The All-Star Race Is The Perfect Opportunity To Learn Something

Summary

The Dale Jr. Download: Episode Summary

Episode Title: The All-Star Race Is The Perfect Opportunity To Learn Something
Release Date: April 29, 2025
Host: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Produced by: Dirty Mo Media, SiriusXM

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Introduction

In this episode, Dale Earnhardt Jr. engages in an in-depth discussion with his friends TJ Majors and Travis about the upcoming NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The conversation delves into the challenges and potential opportunities presented by the race, the current state of NASCAR’s playoff format, and insights from guest Austin Cindrick, the episode's latest race winner.

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Celebrating TJ Majors' Championship Victory

Dale Jr. begins by congratulating TJ Majors on winning the national championship with Michigan—a victory marking Majors' fifth title.

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. [02:07]: “This year's champion is TJ Majors with Michigan again. He is... I think it's five.”
• Travis [03:10]: “That's five.”
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. [03:22]: “Congrats, TJ. Tough to beat you, man.”

Dale acknowledges the competitive nature of the league and praises Majors' consistent performance, highlighting the difficulty in surpassing such a seasoned competitor.

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Denny Hamlin's Stance on the All-Star Race Modifications

A significant portion of the discussion centers around NASCAR's reluctance to implement Denny Hamlin's proposed modifications for the All-Star Race, particularly his "run what you brung" idea.

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. [04:23]: “Denny said it would cost teams $2 million to run a run. What's your brung race? That's overstating it.”

Dale argues that while Hamlin's concerns about costs are valid, the proposed $2 million figure might be an exaggeration meant to underscore the financial burden on teams. He emphasizes the All-Star Race as a unique opportunity for innovation and testing new ideas without the pressure of points.

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. [07:11]: “This race should be about discovering and giving a few ideas, some real testing. There's no points on the line.”

Travis and TJ expand on the challenges teams face in modifying their cars under the current regulations, agreeing that NASCAR's rules stifle potential advancements.

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All-Star Race as a Testing Ground

Dale Jr. passionately advocates for using the All-Star Race as a platform to experiment with different car setups and racing strategies, drawing parallels to exhibition matches in other sports.

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. [08:45]: “The All-Star race is still incredibly important... an opportunity for us to try something different.”

He suggests that allowing more flexibility in car modifications could lead to improvements in racing quality, especially on restrictor-plate tracks like Talladega and Daytona.

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NASCAR Playoff Format Debate

The conversation shifts to NASCAR’s current playoff system, with Dale Jr. critiquing its lack of intensity during the regular season.

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. [31:39]: “It has a very tiny percentage chance of actually happening near zero. But it is on the conversation.”

He proposes a reform where the entire season is treated as a playoff, starting at Daytona with an endgame that truly reflects the accumulation of performances throughout the year.

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. [35:13]: “We need to start the season with a playoff for a playoff intensity.”

Travis and TJ discuss the potential impact of such changes, weighing the benefits of maintaining high stakes throughout the season against the traditional approach.

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Interview with Austin Cindrick: Insights from a Race Winner

Austin Cindrick joins the podcast to share his experiences and perspectives on racing, particularly his recent victory.

• Austin Cindrick [68:14]: “I think every driver is different. Some want a quiet mind, some want to lose themselves in what they do.”

Cindrick highlights the importance of preparation and mental fortitude in achieving success on the track, emphasizing the collaborative effort of the entire team in securing a win.

• Austin Cindrick [70:31]: “Every single person on the team had an influence in the win... from the fuel mileage, to the spotting on the roof.”

He discusses the challenges posed by the current NASCAR vehicles at restrictor-plate tracks and the necessity for teams to adapt their strategies accordingly.

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Addressing Racing Mechanics and Car Performance

Dale Jr. and Travis delve into the technical aspects of NASCAR racing, particularly the issues with car drag and handling on super-speedways.

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. [50:07]: “The car's got too much drag on it. If they take some drag off, big chunks, it would make the racing look completely different.”

They debate the impact of these technical limitations on race outcomes and driver strategies, agreeing that reducing drag could enhance the competitiveness and excitement of races.

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Community and Fan Engagement

Towards the end of the episode, Dale Jr. interacts with listeners and discusses community initiatives, such as the upcoming JRM Fan Day on May 22, 2025. He also shares personal anecdotes, celebrating his father's birthday and preparing for Mother's Day, fostering a sense of camaraderie and connection with the audience.

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Conclusion

Dale Earnhardt Jr. wraps up the episode by reflecting on the discussions and highlighting the ongoing conversations within NASCAR about improving racing dynamics and the playoff system. He emphasizes the need for innovation and driver-centric approaches to enhance the sport's appeal and integrity.

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. [122:58]: “We need to find a way to make the regular season have the same amount of pressure and urgency that the playoffs carry today.”

The episode concludes with a preview of upcoming guests and events, ensuring listeners remain engaged and informed about future developments in NASCAR.

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Notable Quotes

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. [04:23]: “Denny said it would cost teams $2 million to run a run. What's your brung race? That's overstating it.”
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. [07:11]: “This race should be about discovering and giving a few ideas, some real testing. There's no points on the line.”
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. [35:13]: “We need to start the season with a playoff for a playoff intensity.”
• Austin Cindrick [70:31]: “Every single person on the team had an influence in the win... from the fuel mileage, to the spotting on the roof.”
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. [50:07]: “The car's got too much drag on it. If they take some drag off, big chunks, it would make the racing look completely different.”
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. [122:58]: “We need to find a way to make the regular season have the same amount of pressure and urgency that the playoffs carry today.”

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Key Takeaways

• Innovation in Racing: The All-Star Race presents a unique opportunity for NASCAR to experiment with car modifications and racing strategies without the constraints of the regular season points system.
• Playoff System Critique: Current NASCAR playoffs dilute the importance of the regular season, reducing overall competition intensity and fan engagement.
• Technical Challenges: Excessive drag on NASCAR vehicles at restrictor-plate tracks hampers driver maneuverability and race competitiveness.
• Community Engagement: Dale Jr. emphasizes building a stronger connection with fans and fostering community through events and personal interactions.
• Future Discussions: Ongoing debates within NASCAR aim to balance tradition with the need for modernization to enhance the sport's appeal and competitiveness.

