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Dale Earnhardt 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. This episode of the Dirty 30 is presented by Arby's new Meet in 3 box. Get more meal for your money at Arby's. We have the meats. Sbg. I saw some cameras on his feet. Do you see that? Yeah, guy don't like his God. He don't like cameras on his feet. Do you know that?
Sponsor/Ad Voice
Because it gives away. Could give away what he's doing.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Listen, let me tell you something. SVG and he is he coming calling in?
Sponsor/Ad Voice
Yeah, he's calling.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Okay, let me talk to him about this. So I don't, I don't want to repeat myself. So I'm gonna say that conversation. But I'll just say it. I'm at the Chicago race. We are in the middle of the race. The race is happening. SVG is looking like he might win this frickin thing, right? So the broadcast is getting going, all the people at home are going and I start getting text messages from my friends in Australia and one of the people that's texting me is a guy by the name of Paul Morris. And Paul Morris is a V8 supercar driver from years ago and Paul has served like the V8 supercar committee. This dude, he's a racer and you can follow Paul on social media. He's talking about racing and dudes, he's in it and he knows SVG and all these guys really well. He said he's kicking these guys ass because of how he uses the clutch on in the braking zone. And so traditionally now this is, this is something I think those guys in Australia do really well with the V8 supercar. And I'm sure it happens. It's well done. Probably in Europe as well. F1 drivers, whatever. Right. I mean this isn't like a.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
It's their craft.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Yeah. This ain't NASCAR guys do. But when we use the clutch, if we do, it's change the gear. We don't use the clutch to, to, to control wheel hop or any of that. We don't use the clutch to, to try to improve tire life over the duration of a run. Paul was like, hey, when he goes down into the braking zone, you know, he lifts off the gas, mashes the brake pedal. But you'll watch him, he'll modulate the clutch and he's. So when you, when you at a road course, if you're driving wide ass open into a deep braking zone, you lift off the gas, you pop the revs to downshift like one. Whoa. And as soon as you put the car into the lower gear, it tries to drag the rear tires. The rear. It's called engine braking. And so you're, you're desaling in a high RPM and it's. And it sometimes in bad cases can induce wheel hop. The rear tires just start bouncing across racetrack and you see guys wreck.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
When you were racing, you were left foot braking in these zones, right? Yeah. You would left foot brake and then pop the gas pedal. He is right foot braking, I suppose. Yeah, yeah, he's right foot braking and
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
he's got his foot on the clutch.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
Yes.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
And so what he, what he's, what he's doing is he's, he kind of when he starts to feel the rear tires trying to get like the engine braking, trying to drag the rear tire or even induce some wheel hop, he will modulate the clutch just slightly to dampen the load on the drivetrain. The, the, you know. Yeah, the effect on the, like the drive shaft, they have, you know, different components in the next gen car. Then they don't have drive shafts anymore like a rally car. But he's trying to dampen the load that the drivetrain is trying to put on the rear tires so the tire isn't being. Getting his ass kicked. The rear tires aren't getting their ass kicked into the braking zone in a downshift under engine braking. And so another thing that he does is he will modulate the clutch and pitch the car in the middle of the corner down deep in the braking zone. He kind of he kind of will release the clutch a little bit or use the clutch pedal in a way to help the car pitch and turn. No other. No other NASCAR driver is using the clutch pedal like this. No one. And so they talked about it during the broadcast. Kevin Harvick mentioned it, but it allows him to brake much deeper. And he's using a lot of more. He's using more brake caliper, brake clamp. He's using a lot more brake force to slow the car down. A lot of guys, myself included, we use the engine braking to slow the car down. But that's bad on the rear tire. That makes the rear tire mad. Cause the rear tire's literally kind of trying to get drug into the corner depth. And so I like when we would go to even Pocono turn one when we were downshifting. I'm downshifting early. Using the engine braking. No, I'm using less brake pedal, brake pressure and using engine braking to slow the car down. I did that at road courses too. That ain't the way to do it. That ain't the best way to do it. The best way to do it is to use less engine braking, use brake pedal, use the actual braking system, and use the clutch to modulate wheel, hop deep into the braking zone. And so that is, I mean, the dude's just really great at road courses, but that's one of the reasons why he's not only great, but that also makes him fast on the back end of the run. Everyone else out there has pissed their tires off, slid front tires, made the rear tires mad, doing all those things I just talked about. And he, he is out there driving fast, but also keeping his tires happy. And so halfway into the run, or at the very end of the run, this guy is still smoking off big time laps and no one else can get even close seconds. Yes, that is the difference. We went to the next couple of races and he did not want foot cameras. And if they put a foot camera in there, he kicked it out of the way. But no, I would tell him, hey, I get it. This is a thing that you can do that these other guys don't know how to do, but their ass ain't gonna learn it.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
