owner, Hamlet, a couple weeks ago, said we basically need to get their stuff in order. And I think, you know, in any sport, when the owner calls out the players, they always seem to find a better way if the coach calls them out. Denny called out the 45 car. I thought they were good last week. I think they're great this week. So I'm excited to see if they can put it all together. The pressure's on everybody. Like the pit crews, just everyone, the magnifying glasses, the turned up for sure.

[Adam Alexander]

And I would say, too, things can change like that. And Dale talks about the bubble, and it's so tight right now. And when you look at the collection of tracks that we've got coming this week in Nashua, we talked about how unique this place is. We go to Michigan next week, it's all about speed. We got the road course in Mexico City, Pocono. There's nothing like it when you talk about the balance of competition versus the unique layout of all of these tracks. This summer is going to be outstanding for the sport, and you don't want to get behind the eight ball beginning this run to the playoffs. And with the second half of the regular season beginning here tonight, you want to make sure you stay in front of it. Or maybe more importantly, just get a win. So you're locked in and I think that aggression is going to start to come out because the sense of urgency is really being dialed up right now.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I tell you one big name and we talked about him probably at nauseam last week because he ran the double. But Kyle Larson this weekend, he has started worse because of backup cars or other issues, but he has not qualified this bad ever in Hendrick Carr. This is the worst qualifying effort we have seen outside the top 20. And I was this real like is this team just off this week? Because he's never off. So if he's not, that's his biggest story to me is any somebody being great? So I want to see if he can figure it out. I'm not sure what's wrong with the five so far this weekend. Maybe nothing.

[Adam Alexander]

What about Carson Hosvar? I want to bring him up. He is not afraid and I can't wait to watch him race next weekend at Michigan because that's his home track and I feel like that place was just built for him and his mentality. But what do you see there out of that young driver, Dale?

[Jeff Burton]

Well, he's fast and he's fast again in practice this weekend. That was an incredible run that they had at the 600. I think that's the best in my mind that Spire has ever ran in one of these at the cup level. And I think we, I think we all, myself included are a bit guilty of short term memory. And really if we think back to just three or four or five years ago, Spire wasn't a race team based on performance driven incentive. It was a business. They were racing to make the bottom line work and they weren't racing to go to the racetrack and finish as best as they possibly could. And they have sort of shifted that mindset. A lot of things have changed in that organization to where now they go to the racetrack to win a race and it's fascinating and it's happened in a very short period of time and a driver like Josevar is the key to that, to their success in the future. So finding that young Jim, yes, he's rough, he's got some things he's got to clean up, he's got some mistakes he's got to stop making. But when he finally puts all that together, they're going to have, they're going to have quite a lot of success with him behind the wheel. And I honestly feel a lot of COVID to know him better, personality wise off the track. He's going to add a lot of color and personality that this sport badly needs. So you got young drivers coming in here. They might run into your favorite guy every now and then, but they're brash. They're not afraid to, you know, be themselves. We ought to embrace that. And because the sports really, that's what the sport really survives on. So I'm excited about him. A couple other drivers coming into the sport that are young and entertaining.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Well, think about some of the biggest stars. Like when Gordon came in, the veterans didn't really like how he raced, right? Logano. Tony Stewart would yell about Logano every single week. It seems like Chastain, who just left the stage, right people didn't like how he was racing, and now he's winning. That's what I like with Husbar, is you cannot like him. And as a. As a competitor, you surely don't need to like him and don't like how he's doing it. But you can't dispute this. Just the raw talent, the speed. It's way better to have to coach one to finish than it is to coach one to go fast. I don't think you could coach him to speed, and he has that.

[Jeff Burton]

When you guys watched practice yesterday, these days in the sport, they do practice in two groups, so it's a little bit tougher for us as we're looking at the monitor to tell, all right, this guy's clearly better than everyone else. His long run speed, his is better than everyone else. Because the two groups don't really compare in speed. One group will be quicker overall than the other because of the dynamics of the racetrack surface and everything else. So when you look at the cars that were fast yesterday, I know it's difficult, but what are some of the ones that stand out to you? In my mind, I felt like there were seven or eight cars that if they get control of the race at the front of the field, they can win A little bit larger group than. Than what I would see on any given Sunday. So feels like it's. It's a race for about, you know, eight to 12 cars to win.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

That's how I look at it. I think there's a group at the top. I think Hamlin was great. Redick, I thought was great. Trying to think of who in the first group. Briscoe was pretty good.