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This episode of The Dale Jr. Download offers listeners a comprehensive look into the intricacies of NASCAR racing, the strategic decisions behind race formats, and the personal experiences of drivers like Austin Cindrick. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s candid commentary provides valuable insights into the sport's current challenges and potential pathways for future development.

Transcript

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Hey, everybody, it's Dale junior For another episode of the Dale junior Download. This episode of the Dale junior Download is brought to you by Safety Culture. We're going to talk a lot with my friend TJ Majors and Travis about, yeah, the race at Talladega. We've got Ask Junior. We got a lot of fun things going on, and it's going to be a hell of a show. Let's get going. The following is a production of Dirty Mo Media. I'm still sour, man, that I wasn't your best man at your wedding.

[TJ Majors]

When will you start mentally, like, getting ready for the race?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Can you not tell I'm mentally ready?

[Travis]

Travis has some dumb ideas, but I agree with him on this one.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Doesn't sound like you know what you're talking about.

[Travis]

You haven't scratched the surface yet there, boy.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I mean, what the do you want?

[TJ Majors]

I. I just think the last few laps, it was just like, stop. Every time.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

You ain't picky. This ain't walking in and have it your way, mother. All right? This ain't Burger King. Travis is like, wrap this up. They don't have no fun around here. Hey, Everybody, it's Dale Jr. Back again for another episode of the Dale Jr. Download. It is Tuesday dirty air time with my buddy TJ Majors and tj. There's a lot going on.

[Travis]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

A lot to talk about.

[Travis]

A lot of being talked.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

We have. We have a guest dump on the show today and looking forward to talking to dump about his race win. So that should be pretty cool. He'll come in later and. But we got a lot to talk to get to. First off, man, I want to open the floor up to you. Before I do that, I want to make sure everybody knows. This episode of the Dale Jr download is brought to you by Safety Culture. And this is probably good that this episode is brought to you by Safety Culture, the workplace operations tool, giving teams from the track, from the racetrack to the factory floor what they need to get the job done quicker and improve every day. So that's what. That's. That's. Who is bringing you this episode of the Dale Jr. Download. Safety culture. I just like saying that. So, TJ, we have already cycled. Remember, every. Everybody sees my helmet here on.

[Travis]

Oh, yeah, we see it.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. So that was from me winning the national championship in our NCAA college football league on Xbox, which Travis has now joined as Miami gonna do a Miami rebuild. That'll be tough.

[Travis]

He doesn't need to rebuild him.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I know that's a joke. So he just jumped on the wagon of a great team.

[TJ Majors]

I didn't know that they were gonna be good. This is not only me.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

It's Miami. It's.

[Travis]

Are they ever now.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Okay, but you're not taking Buffalo.

[TJ Majors]

But what year are you in the dynasty?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

It ain't Jackson 38.

[TJ Majors]

Wyoming's good. Charlotte's good.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Like, I know it took.

[TJ Majors]

Stanford's good. So how do I know that Miami is still good?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

All right, whatever, man. Yeah, you're taking a huge risk, aren't you?

[Travis]

He knows. He knows the lines and stuff. So.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

So anyhow, we've already. In the short time that since I celebrated my big championship, we've already cycled through another season. And this year's winner, this year's champion is TJ Majors with Michigan again. He is. I think it's four. Five.

[Travis]

That's five.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Five. And so I know it's hard to.

[Travis]

Lose count when you get that many.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

He beat Charlotte. He did beat Charlotte. Beat me in the semifinals before we. He went to the finals against Texas.

[Travis]

State, which is Dominic Corelli.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Dominic Corelli, which is Rick's son. A lot of cool people in this league, but congratulations, tj. Hey, we had a tough game. You played great. Kudos to you, man. Did a good job. Tough to beat, fun to brag when. When you do get beat, because it's hard to do. And so we went off the rails last time when. When Charlotte won the national championship. Because it's tough to do. Tough to beat you, man. So I just want to give you some credit. We give you a hard time. He's the commissioner of the league. Handles all of the.

[TJ Majors]

Some would say dictator.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, he is. He's tough. I mean, there's some things that I wish we did differently, but it's like nascar, you know, you can't. NASCAR is going to nascar. They're going to do what they're going to do. TJ Is going to tj.

[Travis]

That's right. And that should be a shirt.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

And so anyhow, Hey, I want to leave. I want to open the floor up to you, man. Go ahead.

[Travis]

Well, I mean, I don't need to brag too much about it. I think you said enough there. It's just fun. Either way, win or lose, most of my games against you have been pretty fun.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Obviously, I want to get into what, the All Star race conversation? The run, what you brung. It's. It's interesting. Denny said it would cost teams $2 million to run a run. What's your brung race? That's overstating it I think he's, I think it would cost the team some money for sure, but not $2 million. I just don't believe it. I think that is just an excuse. I think that's just like a heavy excuse to say, yeah, this is why I didn't want to do it. And I think he's inflating the cost of it.

[Travis]

How much do you think his car costs?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I think he's overstating the cost to make a point. Will it cost money? Is it. He's already mad about the damn purse being $1 million for 30 years. He said that over and over. And that's fine. That's a great argument. I think that race should pay $3 million to the winner. It should, you know, it. The, the, the, the, the purse absolutely is a, is a reasonable argument. He's got a valid point. The cost that it would take for these teams to, to do or run what you brought. If you listen, Denny had a great show. I text and compliment him. Good show. It was fun listening to him. If you haven't heard actions detrimental. He goes into detail about how the restrictor plate racing at. And I call it restrictor plate racing. I know we don't run them anymore, but that's what we, that's what we can call it. We don't call it. We still consider it this drafting track bullshit. And I saw that tweet from dirty Mo Media. It's bullshit. We call it restrictor plate racing. That's what it's called. Just because there ain't no more restrict plates don't mean we need to change what it is what it's called. It's been called that for years. We don't need to change. That's what's called. So what's been called now you, this new generation wants to come in is little young punks want to come in here and change because, well, we don't have plates anymore. We don't have restricted plates. We should probably call it something else.

[Travis]

It's a super speedway.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Drafting tracks. Yes. I mean if by definition then you got to throw Michigan in there and a couple others because there's drafting at those as well.

[TJ Majors]

Okay. Dalton makes sure for Michigan we use drafting too.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Oh yeah, you.