Not this. I don't think so.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
This is a technique that you need to be doing from the day that you start driving race cars. It ain't some you can start picking up and learning and understanding. There ain't no chance to no way in hell there is a single driver in the NASCAR cup field Today that could apply and adopt this technique and do it well, they just. It's just not possible. Shane Van Ginsberg and calling in right here, joining the Dale Jr. Download. Shane, thanks for giving us some time today. We're going to.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
Yeah, we need a foot camera.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
So, yeah, we need a foot cam. See what you're doing. So kind of see kind of technique you're using during this call. Hey, I wanted to talk to you about that. And you ain't gonna let you off the hook. So you. When we put the foot camera in there, you kept telling. You kept telling us. I work with the network, so I know the dialogue. You kept telling us, man, I don't want that foot camera down there. And then we'd put one down there and you kick it out of the way. What's the deal?
Shane Van Gisbergen
I just. I have big feet. I'm a big. In the wrong spot.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Oh, are you serious? The camera was in your way?
Shane Van Gisbergen
It was in the way.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Oh, so your concern. I think you have genuine concern that, you know, you don't want a lot of people to really, truly see that technique or understand that. But I got to tell you, no one's going to be able to learn that. Like our guys that are 30, 35, 40 years old, they're not going to be able to like, tack this, put this in their, you know, their. Their repertoire. They're not going to be able to like, start trying this technique and. And do it, do it.
Shane Van Gisbergen
Well, I think Logano and Cindric have started.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
They're trying. But Logan, I learned. I heard them talking like Logano was trying to do it in practice, but they're not. They may be trying to, like, put their feet where your feet are, but they really don't know what they're trying to do with the. With the clutch. You know what I mean? And I don't know.
Shane Van Gisbergen
I also think people overthink it as well. Like, I don't think it is a big advantage, but of course I'm going to say that. But yeah, yeah, it's all of. All I've known. But I used to do it. Because you had to in a V8 supercar. Right.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Why did you have to?
Shane Van Gisbergen
Because they would have a lock diff and you'd have to run so much rear brake to make it turn. So you could control the rear lock and the brake zone.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Yeah.
Shane Van Gisbergen
And then as you got to the brake zone, you'd. The clutch would be out as you turned in and it would help the car to turn.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Yep.
Shane Van Gisbergen
But in this, you don't need to because the diff is open. So it. You don't really have rear locking because you can run so much more front brake bars.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Right.
Shane Van Gisbergen
So I don't.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
You don't know that the advantage is what it used to be for you in the previous cars you drove.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
Yeah.
Shane Van Gisbergen
Like it obviously probably is some but it's nowhere near. Yeah, like you couldn't, you couldn't drive a V8 supercar fast and lift or break, you know, really before a couple of laps. But yeah, not.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
That was your problem.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
That was my problem.
Shane Van Gisbergen
Yeah, but. But here, you know, I don't, I don't think it's a advantage at all. But as you said, the older guys I would struggle to left foot break, you know.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Exactly.
Shane Van Gisbergen
Be hard for me to go and do the opposite.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Time to move on to Ask dbc. These questions are submitted by our fans, so apologies in advance. Kurt the last time the number 97 sat on the pole was Homestead in
Amy Earnhardt
2004, when you won the Cup Series championship.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
What do you remember from that weekend?