[Jeff Burton]

And Blaine.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Blaine, probably the one that jumped off the page in the first group.

[Jeff Burton]

Blaney jumps off the page, but then he goes out there and qualifies relatively poorly. Didn't qualify like we expected. Him to.

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[Adam Alexander]

Qualified up front that I'm curious about today is Brad Keselowski. Because, you know, here's a guy we talk about the bubble and trying to get into the playoffs. This is a team that's admitted halfway through the regular season. We, we got to win a race if we're going to qualify to run for a championship. But we saw something last week. We saw it again today. Organizationally, they seem to have some momentum. And his first ever win top three series in NASCAR driving for you right here at Nashville in 2008. But what's your evaluation of that six group right now?

[Jeff Burton]

Man, it's, it's. Brad's a great friend of mine and sometimes he's working his guts out to try to be an owner and a driver at the same time. And it's tough to see the performance on the racetrack, maybe not be what I believe it is in terms of how good of a race car driver Brad is. This was a great race for him last year. Finished in the top five in both stages. I feel like that they got an opportunity to do that again this weekend. He needs it. He needs to. He's got to win. There's no way he points his way into the playoffs, obviously way back there outside the top 25 in points, but. And there's no reason why they can't consider themselves, you know, know, a shot at winning one of these races. So it's. But it's fun to watch the ebb and flow of organizations, drivers and teams this. I think that the swings are wilder with the next gen car than they've ever been before with the other versions of the race cars we ran in the past. One driver that I'm a bit perplexed on or confused on this particular weekend. I dare not say that I think he'll struggle because I don't want to be proved wrong. But Kyle Larson was a driver that we saw not really pop off great speed in practice. He was, he was around seventh or eighth in 15 lap average, which is kind of rare for him to be that low. And then he qualified really bad.

[Adam Alexander]

28, I think.

[Jeff Burton]

And so it's hard to really know exactly what to expect today out of the five.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I don't believe it. I think there's got to be more there than we see. Something's going to happen. Plus they're just going to manufacture. It's kind of like Logano. Logano never jumps off the page, but Paul Wolfe and Joey do a great job of manufacturing game finishes, finding a different way to do it, trying to figure out. You mentioned Larson confused you. I think the driver that's confused me more than this one week is Ty Gibbs. I think he's got a ton of talent, he drives fast race cars, but it just hasn't been working here in the last six or eight weeks. So I'm waiting for something to click. Either it's confidence or comfort or something to maybe go his way to put him in a happier mood, maybe to just run a little better.

[Adam Alexander]

But I would say the other end of that within the Joe Gibbs Racing organization is Chase Briscoe. Because why while Ty has struggled, and you referenced Briscoe yesterday from practice and obviously he starts on the Poland tonight's race, but they seem to have found something here. And that 19 group is not just doing it on Saturday, but they've been able to do it on Sunday, the last couple of weeks as well.

[Jeff Burton]

Yeah, I talked to Briscoe at Charlotte and he told me that his only problem and the reason why they've struggled was he wasn't able to go out there and really commit to the race car and qualify in the, you know, no knock on shr, but he said that the Joe Gibbs cars just had so much more ability that he's just not used to. And so that when he would, you know, go out for qualifying, he's often under driving the car and not getting the lap time, obviously. And it's very tight. If you don't run the perfect lap in qualifying, you're going to be in the back half of the field. And that's been tough to overcome during the races. Qualifying poorly, having poor finishes, having a draw in qualifying for the next week, and the next week, you just dig a hole for yourself that's hard to get out of. So these last few weeks, great qualifying efforts, he's starting to realize how to get this car around the racetrack to be able to get that better starting position, better pit selection, better finishes, end result, he starts qualifying in a better position every weekend and continues to progress. So I think it took longer for us than we Anticipated for that team to get. Get going. But I'm not surprised and won't be surprised to see him running as well as Denny and. And C. Bell over the next several weeks.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Hey, Denny, you mentioned it, baby watch. Yeah, that kind of has my interest. His kid is due like this weekend, I think.

[Jeff Burton]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

So first boy I want to see if he's fortunate enough to not have any distractions. If it does come, does he get in the car, does he stay out of the car? Does he go home Once he do, I'm interested to see.