[Travis]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Hey, so look, Denny, Denny had a great show. He talked a lot about the struggle with. Everybody was like, oh, you know, we're going to get to this. But he's like, everybody was like, man, why didn't nobody try at the end of that race at Talladega? Well, he explains why you can't, you can't, you can't get out of line. And so, and I totally agree with that, like, the guy in, the guy in the second, third and fourth row, if they pull out of line, they're going to the back. There's so much drag on that car. As soon as you get out in clean air, everybody's going to go, that was a dumb move. And they're just going to send your ass to the back.

[Travis]

The only way you pull, you move, make a move is if you have help behind you for sure.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

And coming down to two, one to go. Your ass ain't willing to take that chance now because you don't know 100% whether that guy behind you is going to go with you or not.

[Travis]

Yeah. As soon as the outside lane of, like, if you're a second car on the outside and you pull out and go to the third lane, the inside lane is going to move forward and they're going to clear you and the guy's going to get control of the race. So it's really a lose. Lose.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yep. So he had a great, he had a great show talking all about that. Man, I thought that was such great insight and helping us understand why the races at Dayton Talladeg look the way they look. And then, you know, he, he also goes into some good detail about this All Star Race run. What you brought now is the fact that we're not going to have a run. What you brung such a big deal? I don't know. I thought it had been kind of neat to open the rules up a little bit. And that was Denny's point. I really, really liked. I'm giving him a hard time, but because I think he overstate. He's overstating how much cost this would be for the teams. But one of his ideas was, why didn't NASCAR just say, this particular part of the car is free game. This particular part of the car is free game. That might have been a way. And maybe they did. Maybe they had this conversation, but Denny was saying, you know, if they would have came to us and said, we're going to open this part of the car up a little bit. We'll open this part of the car up a little bit. That might have been something they didn't entertain and, man, that would have kind of. I look at this All Star Race as the. I mean, look, there's, in my mind, the All Star Race is still incredibly important.

[Travis]

It's a big event.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

There is, you know, I hate to say it, social Media and especially Twitter is just a small, tiny part of the conversation. Like, it's not the. Everything being said about anything on social media has to be measured because there's a. It's just a very small part of the entire conversation going on. So I try not to get too wrapped up in opinions and, you know, certain things that are getting said on there about our sport. But there's some people that think, oh, man, this race is not important. This race is. You know, maybe this race needs to go away entirely. I'm like, why are we doing that? Why are we even having. Why. Why is it. Why is that even a conversation? Why don't we just fix it? You know, why don't we just fix it? It's. The All Star race is an awesome opportunity for us to try to learn something and for nascar, for the teams, for everyone not to look at it as a place to discover and give a few ideas, some real testing. That's what this race should be about. There's no points on the line. You know, I'm not enough of an engineer, I'm not a crew chief. I'm not smart enough, don't know enough about this car to sit here in front of you and say, well, they should have just. They should try this, they should try this, they should try this. But there are some people that do have some great ideas, and I think that this is the race to throw some of that stuff out on the racetrack.

[Travis]

Yeah, I don't necessarily think you open it up to the. I don't know, like, if run. What you bring is enough to leave it open to the teams, but it's definitely a good test session for least NASCAR to try some stuff with, you know, hey, guys, we're going to come there with this package. We want to see how you guys race with it and see what happens.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

That's right. So I wonder if there was even a conversation about like a true. Like, was it really, like, hey, NASCAR sat down and said, run what you brought. We're not even going to take a thing. No tech. I mean, I don't think that. I don't know. That was. That was really probably what was.

[Travis]

I doubt it was presented. I think Denny. I don't think. I think Denny is exaggerating how much it would cost. But from.

[TJ Majors]

Even if he is, though, let's say.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

It'S a million dollars comes Denny, bro.

[TJ Majors]

Even if it is, let's say it's a million dollars. Is that not. Why should a team have to front that bill?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. I mean, it's It's a race. And this is the way I feel about that. It's. It's a race that you're going to spend money to go to just like you do any other. If organized. If the governing body presents a set of rules or a rule change or any kind of alteration to, to the standard, you show up in your race. If you don't want to, don't. Right. But you got obligations, partners, sponsors. You're going to have to do it. A million dollars is too much to ask any team to put forward to go run any single event.

[Travis]

What does building a one car cost, you think?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Well, Denny has said that a complete car is 350, $450,000 when all said and done.

[Travis]

So if they say you can build a car for this and you go and they say, hey, it's run, Richard Boeing, you're modifying the chassis, you're basically building a car that you're never going to be able to race again.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

See, that's not what I, that's not what I think would be happening. So NASCAR gives you the center section, the front clip, the rear clip, you bolt it all on and then you get all of the suspension stuff and you bolt all that on. It's all, it's all ready, the hubs packed, everything's ready. You get the whole assembly all put together already and you can't take it apart. So even, I mean, NASCAR wasn't going to allow them to cut on the chassis and chop chassis up and start, you know, creating a car that they'd never be able to with again.

[Travis]

But even any modifications to that ruins.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

They're not going to let them.

[Travis]

That's like what people are pushing for. Run. What you're wrong if you say run. What's wrong?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

So in my mind, I think there are some parameters on, on this, on the actual setup of the car, springs and shocks and stuff like that. Listen, I don't, I don't know what run, run what you run means when this is a kit car and there's really not a whole lot you can do to it. Yeah, but Denny talked about how. Well, if you were just like, hey, put the body on how you want, you know, then they're going to have to make some new mounts and so forth, and he's got to go to big Brother over at Gibbs and ask for them to make him some mounts for his team and all that. And it's a, it's a complicated issue, but.

[Travis]

And don't forget, not many, not every, not every team anymore. Has a fab shop.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I agree. My point, my thought about this is like the run to present it as. I don't think this is what. I just can't believe that NASCAR sat down and said, yeah, we're not going to. We're going to do a run. What you brong. Just figure it out. If they did. That's not that. That wasn't a good delivery. That's. That's absolutely. Everybody's going to shut that down. Any team. If they said that to the xfinity series, if they said to the xfinity series, we're going to have a run with your brung race, we'd all push back on that. That's absolutely not what they should have done or should be doing. But what they should do is look at this race as an opportunity to try something to fix the short track package. And so. And there's a lot of great ideas, and I would listen to the drivers and the teams about some big chunk items that they think they could really get away with trying that wouldn't be too costly to give this a go. Yeah, it is so foolish for us to go knowing that the short track package is not good and that this car needs some real attention. It's foolish for us to go to Wilkesboro for this all star race and not change anything. You keep doing the same thing. You keep getting the same result. Exhibitions tend to have, you know, some. Some differences in any other sport, right. When you have an exhibition, they're looser. They tend to have some sort of a, you know, gimmick or something unique, fun, different. Any other all star game in any other sport, they do all kinds of fun things. Every year they change it up. And I know they do that as well with the format of the race and so forth. And we've got.