Kurt Busch
I mean that was the championship run. That's when the year, the focus, the execution. Back then we used to be able to test wherever we wanted, like for five test sessions. It wasn't just Goodyear tire test. So we saved all of our tests, five for the final 10 weeks. We went to Martinsville about 10 days prior. We went to Darlington 10 days prior, went to all these tracks and just to execute all the way through that playoff run. And our plan was to show up like a possum when the playoff started and we were like seventh or eighth in points all year. You know, the 10 guys got in back then. And then the first playoff race was Loudon. We won it and didn't look back. And then to get to Homestead, we were getting nervous. Like my points lead, we blew an engine at Atlanta and the points lead, it kind of dwindled down to basically what it is in today's format, three points. So I had a three point lead on Johnson and like a five point lead on Gordon and what I remember vividly the most, yeah, the wheel broke and came apart. I missed the end of pit road. Somehow some way we reset in the back and just kind of worked our way back up. One thing I remember though was there was a late caution and we couldn't quite make it on fuel. It was too far of a stretch and Jimmy Fennon, the crew chief's like, we can't make it, we can't make it. We're have to pit again. I said if Gordon and Johnson Pit. We're coming in with him. We're all either going to go back up to the top five together, or we're all going to run out together. And sure enough, they pitted. We pitted, and we all worked our way back up through just one car at a time. And I just kept watching Johnson, Gordon, and just passing cars, and I. I don't even know who I was passing. Don't know when or how. I just had to keep watching to be within two positions of Johnson. That's what I remember the most about that day. And it all ended up unfolding to where we won that championship.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
How'd you get that tire to fall off at the perfect time?
Kurt Busch
Right when that thing was vibrating? It wasn't because a loose wheel from a pit stop. It wasn't because the tire was coming apart, because. Because of excessive wear. It was this little guy on my shoulder's like, you're a. You're not ready to win this. There's a vibration. You got a pit. This guy over here is like, dude, just go for it, man. Just go for it.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
There's nothing wrong.
Kurt Busch
You're ready for this moment. Go for it. No, we can't do this.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
That's the. That's what's in his head right there. That's perfect. Kurt Busch right there. No, man.
Kurt Busch
Then I'm asking all the people in the car. Cause I always had imaginary friends. Hey, everyone good back there?
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Finally. Finally, everyone's seeing the real Kurt Busch.
Kurt Busch
I know there'll be a dude in the right rear. Hey, man, how about I scrape that fender? Oh, you're fine.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Keep digging this entire rope.
Kurt Busch
No, it's fun. But what. What's cool? I can tell this funny story about the 97. When I left Roush Racing for different reasons, one of them was they stiffed me with the bill in New York at the banquet to pay for dinner for all the crew guys. That was one of the reasons. But the team retired the number 97. Kind of like a fu. On the way out. And when Jamie McMurray took over, it was car number 26. It's kind of cool. The 97 sat dormant for all these years. And I feel like that's kind of my number in the hall of fame. That's my vibe. And I'm so proud of SVG for bringing it. And he's running it now because that was his childhood number. It's cool, though. The 97 sat dormant for years. And that's a cool question to have on the show. Yeah.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
And can you tell us the story of how the Cougar car scheme happened.
Kurt Busch
Oh, the Cougar.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Yeah.
Kurt Busch
So I was running with James Finch.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
God bless.
Kurt Busch
And James Finch, one of the most awesome guys. Like the Mohawk team guy, right?
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Yeah.
Kurt Busch
He would do anything for you to have fun. And the way that we had a charity program that weekend at Talladega, and I was. I was going through it like we weren't really rounding up sponsors. When I was running with Finch, we had a few early in the year, and then things were starting to fizzle out, and I'm like, hey, man, can I. Can I just run a paint scheme for our military and have the Cougar car at Talladega? Because Talladega nights. And he was going through it in the movie.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Right.
Kurt Busch
I mean, Will Ferrell's working his way back up, trying to find his mojo, and he had to learn how to drive with a cougar in the car. That's what his dad taught him to do. NASCAR let me run with a stuffed cougar in the car.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Oh, really? Yeah, yeah.