[Jeff Burton]

We're going to try to. We're going to try to ask Denny on the broadcast what his plan is. Be interesting to see if he'll answer us honestly. I think you should do the asking, Adam.

[Adam Alexander]

Yeah, I think being the new guy. Is that the deal?

[Jeff Burton]

I think you should ask him that question.

[Adam Alexander]

If you script the questions, I'll ask him. Okay, how about that?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Are you ready? How about you? Are you ready for another one of these? We've worked together before, Adam. He walked in the booth last week and he looked all excited like a kid for the first day of school. And about halfway through 400 laps, I wasn't sure if he was excited, exhausted, or just couldn't believe what we have got him into.

[Adam Alexander]

Well, let me tell you, the biggest difference between school and what you experienced last week is I actually did some homework prior to coming to the TV booth. I never did homework in school. So I'll be real clear about that. But you know what? We were blessed with an awesome race last week. And I think that's the one thing that people don't understand in our industry. Our goal is always have a great show. Right. But it is so much easier when you are presented what we were presented with last week. In fact, I'll take you behind the scenes a little. You know, in the booth, I would sit where Dale is and Dale's in the middle and Steve's over on the right. And there were a couple of times where Dale and I, or Steve and I rather had some bruising because there would be some good action on track. And Dale would be up out of his seat, you know, hitting us and grabbing us a little bit. So it can be a dangerous work environment in the booth.

[Jeff Burton]

What the hell.

[Adam Alexander]

And then I would say, Steve, you know, Steve's over there kind of like me, relaxed. And then the producer says, get me to some of that fuel mileage and why they did two tires there. And Steve's out of that chair. So you know what? There is Some hazard pay that probably should come with my role. Just based on the body language that comes out of these two when something's happening on track.

[Jeff Burton]

Yeah, I. I can't help it. I'm excited. I love.

[Adam Alexander]

I encourage it, actually.

[Jeff Burton]

I love what I'm watching. I know I. I sometimes worry that, you know, that I'm a bit too. Too much in the booth, but. Because, yeah, I'm slapping them on the arm and pointing and, you know, looking out there and sometimes catch myself watching the race out the window more than on our program and. But I want to. I want to see the car break loose and I want to be the one that caused the wreck. But it's a lot of fun. It's. I'm going to watch the races anyways, right? So I might as well be here.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

And so I will say behind the scariest thing in tv. And it happened to me twice last week. So when we're up there, you know, we can hear everything you hear at home. But in my other ear, we. We have stats guys and they're talking to us. And I have a producer in this year, and I might be talking to the producer, so I could be having a whole second conversation. And it's kind of like back to school. Like sleeping in school and hearing your name called by the teacher. So you'll be there, and I'll be talking to the producer, Marv. And I'll be in the middle of a whole conversation, and it'll be down on pit road and somebody was saying something. And then you hear like, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, Steve. And you look at these, you're like, I have no idea what was just asked of me.

[Jeff Burton]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Oh, man, Television. So then you start tap dancing and.

[Jeff Burton]

You'Re really looking like, that happened. That happened last week.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I did for me. For sure.

[Jeff Burton]

It happened to me.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Oh, yeah.

[Jeff Burton]

I got called out by my. By the, you know, our bosses. But we were. They went down to the pits to Marty Snyder, and he's talking about, you know, something going on in the pits. And he goes, dale, what do you. Has that, you know, that's happened to you? What did you do? And I didn't hear it. Cause I was listening to something else or watching or looking at something else. And I was like, I think I just heard my name. And I don't have a damn clue what he asked me.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

And then, though. Then you look at your friends. Are you gonna help me? And you're looking back like, I'm gonna let this sit for a minute.

[Jeff Burton]

I wanna see how Long this takes Steve. Steve did his. Steve waited for a couple seconds, then he finally started talking. And I was like, man, I wonder if anybody noticed.

[Adam Alexander]

Please be forgiving. You know, it's not an easy job sometimes. But I will say this. I mean, we talk about Dale and his approach, and I would say that, you know, Steve and I have different personalities than Dale, but the one common thread that we all share is the passion for racing and for what we do. And so when you get up there, it really does become three guys having a conversation, watching tv and. And that's the atmosphere you want to create. And there's so much prep that goes into it sometimes it's hard to convey that. But that's the goal, is just to let our passion come out like yours will in the stands tonight or when you're watching at home next week.