[Travis]

Yeah, we look for something exciting every year, kind of.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

But this is a great chance for us to really give this, you know, kick this car in the ass and turn it upside down and change a few things that, you know, the teams and the team. I think. I think the teams in NASCAR could have got on board with a few big ticket items that might have made a difference. I know that they've taken this car to Richmond and other places and tested their ass off with all kinds of different diffusers and spoilers and all kinds of stuff, but it was two or three cars, four cars on the racetrack. The drivers would get out and say, I can't feel a thing. That changed nothing. But here we are. To be here we are about to be able to throw them into a full on racing race experience where we could truly see what some of this might do. When there's, you know, 25, 30, 40 cars on the racetrack. I'm still bullish or positive about this race because. And I know we talked about this, the race itself I think is still going to be pretty interesting because of the racetrack and how the racetrack may be changing. And if you watched the race there last year, the way that when they repaved this man, I thought it was going to be all on the bottom at Wilkesboro for sure.

[Travis]

It surprised me.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, they ran the wall in one and two is wild. But so I'm still sort of interested enough about the racetrack and its rebirth.

[Travis]

You know what made it look really good when they started the first year we went back there, they started the race on rain tires.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, I know.

[Travis]

And the cars were kind of up on the track, moving around a little bit and the drivers were, they just had their hands full like driving. They were actually driving the car harder, like, you know, finessing and stuff.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Well, I am, I just disappointed that I was disappointed overall. And I think this might be the whole, the whole gut feeling for a guy like Jeff Gluck who had a hell of a rant on. Angry. Yeah. So I guess we, Jeff is probably feeling the same way. And I bet you deep down, Denny and everyone else has the same feeling. NASCAR finally sat down at the table and said, we're going to hell. We'll just do something. We'll put it in your hand here, do what you want. For probably the last three or four years, there's been no real change to address how the car races at Talladega and Daytona and the fuel mileage, fuel saving and all that stuff. Even though this race seemed to be a little bit more favorable or positive or accepted by some people in the industry or some, some of the fans, it's still, you know, we still have some things that, that are happening at Daytona, Talladega that produce racing that I don't think we all want to watch. So. So it feels like. I know that it feels still getting around to that fix on your car. You got this on ebay.

[Travis]

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[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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[Travis]

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[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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[Travis]

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[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

At Mintmobile, it's like that NASCAR has con, you know, their feet stuck in the mud in terms of moving forward and trying to do anything about that. And the car doesn't race well at short tracks. And again, we feel, it feels like that there's zero movement, zero movement on trying to make that different.

[Travis]

Yeah, this is a big test.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

And here we were with, with, with, with NASCAR basically going, ah, here y'all, y'all want with it with here, here's your chance. And we ain't going to get that. So that might have been if Denny, Denny could have been the savior and taken them and if they, if NASCAR really put it in, put the ball in the team's courts in terms of run what you brong in that conversation, Denny could have went, why don't we, you know, he could have presented these ideas that he presented on a show to NASCAR and said instead of that maybe we just open this spot up and open this spot up and y'all do, you know, let us do this. How about that? You know, and then go to the racetrack and see what we get. Damn it. We just, I think everybody's feeling about this isn't so much why didn't they just do it, run what you brought. It's more like we had a chance to really do something different and we're not going to get to do it. And it just feels like a missed opportunity because you don't get, because it's slow moves in this sport in terms of change and improving things that need improving. It's slow. And here was a chance to really try to, you know, give some ideas, some merit out on the racetrack.

[Travis]

TJ I agree that you can't, I don't think you can do the run. What you wrong? Just straight up everything. But Denny, I mean, I agree with the, there are parts and maybe there are some great ideas from People that know these things really well that could come up with that. We could try and we could be working in that area. Maybe we go and find something that's just a quick fix for everybody.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Travis]

And it's not very expensive and we don't need an all new car. It's just a quick fix and we're in the right direction next time we try something else.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

It's not that simple though. I mean, I know I just put it on. Denny, like, why didn't you just go, just go to NASCAR and say, hey, how about instead of run what you brought with, dial back a bit and just have a couple of open, open areas. It's so complicated.

[Travis]

Yeah, we're not going to tech these areas this weekend, guys. Go ahead and do what you want there.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, it just. That whole conversation would have probably been complicated. It's just frustrating, I guess, how difficult it is to like get something changed. I'll tell you what, I got a solution.

[Travis]

Oh, you got a solution?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I hear it. Well, this All Star race is. It's an exhibition. No points. And I know that and this will never happen. But for the last handful of years, there's been some conversation. When the All Star race was at Bristol a couple of years ago, before Wilkesboro came back, there was some calls and conversation going on around getting Jeff Gordon, myself and some other drivers into the All Star race. Jimmy. And different, you know, and we were going to. How much would it, you know, how do we. How much would it cost, what would we need, what would we demand or all that, you know, so there was a real conversation that didn't win, didn't go any farther than that. But there, but there's been, you know, and fans will say, you know, man, in that All Star race, I wish, you know, you could, you know, Harvick and all these other drivers could come back and run it. The way for that to happen, and that's not. That would be more financially reasonable is to run a cheaper car. And so, you know, there's all kinds of different options for that. But I think the late model stock is not a terrible idea. This is way out there in left field, never going to happen. But for a team to, I mean, there's plentiful teams out there that have late model stock cars and you could field the, you know, the entire All Star. You could field cars for the entire All Star event. For all the current cup guys. You could basically just leave the next gen at the house. Everybody shows up and we race late model stock cars and Then you could have, you know, a real conversation around, you know, getting, you know, getting a Jeff Gordon or maybe not Jeff because he probably wouldn't do it either way. But, you know, you could probably then turn it into the true exhibition you want it to be and more of a celebration of our sport and, you know, and those cars, you know, put on a hell of a race. Goodyear could fire up its old bias ply short track tire machine and make a few tires. I know where it's at and I know it's sitting there ready to go. Even if the teams wanted to rent from a current team that had one and get the car and put some work into it. I mean we're, we're talking, we're talking under $50,000 probably to go run that race. Well, well, south of that. I mean, cup teams would make, would find a way to make it expensive.