Kurt Busch
It was on the down bar, right next to the oil tank. A stuffed animal, like, could have got
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
a little hot
Kurt Busch
cougar in the.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Another friend in there that's just chatting with him. Yeah, another friend. Fan Day coming up here at Junior Motorsports, May 21, Dirty Mo Media and Sirius XM, they're going to be hosting a handful of shows all throughout the day live. And starting with Larry Mack, Daniel Trotta at 9am live on the RV stage. And then at 11am we're going to kick off more Dirty Mo live with our crew. You don't want to miss it. Kenny Wallace, Mike Davis, they're all going to be up there. Some surprise guests as well. At noon, we'll have Bless yous Heart with my wife, Amy and myself. And then door bumper clear at 1pm joining them will be Jordan Bianchi. Come hang out with us on Thursday, May 21st. We'd love to see you out here. A lot of other things to check out as well. A lot of booth skiosk. Sponsors will be promoting all kinds of things. Jerky boys, all stuff. Filter time, whatever. There'll be race cars to look at. Tons of things to do. Come check it out. Do you remember the feeling you had when you got called?
Jalen Suggs
Yeah, I was pumped. Yeah.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Is it. Is it like, is there any. I know there's elation, right? And happiness and excitement around that, but is there also relief that you put you. You got 20, you know, you got 18 years of work. You got all this.
Jalen Suggs
Yeah. Yeah. There's a little bit of relief. I mean, I never really. I didn't really think about playing in the NBA really, until, like, my senior year of high school. And even then, it's like, you don't. You don't really know how college is gonna go.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Yep.
Jalen Suggs
So I didn't think about it much. I thought about just, you know, getting better each day, and I think that was a good approach for me. But, yeah, it was. It was. It was awesome. I was pumped. And it's good to find out where you're going, where you're moving. You know, I think that's. That's. That's a big piece of it, too. It's like you have no idea where you could. Where you could be living next year. And so I was. I was. I was pumped to stay in state, too, where I'd been the year before.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Had a decent idea of what the weather was like, what it looked like, terrain wise.
Jalen Suggs
Yep. So that was also a plus.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Yeah. Your time in Duke, though, I mean, it's literally like, what, 16 months in total?
Jalen Suggs
Not even. Yeah, I'd say you get there in July, and I was out by. Duke graduates in, like, late April, so. I was out by April.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
So I forgive my ignorance, but is that, like. Is that your expectation going in?
Sponsor/Ad Voice
No.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Right? You're thinking it could be your three, four years?
Jalen Suggs
Yeah. Yeah. I had no anticipation or expectation to be Division one. Do some guys one and done.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Do some guys have that locked in their mind? That's my. That's my goal. That's what's happening.
Jalen Suggs
Yeah. I mean, like, Cooper was, like, the number one player in the country, so he was like. Everybody was already saying he was one pick, and so, you know, he probably, like, he knows it was. It happened, like, pretty early on where I was like, oh, okay. Like, I think. I think I'll be able to go, but I had no idea. I just kind of wanted to throw myself into that. And that was kind of a. It's kind of a goal, I'd say.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Is it your choice entirely?
Jalen Suggs
I mean, you can stay. You see now that, you know, kids that are kind of borderline in that. In that, like, lottery to, like, late first round range are going back because they're getting paid.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Yeah.
Jalen Suggs
Paid a lot. So.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Plus, there is. Is it realistic to think they got a better shot at a higher pick the second year or.
Jalen Suggs
Yeah, I think. Yeah. Yeah, I think so. You know, age starts to become a thing where it's like, oh, you're. You're Old. You're a little older, so you don't get picked as early.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Like, what age is getting old.
Jalen Suggs
Yeah, I think, you know, like, sometimes being like a. Like, 22, like a scene, like, if you want four years and you're 22, like, that. Sometimes that dings you a little bit.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Really?
Jalen Suggs
Yeah. But then you see those guys will come in and be awesome.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Yeah.
Jalen Suggs
So I don't know if that thought process is changing a little bit, but sometimes it does kind of thing. Guys.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Well, I wanted to talk about the rookie of the Year. I don't want to make you uncomfortable because you're a humble guy, but there was a big debate nationwide over who was the rightful rookie of the year this year. And, you know, I. I kind of want to hear how you. I don't know that you probably care too much about how that netted out. At least you're not. You know, it is what it is. And I'm not asking you to tell me whether you feel like you deserved it or not, but you. You, like all of us, have to wait for the results. And those are the. Those are the results. And you move forward. Your good friend wins the award. You both are very supportive of each other, which is great. And I'm sure you've heard a ton of great feedback from fans who believed that you deserve to win it. What has that experience been like? I mean, I was sitting there thinking, I was devastated for you because, you know, having paid really close attention to the season, I felt like that the body of work was. Was deserving of the award. But I was wondering maybe that you were just thankful to be in the conversation and that you're like, man, this is what a hell of an opportunity to. So I'm just curious, you know, where. What was your mind frame?