[Jeff Burton]

Absolutely. We're going to move on to some questions from the audience. Andrew is out there with a microphone and hopefully some great questions. Andrew.

[Steve Letarte]

Yes. We've got some good ones. And Steve, I know you have to bounce here.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I have to go meet with nascar.

[Steve Letarte]

Yes.

[Jeff Burton]

So, everyone, thank you.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Thank you.

[Jeff Burton]

Steve, tell us what they told you. Whatever you learn, you're going to tell us, right?

[Steve Letarte]

But we have our first question here. You guys are talking all about the broadcast which was fantastic last week. So what's your question for these guys? So what did. What could you take away from last week's Coke 600 broadcast? I thought you guys did absolutely phenomenal.

[Adam Alexander]

But what, what, what.

[Jeff Burton]

What's.

[Steve Letarte]

What's something you learned from that broadcast that you could take away to the next four races on prime and tnt?

[Adam Alexander]

Well.

[Jeff Burton]

I think that we had a lot of things working for us. For me, that was my first 600, so I was super amped about it. But, you know, the military presence and the meaning of that afternoon and weekend for all of those families, the fact that the world 600 has such a historic run in NASCAR favored Charlotte's everybody's favorite backyard. You just had a lot of real positive things working in your favor to have a great show. A lot of the people on this team are actually people that I've worked with in the past. So it's. Even though it is Amazon or we'll be tnt, there's a lot of people that are in the industry that work for all those different entities. So that was nice to see a lot of familiar faces. And, yeah, you're always trying to be perfect. You're never going to be perfect. But I think working to be perfect is the Goal, Trying to achieve the best outcome possible. Making sure you covered all of the things that are going on. Make sure you talked about as many drivers as you could, make sure you took the camera to all of the battles that are happening and talking about the most important stuff. You don't want to miss anything. At the end of the race. When you look at the rundown, you want to go. You don't want to look at the rundown and go, damn it. How'd he run six? Where did he come from? You know, you don't want to do that. You don't want to end up where the fans at home are going. Man, they didn't ever mention this guy, and he had a great night. So that's the one thing I think is you're getting. I don't know about you, Adam, but as we're sort of. As we're getting toward the finish, I'm always kind of looking to see what crumbs we might have left or something that we might. A story we left untold. Make sure we try to pack that into the. The back end of the race, and it doesn't. It doesn't go unsaid.

[Steve Letarte]

All right, we got a question over here with Garrett.

[Jeff Burton]

Man. So the last two out of four races here have started in the day but pushed tonight due to weather. How do you think teams have adjusted to account for that with this being 20 degrees cooler also being a night race?

[Adam Alexander]

Well, I would say the engineering and the technology for all these teams is at such a high level, so that allows them to, you know, anticipate what to expect.

[Jeff Burton]

But.

[Adam Alexander]

But I would say. And Dale can speak to this a lot better than me. You know, racing on concrete is so unique, and we don't do such little racing on concrete. And then you magnify that by the fact that when we race at Dover or Bristol, there aren't a lot of common characteristics between the three tracks. Nashville, a little longer, a little flatter in the corner. I mean, there's just so many differences here compared to those racetracks, so it's an enormous challenge, and I think that's why you have seen so much movement in the leaderboard and why we talked earlier about. We love this place because of the unpredictability.

[Steve Letarte]

All right, guys, we are running tight on time, so we only have time for those two questions. So let's hear some closing thoughts from you guys.

[Jeff Burton]

Yeah. Sorry we didn't get to the questions earlier. I wasn't sure exactly where we were on time, But I want to thank all y' all for coming out supporting the racetrack. NASCAR in my opinion is in a really good place. There's a lot of great excitement and momentum. I can see it in all Yalls faces. I saw it last week at the 600. There's a lot of great things happening in our sport and I'm glad to be here for it and I know you are too. We're gonna have a great day. Let's all buckle up, enjoy yourselves and take care of each other and hope you have a good travel. Hope you have a good travel on the way home and yeah.

[Adam Alexander]

Yeah. Thank you all. Enjoy the race. We look forward to bringing it to you in the coming weeks on tv. Thanks for being here.

[Jeff Burton]

Thank y' all.

[Steve Letarte]

Thank you guys and thanks to Hellmans for being here. Thank you guys for bringing out the best and we don't want you guys to go home empty handed. So we have some signed Hellman's bottles.

[Unknown]

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[Adam Alexander]

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