[Travis]

So does that open the door for like a preliminary event like the open where you can have, would you allow the local. If they entered a local late model guy? Well, he run.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. I mean you could, you're, you're all, you're, you could have all kinds of races happening. We have the car show race that week, but so that tells you like the weekend has enough room in it to where you could have some, you could have like a true short track feature on a, like a Thursday or a Friday night. That was very much what the Martinsville late model stock race is. And you're, you take the top, you know, the winner out of that race and he gets to run the all star race with the cup guys.

[Travis]

Well, that's what I'm saying. Is there a way to bring a.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Guy all kinds of ways.

[Travis]

Does that open the door? I mean that could be a huge event.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. I mean and in terms of cost, those minimal compared to a car, far, far easier to less than 2 million. Less than 2 million. There you go. And, and there, there you have it. So. But I, you know that if, if we're just, if we're just trying to put on a weekend where we're all going to have fun and the cup guys can enjoy themselves and they want to be there and everybody's not spending a ton of money now. Now what? Now you're taking something relatively affordable and that $1 million purse looks a lot cooler.

[Travis]

Yeah.

[TJ Majors]

And you ticket sales and people watching I think would, would grow too.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Travis]

I don't hate the idea of seeing all these guys race them type of cars.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

People. Well, the idea, the idea of them driving those cars Isn't too unrealistic because you know, when you hear people online, they're like, oh, man, the Xfinity car's the car. Why don't they just race the Xfinity car? It's a short track. It's just leave the. Leave next gen to the mile and a half and race the Xfinity car to short tracks.

[Travis]

Is an Xfinity car too expensive to do this with?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

It's probably. If you're going to, if you're going to change the car entirely, I would say I would as an, as an owner, I would probably choose the late model car because it's cheaper, way cheaper than an Xfinity car.

[Travis]

Gotcha. And I mean, definitely cheaper than Xfinity car. But.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

And I mean, again, when you give this, when you give this idea to a cup team, they are going to make it. They're going to find a way to spend a ton of money doing it. And I think they would not inflate the expense and costs on racing a true short track car. It could be a pro late or a super late, whatever. I'm not, you know, I know I'm favorable to the late model stock car, but if you said, hey, guys, for this event, we're going to, hey, NASCAR is trying to find ways to reconnect itself to the grassroots level. Great opportunity. Put all of our greatest guys, the best racers in the world, in a grassroots car for that event.

[Travis]

So if they did that, would you run it?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Hell, yeah. If they called me and said I could do it, you know, former winners or whatever, however I would be eligible, that'd be interesting. But I would not be interested in going and driving a next gen car. No. And that was the. That was the hold up for me to go out there and run a next gen car. They're running those things every week. I'm at a huge disadvantage showing up there, trying to race with them and be competitive. I'm probably not going to get a competitive car because I don't, you know, my, you know, they're just not going to build me. No matter who it is, Hendrick or anybody. They're not. I don't think they'd build me a car with as much emphasis that Larson and all those other guys are going to have and I'm going to need it.

[Travis]

Yeah. Be way too much.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Travis]

2 million.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

It would just. Oh, man, it would just be. It just be. It wouldn't be fun for me. It wouldn't be a fun experience. People. People are like, oh, man, we'd love to see you go run one more.

[Travis]

Cup race, but I don't think any.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I don't think it would be that fun for me.

[Travis]

I don't think any cup driver now, like if you want to bring some of them guys back, they're not going to look at the this car and be like, yeah, I'm going to go back there. I mean it's too far removed from that type of car.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

You know what's important to the race teams, it's having a data driven approach to their processes at the shop. It matters to us here at Junior Motorsports and over at Trackhouse as well, Justin Marks has been open about how they use safety culture to track all of the details on their shop operations. Safety culture is purpose built for 80% of the blue collar workforce. The people that are out there working hard each and every day. From factories to stores, even race shops like ours and Trackhouse Racing, every detail is tracked and everyone has full visibility to make sure that nothing is missed because the workers on the ground floor know what's happening the best. Safety culture makes it easy to share those insights, giving visibility to other departments all in real time. This means you and your team get the job done faster, you make better decisions and you constantly find more ways to improve so that you can spend your time where it counts. You want to see how it could help put your business on the pole position? Head over to safetyculture.com SVG short tracks bring on the short tempers and there's also a million bucks on the line. The NASCAR All Star race roars back to North Wilkesboro Speedway May 15 through May 18 for an action packed weekend at the 58 mile bullring. It's one of the best tickets in racing and it's also one of NASCAR's most iconic tracks. Starting it off are the two Z Max cars tour races. I love when the cars tour gets its chance to race at Wilkesboro and I'm going to be there working the booth for that. There's also going to be the Pit Crew Challenge presented by Mechanic Square, the All Star Heat races and The Window World 250 Craftsman Truck Series race and a Jayco in concert all on Saturday. Free for Saturday and Sunday ticket holders. If that isn't enough, how about the NASCAR Wheel and Modified Tour on All Star Sunday they'll get the green flag right before the All Star Open where those guys that are trying to make the show for the biggest All Star event in sports. There's never been an All Star Race weekend like this. So much racing all in one weekend. Get your tickets today@north wilkesborospeedway.com Military personnel, first responders, law enforcement, teachers and other government service personnel can save on tickets. Thanks to GovX. Visit NorthWilsboroSpeedway.com for details. We talked also. There's a. There's a conversation going on in the sport and a real possible change in the playoff format coming. And that has. That had a lot of. That was kind of a conversation that was rumbling there throughout the off season after we had the. The playoffs last year, a lot of people kind of frustrated or not in favor of the way that that playoff played out with Logano. And so there's a real healthy conversation and debate going on in the industry about what the playoffs should look like if they were to change. And man, every. Probably every. There's. We can all sit here and kind of debate on what we think the best format might be. And there are people that say, well, they're never, you know, we. A lot of people want to go back to the original format where there is no playoffs.