Jalen Suggs
You know, obviously, I wanted to win it. I felt like. I felt that if you would have told me that that's how I played at the beginning of the season, this is how your season would go, I would have taken it 100%. I went into the day of them announcing it in the morning. I was like, I can't do anything about it now. I did all I could. And so, you know, I never really. I would have, you know, felt a little bit bad about it if I was like, ah, man, I. You know, I left some stuff out there, but I felt like I, you know, I did all I could. You know, maybe I wish I could have shot it better at the end of the season. But, you know, you do. You do all I did all I could. And so I was willing to live with the result. I felt like I had a really, really good season. I felt like I was deserving. I would have won it in a lot of different years.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Yep.
Jalen Suggs
And I thought Cooper was also very deserving. He had a great year.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
And so have you and him had an opportunity to chat?
Jalen Suggs
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I texted him right after, you know, try to get together with him this summer sometime for a weekend or something. But yeah, we, we talked about it, congratulated him. You know, he had a heck of a season and you know, yeah, I was definitely an honor to be even be considered. You know, obviously wish, wish I would
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
have won for sure, man. I was wanting that for you as well, bud. And I know it doesn't. It's a very small consolation prize, but there are so many people that are so that believe you deserved it. There's a lot of Hornets fans that still have their mind about the player you are and the person you are hasn't been altered at all by the overall decision. All right, don't forget about stopping by the online merch store. We have some new stuff dropping called the Zero to Freedom line. This drops on May 6th. Zero to Freedom. Check it out at shop.dirtymomedia.com May 6th a couple of those new shirts will be on there for you guys to enjoy.
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I play a little game of this
Amy Earnhardt
or that, this or that.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
And keep it real simple. So first question is, would you rather be each other's gym partners or workout solo?
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Solo.
Amy Earnhardt
Solo.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
I just feel like they'll grunt too much. Be separate.
Amy Earnhardt
Dale grunts too much. I'm just kidding.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
When's the last time you worked out, Dale in the gym?
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
When's the last time I worked out?
Amy Earnhardt
I don't know.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Four months ago, maybe. I get these little. Getting these little spurts where I'm like, gonna do it maybe two weeks, maybe four weeks, whatever.
Amy Earnhardt
He has these little programs he'll pull up on his phone where the app tells him what to do and, like, it prompts him to do all the things and he'll do that. And once he gets to the goal, he's like, okay, done.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
I just hard. I don't have a routine. It's hard to stay.
Amy Earnhardt
He's never been one to work out.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
It's hard to stay at it. I do enjoy it, though.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
That's why I had to do one where, like, I go to Orange Theory because I need someone to, like, tell me what to do and, like, kind of pushed me along.
Amy Earnhardt
This theory's hard.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
Yeah. I enjoy it, though.
Amy Earnhardt
Yeah.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
I like riding my bike. I have an indoor bike. I have my road bikes for outside. I like riding bike.
Amy Earnhardt
Either way, the road biking thing is such a weird. Has such a weird stigma, but it is so fun. Dale and I have done that together, so that is one thing we do together.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Weights.
Amy Earnhardt
And you don't really. But you don't really talk to each other. But it's fun to do the road bikes. I have an E bike because I can't keep up.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
I love being outdoors, exploring, riding around on the lake.
Amy Earnhardt
You see areas you don't see. Just riding around town.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
Yeah, I don't think that's the same as, like, going to the gym.
Amy Earnhardt
Really?
Kurt Busch
Going to the gym like that.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
Yeah, I don't. I'd rather do it All.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
I despise running.
Amy Earnhardt
Yeah. I feel like everybody around you despises running. Nobody's running.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
Yeah. Next question is, would you rather be the couple that hosts the party or disappears early at the party?
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Damn, I made it.
Amy Earnhardt
Can I be both? Host the party host and disappear early?
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
I hate hosting.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
So you want to disappear early?
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
I hate hosting.
Amy Earnhardt
Why do you hate hosting?