[Travis]

Yeah, I don't think you want to do that.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Well, there's. It's not off the table entirely. It's my. I would give it. I want to make sure I'm clear on this, tj, don't I. It has a very tiny percentage chance of actually happening near zero. But it is on. It is in the conversation. Like, and I like that it's a healthy debate of saying, look, we're probably never going to go back to this original, but let's. Let's discuss the merits and the positives of it and why did we go away from it, Right? Is. There is. And I think that helps us actually find. All right, what did we love about the original format? Well, the original format, there's no arguing on who the champion was. He was the person that got the most points throughout the year. And there was no fluke. Right. Or no sort of gaming the system. And that's what people loved about that. So how can we find a playoff format that includes that legitimacy? And so in the end, I don't believe that we're ever going to say, oh man, this is the perfect format.

[Travis]

We'll never have the perfect format.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

No, you're never gonna.

[Travis]

Never.

[TJ Majors]

Every sport has that. You're never gonna get it.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

So. But I was thinking about it like this, and I really think this was as close as we can get between the best of both worlds. What if we. What if we got rid of the regular season and starting in Daytona with the Daytona 5 hundreds. The playoffs began. And the playoffs are the whole season ending with a final one round championship round. So or three or four race championship round. Like one round instead of this, you know, eight, you know, four rounds and eliminate a few guys and all that make the regular season feel like the playoffs. So the problem with what we, what we have right now is that when the season begins, there's not a lot of urgency. And a bad. Like in the old system, a bad race was damning on your championship hopes. So week two, week four, a bad run, a broken engine, whatever, you're in a hole. You felt that.

[Travis]

Yeah, for sure.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

We don't feel that anymore. Right. We have bad races. Guys. Guys get out. They don't give a. They're going to come back next week with a chance to make the playoffs. Every week is another chance to punch your ticket and go on into the playoffs, regardless of what kind of season you had. What we have lost as a sport is the agony of defeat. The highs and the lows have, have kind of been. The peaks and the valleys have kind of been neutralized. And so we don't have those heart breakers and we don't. And the highs aren't as high anymore.

[TJ Majors]

But do you want someone's season ended?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I'm sorry. This is. Big boy. Yes. I'm sorry, man. Like, this is at the top level of this game. It. You can't be coddled and handheld and ushered through the season to your little playoff seat. Like, that's not. This is. This is. That's what we have lost.

[TJ Majors]

So get rid of the win and you're in.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

So I feel like that you start the season and you run. If there's 36 races you run, let's say 30 or 32 races to determine the three or four drivers that are going to race for your championship in a single round of maybe four or five, six races.

[Travis]

So it's really wanted just to be three or four. What about, like.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Travis]

What about six or eight?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

No.

[Travis]

You don't think these guys are.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

No. In the. No. In the. I'm sorry, you didn't have good enough season. So that puts the pressure on the teams. The fans will feel that intensity and urgency from the moment we drop the green flag in Daytona. We talk about how every spot matters, every lap matter. It truly will bring all of that back because you'll be watching knowing that your guy needs a good day today and that all of that's going to add up and produce this opportunity for him to race for the championship. Or not. When we really get down to it. When we really get down to it and we go through the entire season, you look at the. You. You look at the playoff picture and go, man, there's really three or four guys that really, truly deserve to win this championship. Well, that's the guys that need to be in the final round or the only round to go for the championship. And so it is. We have. We have been doing this thing for so long that I can see the look on Yalls faces. The. We made it 10 races, 10 drivers. No tell. 12 drivers, 14, 16, everybody. And it's. Y'all are so far down that road that that is normal to you. And y'all were so far down the road of. Yeah, the regular season doesn't matter. You win a race, you get in the playoffs. That's all that matters. That is not a recipe for success. And so what we need. We need to bring back the. You know, we need to bring back what that original point system had. And that was like, man, this is. We knew when the season started it was going to probably come down to, like, two drivers. And we can't go back. We won't go back to that. But we do need to start the season with a playoff for sort of environment, a playoff intensity. The regular season has been numbed and dumbed down by the playoffs, and our insistence on creating game seven moments in every possible opportunity is squeezed all the juice out of the lemon. And so, you know, the rounds are getting wilder. The races that we're putting in each of these rounds are getting like it was around this past year.

[Travis]

Guys are getting more desperate and doing more desperate things, too.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, that is good. But honestly, man, I feel like that you start the year off, you run, you know, all the races. We're going to get to the end. There are going to be four of you, or, you know, that number can be adjusted. There are going to be a few of you that are going to get into this championship round, and it's. It's going to be a robust four to six races that these guys will race it out. And I honestly, I can't see a way a guy flukes his way into that group, and I can't see a way that somebody that wins it isn't justified and creditable.

[Travis]

Okay, so if you run this, what are your final races?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I think that's, you know, that's a great conversation. I think it would, you know, you could putting those four. You want to put those four drivers through all of the variables so you'll have a road course in there. You'll have a, you'll have a Daytona or a Talladega in there. You'll have a mile and a half, a short track, some intermediate or you know, one mile racetrack. So I mean in. I think that's. That's the easiest part honestly.

[Travis]

And is there a way to do the appoint system for just the championship guys so it doesn't involve other team cars, you know what I mean? Like if you fit, you win the race and I finish fifth, I still get second place points for that race to keep it tighter that way you don't have the okay a manipulating or anything like that.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

So I don't know. That'd be a tough conversation. You'd have to get the racing insights guys to run tons of simulation to see. All right man. Could you get a sort of result?

[Travis]

Yeah, you either get first through fourth place points if you got four guys in there and if you're the fourth guy.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. But if your fourth guy runs 35th in the race, you want him really? I mean if the other two run first, second, third and he ends up in 35th then you. Do you really want to give him a break?

[Travis]

Yeah, I'm just trying to look at ways where people could.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

You got to keep it easy and simple for the fans too. I mean I think you make it as simple as possible.

[TJ Majors]

But why not just get rid of the winning year in the playoffs then if you want these bad finishes to hurt and then it's not about just winning one race in your season save now you still have to race well for multiple races.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[TJ Majors]

And you still get your playoffs because if you do where the old system I think you're going to have drivers out of it early and fans might be disinterested.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Man, did that really hurt the growth of the sport through the 90s and 2000s where you. Where people just turned the off.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, well the sport was at its best. The sport isn't at its best now. So you're going to add something that could hurt it.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

No, you're bringing something actually back that actually worked.

[Travis]

I see Travis's point though. I don't know if people. The newer fans.

[TJ Majors]

But you can't compare the. The sports landscape is different. Social media, people's attention, Spanish.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I don't buy that you look at every sport. I don't buy this. We got to change it because attention spans are awful. That's a fucking weak ass excuse, honestly.

[TJ Majors]

But are you going to get the. The hardcore fan you've already got Locked in. But are you going to get new fans? When it's down to a couple drivers.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

What'S work, what we're doing ain't working. I'll say that.

[Travis]

I mean, good racing brings fans.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Travis]

To me, it's not just. And if you have good racing, people are tuned in.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

No matter what you got what you got right now, the drivers don't give a about. I mean, the guy, you know, the guy that wins the championship, Joey, of course, he's thrilled. But they're always, always going to compare what we're doing today to the way we used to crown champions. And not in a positive way. They're going to. They're. They. The drivers. I've heard drivers tell me that they want it to matter more to win a championship. They want to feel like when they've won that championship that they've truly been the best and the best person has won it. They want it to matter more than it matters today. It don't. That's a issue for me, that.

[TJ Majors]

I don't disagree with that.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

But I just think. Do you tell. I got drivers telling me they want to win this championship the way they used to, the way they want to win the championship by the accumulation of their entire season and looking at that and going, it is the best.

[Travis]

I was better than you.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I was better. And that's how they. That's how they get up to try to win that. And so right now, the way we're doing it has. They're more proud. They're more proud of getting to the final race and how difficult that is than actually taking home the big trophy.

[TJ Majors]

I don't disagree with the format right now. Needs fixed.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

The big trophy and the big championship win is just a label that they're proud to have. Hey, man, you're going to call me a champion? I'm a champion. I've always wanted to be a champion. But the actual experience in the process to get there isn't as enjoyable for them as the original format and what they grew up doing at every other level of racing. Right. And so this sort of. We got. So. Okay, we can agree the current format isn't quite the best. We worked our ass off to get to this point. Yes, but is it the best? Probably not. I'm trying to find a way that we get it to. We give it back to the drivers and they're like, yes, man, this is a badass points championship. This is a. I know that if I go out and do this and go through this process, I'm Going to be very, very proud of this accomplishment in my life. And it matters and it's everything in the world to me. That's what's missing.

[TJ Majors]

What if also in the playoffs you got rid of the points resetting so when you mess up in a playoff race, it counts going forward?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. Yeah. I just feel like there's too many rounds, too much, too much, you know, too much circumstance, too much luck and, and oddities. And it needs to come back down to more purely. Here are the best. Put them on the track, give them a. Give them a handful of racetracks to go to and let's find out who does it better. But that conversation is ongoing.

[Travis]

I definitely. I've always liked the traditional format. Kind of like what you're saying, where you put together a whole season. It's not just. I think last year kind of opened everyone's eyes to more of, you know, the. The guy didn't have the greatest season, but he won when he needed to. And, you know, I'm not necessarily. I don't know about. Do you keep stages as well?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I. I go back and forth. I think you. I think I like.

[Travis]

I. I mean, I don't mind the stages.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I like the points. So I like that there's points earned in the race as the race is happening. I don't, I don't think. I don't really hate that at all. It's not really bothered me. It's not taken away from my experience. Sometimes, though, the cautions things up, you know, and the caution will come out a couple laps before the end of the stage. And so we just circle around in the stage under caution and then we still have to have the eight or so laps of stage break caution.

[Travis]

So what do you think about taking. Just paying the stage points, no caution at like plate races, you know, paying them and keep going. That takes the. The fuel deal, you know what I mean? Makes everybody try differently.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

It might. Yeah. I think there are races where the cautions for these stages are unnecessary. But we tried that at the road courses.

[Travis]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

And everybody hated it.

[Travis]

Yeah, I didn't like it either.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. So, you know, that to me is maybe a something to look at it maybe, you know, the plate races.

[Travis]

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[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Hey everybody. You want the latest Dell Jr. Download apparel? Visit shop.dirtymomedia.com we're always adding new stuff all the time. Especially like when we say something silly on this show. We'll put it on a T shirt again. Check it out at shop.dirtymomedia.com I don't know what we do to work on that or fix the racing there, but you know, we don't have this problem at Atlanta yet. You know, it's Atlanta. It looks like to me that most of the fields busting their ass, hauling ass, running hard as they can. I mean, am I right?

[Travis]

They are. No, they got their hands full there. There's handling characteristics and stuff and so.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

You can't really sit there and play the fuel game at that racetrack right now. When you go to Dayton Talladega, do we need to make cars back, you know, handle worse? Is there a way to get the cars to sort of have some, you know, balance challenges? I don't want guys out of control.

[Travis]

But I mean I want to see guys, I want to see guys lift off a term for Daytona because they're tied on the bottom like a truck happen like truck races. They still do it in the truck race, like, you can see a guy. Every race I spot there. If I'm in the second lane, you know, if we're in the second lane, I tell the guy, look, you're going to have to give him an extra half a lane because he needs it.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Travis]

Well, I want to see that.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

The simplest thing would be to add a stage, like a fourth stage or whatever it would take so that they could get to the end of the stage on one tank. Right. If you make it where fuel isn't a problem, they'll. But that is not. That's not the purest form of. I don't know. I don't know if I love that, but hey, might be the. That would be the quickest way to fix it is to basically say, hey, okay, we're going to make enough stages in these races to where you. You're going to race. It's like, you know, we're just going to heat races, you know, 35 laps, Caution. 35 laps, Caution.35 laps, Caution.

[Travis]

But then if. What if the racing is just two by two the entire time?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Well, that's the car. The car is. Because I think another problem.

[Travis]

I think that's what's going to happen.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. I mean, you saw it at the end of the race when they get. When they went. When they all. When it was all like, all right, we're all going. They were. They can't do nothing but run two by two. And Denny explains it on his show. He's a driver like he's nobody. Better to tell us what. Why they're. Why those guys in the second, third, and fourth row didn't duck out on the last lap or coming to the finish line. He's explaining it. The car's got way too much drag on it. And so, I mean, if they took some drag off this thing, big chunks, it would make the racing look completely different.

[Travis]

It separate them a little bit, too.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. You'd maybe have guys that try to have form runs just like you see in the xfinity series or just like you saw in the cup series before the next gen. Yeah.