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Because it's a. There's pressure.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
You gotta get the place clean.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Nope. There's pressure that it's fun for everybody, that you're. You gotta make sure everybody's having a good time, make sure the music's right. All the. You know, you don't love it either. Like, when we.
Amy Earnhardt
I do love it. I don't. So here's the thing. We have a different version of what's important when we're hosting. I wanna make sure that everybody's got enough food, that there's water, there's things. And Dale just wants everybody to come over and he's worried about music and. And the entertainment part of it.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The vibe.
Amy Earnhardt
Yeah. And so if I start getting out catering and what? He's like, oh, my gosh, this is way too much. I'm like, not really. You have 30 people coming over here. What if they need something to eat? So we've always just disagreed about that part of it. But everybody always used to come over. We've always hosted.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
I don't mind. We did disagree. We don't anymore. I'm fine with the. I'm fine with feeding everybody. I used to always think so. I was like, man, we're all. Everybody's coming over to drink.
Kurt Busch
Yeah.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
We're not coming over here to eat a full spread.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
I can drink.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
I'm like, we are here to drink. And you know what? The less eating, the better.
Amy Earnhardt
Yeah, I mean, I understand that.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
And then Amy comes into my life and she's like, hey, when everybody comes over there, I'm gonna have some tacos. I'm like, no, what? The tacos. I'm gonna have some hot dogs.
Amy Earnhardt
Yeah. So we got a hot dog machine too, from the old hauler. And so, like, I had the roller. I would just keep hot dogs down there in the fridge and have buns in the freezer and I could get them out because inevitably, around 10:30 or 11, everyone was starving and people were still wanting to hang out. Like, a hot dog's not gonna throw your whole night, but you need to have a little food in there.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
Speaking of food, soft or hard shell tacos?
Jalen Suggs
Soft.
Amy Earnhardt
Hard.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
I'm with Dale on This one, he likes soft corn.
Amy Earnhardt
And I like. I like soft flour.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Soft porn corn.
Amy Earnhardt
Wow. Did you not hear her, James?
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
She said soft corn.
Amy Earnhardt
Damn. We lost James before Dale even responded.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Did you think she said it? No. James nodding.
Amy Earnhardt
I've got too much Botox in my lip, and I can't even say the words right.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
He likes soft pouring corn.
Amy Earnhardt
Golly.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
I like soft corn.
Amy Earnhardt
Soft corn tortillas. Oh, instead of hard tacos, we're talking about tacos, guys.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Who eats the hardcorn?
Amy Earnhardt
God dang. I'm out. I'm out of here. Going home.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Like,
Amy Earnhardt
we can't even talk about tacos. The girls like crunchy tacos. That's the only way I get them to eat tacos.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
I can't. I do not know what in the hell people are thinking that like hard tacos.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
It just falls apart, dude.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
As soon as you bite into it, it is destroyed. It is not a taco anymore.
Amy Earnhardt
You think that people that like hard tacos are just, like, crazy people?
Sponsor/Ad Voice
Yes.
Amy Earnhardt
Really? Well, me and my kids are crazy.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
I just think you should just get nachos.
Amy Earnhardt
Well, I love nachos, too. Like, don't hold out on me. I love a nacho. They are more.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Hey, that's basically what a hard taco becomes after the first bite.
Amy Earnhardt
Yeah, sure.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Plate of nachos.
Amy Earnhardt
Yeah. That's how I got Nicole to even eat nachos. Is giving her crunchy tacos. It fell apart, and Isla looked at her and said the exact same thing. She's like, oh, now you got nachos. Coley, you like nachos, too? And she told her, and she's like, oh, okay.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
It's a massive disappointment when you open up the bag and they put the hard. You put your taco in a hard shell and not the soft one, and you're like, well, this ain't gonna be as good as I thought.
Amy Earnhardt
Golly, yeah.
Sponsor/Ad Voice
All right, let's get off this topic.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
All right. That was another episode of the Dirty 30 presented by Arby's. New meat in three box. Get more meal for your money at Arby's. We have the meat. History is yours to make. What would you like the power to do? Bank of America champions US Women's soccer legend Michelle Akers and everyone who dares to ask what's possible. Bank of America proud to be the Official bank of US Soccer. Bank of America. NA Member FDSE.
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Episode Title: SVG's Magic Feet, Kurt Busch's Imaginary Friends & Soft Corn
Date: May 15, 2026
Host: Dale Earnhardt Jr.; Guests: Shane Van Gisbergen (SVG), Kurt Busch, Jalen Suggs, Amy Earnhardt
Podcast by: Dirty Mo Media, SiriusXM
This episode of The Dale Jr. Download covers three major themes:
[00:55–11:05]
Unique Clutch Usage ("Magic Feet")
"No other NASCAR driver is using the clutch pedal like this. No one. ... It allows him to brake much deeper." (Dale Jr., 04:29)
SVG’s Reluctance for Foot Cams
"He did not want foot cameras. If they put a foot camera in there, he kicked it out of the way." (Dale Jr., 07:51)
SVG Joins the Show
"I just. I have big feet. ... The camera was in your way?" (SVG & Dale Jr., 08:57)
"All I've known. ... I used to do it. Because you had to in a V8 supercar." (SVG, 09:54) "You couldn't drive a V8 supercar fast and left foot brake." (SVG, 10:38)
"There is no chance—no way in hell there is a single driver in the NASCAR cup field today that could apply and adopt this technique and do it well." (Dale Jr., 07:53)
[13:17–18:04]
2004 Championship Insights & Strategy
"Our plan was to show up like a possum when the playoff started... we were like seventh or eighth in points all year." (Kurt Busch, 13:34) "We were getting nervous. My points lead...dwindled down to basically what it is in today's format, three points." (Kurt Busch, 14:03)
Racing Psychology and ‘Imaginary Friends’
"Then I'm asking all the people in the car. Cause I always had imaginary friends. Hey, everyone good back there?" (Kurt Busch, 16:03) "I know there’ll be a dude in the right rear. 'Hey man, how about I scrape that fender?' 'Oh, you're fine.'" (Kurt Busch, 16:11)
‘Cougar Car’ & NASCAR Lore
"NASCAR let me run with a stuffed cougar in the car." (Kurt Busch, 17:52)
"It was on the down bar, right next to the oil tank. A stuffed animal could have got a little hot." (Kurt Busch & Dale Jr., 17:54)
[19:06–24:47]
NBA Draft Experience & Staying Grounded
"It was awesome. I was pumped. And it's good to find out where you're going, where you're moving." (Jalen Suggs, 19:35)
Changing NCAA Landscape
"Now that...kids that are kind of borderline...are going back because they're getting paid. Paid a lot." (Jalen Suggs, 21:21)
Rookie of the Year Controversy
"I felt like I had a really, really good season. I felt like I was deserving. I would have won it in a lot of different years." (Jalen Suggs, 24:19)
"You know, he had a heck of a season and...yeah, definitely an honor to be even considered." (Jalen Suggs, 24:26, 24:47)
[27:15–32:47]
Working Out – Couples Edition
“Solo.” (Dale Jr. & Amy Earnhardt, 27:25)
Party Hosting Anxieties
"I hate hosting." (Dale Jr., 29:03) "We have a different version of what's important when we're hosting." (Amy Earnhardt, 29:22)
Soft vs. Hard Shell Taco Debate
"I'm with Dale on this one, he likes soft corn." (Unnamed Speaker, 30:56) "Soft porn corn." (Dale Jr., 31:01)
"As soon as you bite into [a hard taco], it is destroyed. It is not a taco anymore." (Dale Jr., 31:55) "Who eats the hardcorn?" (Dale Jr., 31:29)
SVG’s Magic Feet Exposed:
Kurt Busch’s Imaginary Friends:
Soft Corn Fiasco / Taco Debate:
This episode skillfully blends technical racing talk, unfiltered personal stories, and lighthearted familial humor. Dale’s curiosity and humility shine in conversations with SVG and Jalen, while the playful banter with Amy deconstructs the everyday struggles of adulting, hosting, and, most critically, taco selection. Kurt Busch’s self-deprecating humor and tall tales embody the show’s spirit — genuine, nostalgic, and always ready for a good laugh.
Listeners get an inside look at what makes top drivers tick, how racing techniques evolve and stay secret, and why family and friendship matter on and off the track. From “magic feet” to “soft corn,” this Dirty 30 offers a fun, memorable sampling of NASCAR culture, classic racing lore, and relatable kitchen-table debate.