[Travis]

Or lifting. Because they're losing something.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. Yeah. They're chasing the car through the trial and stuff and having to get out of gas on the inside of people, creating some gaps between cars. What did he talk about was like, man, we're all bumper to bumper, and you're just kind of moving a half a car length back and forth, stuck beside the guy. You're beside the front. Front line. The front front Two lanes are both just sitting there, side drafting, nobody's going anywhere. And there's no gaps between cars for you to change lanes. You're stuck. You're in the lane you're in. You can't go right, you can't go left.

[Travis]

You're just stuck.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

You can't go nowhere.

[Travis]

You can't even get out of it.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

No, you can't get out of it.

[Travis]

You're stuck in the middle.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. And so. That's awful. That's not good.

[Travis]

Yeah, that. It's not. In the beginning, the first 40 laps, we spent two inside, one outside or two outside, one inside. It was like that the entire. The first 40 laps for us. Like, I did not like it a bit.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I know. And there's a group on, you know, there's a group of people that sit there and watch that race and went like, it wasn't as bad as some, you know, but there's some, there's some glaring problems with the restrictor plate pack or, you know, the racing at Daytona, Talladega with the next gen. There's some, there's some issues with the car. They need to work on them. They need to fix them. I think they pulled a bunch of drag off the car. That would be about. That would be a lot of it. That'd be a lot of the problem. But NASCAR's scared of how fast it'll go and they're already flipping up in the air because they're, you know, when they go turn around backwards, they're an airplane. So, you know, they, there's, it's not, you know, you take the, you can take the drag off, but then you got to slow them down.

[Travis]

But I mean, that's always kind of part of it too, though, right? Well, do you think maybe this car has made it where we can hit each other this hard and race like it flipping it?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Dayton Talladega is not a new thing. And I know we're trying all we can, we're trying all the time to try to keep the cars on the ground. No one wants to flip especially violently in these cars. So, of course, we always should be trying to figure out a way to try to keep the cars from coming up off the ground. But that, you know, that's going 190 mile an hour is going to happen. But the problem with the car is the drag on the car. When you run the car by itself, what is it, 15, 10, 20 mile an hour? Slower.

[Travis]

It's way slower.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

That's a problem. There is the problem when you put the car in a draft, they run 190, 195 mile an hour. When it runs by itself, it runs 180, 1 2, whatever. Yeah, it's terrible. So you're telling me that I'm coming down to the white flag or coming to the checkered flag and I'm in the second or third row, a car that runs 20 mile an hour slower by itself. You're wanting me to pull out, hoping to get some help. And if I don't, I'm going bleed speed all the way to the finish line. No way. I ain't doing it. I wouldn't get out of line either. Yeah.

[Travis]

You're just going to finish where you finish.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. Do I sit here in the outside line, the fourth car on the outside line and finish seventh or eighth, or do I pull out of line and run 18th or worse? Or worse. How you gonna. So that's what's wrong with the car is too much drag on it. When they can make. When they can take the drag off the car, get the car to qualify more realistically close to what the car runs in the draft, we'll see a whole lot different of a show. Let's move on to a couple more items that want to discuss. We got our dumb race winner coming in here shortly. Rodney Childers out at Spire. Man, I was shocked. I know they hadn't, you know, listen, I was shocked by this. I don't think we spent a ton of time on it. I was, I don't know. You know, apparently Rodney and them have discussed it publicly that it was deteriorating. They weren't happy. He wasn't happy, all of that. I get it. Sometimes the marriage doesn't work. Odd time of the year, but man, shoot. Rodney is a very talented guy. Where does he go from here? I honestly think, man, that if he can find his way into that Chevrolet building, he does. That's what he ought to do. There's a. And I don't know if there's opportunities over there for him, but with his experience, a lot of the, you know, a lot of the great talented people in our business that he, he's done the cup stuff, the travel, the crew chief, champion, Champion. It's. Dude, it's time for him to find another space in this industry where he can be an asset to something but be at home.

[Travis]

Yeah, he's graduated.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. It's time. He's paid his dues. And I would look, I think I would love to see him find a place within management or, you know, over to. Over at One of the tech, you know, tech buildings, something like that, and maybe even working for nascar. He's probably not going to make what he wants to make and that, that, you know, he might, he, he might have to make a couple small.

[TJ Majors]

But if you're not traveling, that's a. Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. His kids, his boys.

[Travis]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

He loves his son so much. He's so proud of him.

[Travis]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

And he's earned this opportunity, I think. And so I hope, I know he's probably going to be great. He, he said so much in an, in an interview that he wants to get back on bitbox. And I'm like, man, I hope that, that, hope he finds a different opportunity, honestly.

[Travis]

Yeah, maybe he'll, maybe he'll get an opportunity something and see like it.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[TJ Majors]

If I'm. There's a handful of teams that should be knocking on his door, not taking no for an answer.

[Travis]

Well, I mean, I'm sure he's had some calls.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Well, I don't know that he loves the next gen car and I don't think that his, his expertise and his tools as a crew chief, he can't apply them to this car.

[Travis]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

And so his, his ability to be creative, smart, think outside the box, do something completely different from the competition is gone with this car and the rules that we have. And so I don't know that he really was enjoying himself all that much. I don't think it's a spire Rodney Childer's issue. I think it's a Rodney Childers Gen 7 issue. In my mind. I'm like, man, don't do this. Don't go back into the routine. You're not enjoying it. It's not what you cut out for. It's not why you fell in love with all this to begin with. But he could go to, you know, like the GM building or even a different organization into their, into their development of, you know, new part, new parts and processes. Right. And maybe, you know, find some of that creativity opportunities that he loves and find a way to influence whole organizations. Right. I don't think you can look at. It wasn't a performance thing because that, you can't look at that team. Their performance has kind of steadily been improving over the last little bit. Right? Yes. I mean, it's been getting better. I didn't see anything glaring that was like, oh man, this isn't working.

[Travis]

I did expect more out of the box, but there was, they were climbing.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, we, we expected more out of Spire overall because of the big changes they had in the off Season for sure. And it didn't, it's not really happened. And so we tempered our expectations. They are doing better. Nothing. Not a knock on spire. They're doing great but you know, and they're, they're on this very, you know, linear, linear sort of growth and they're steady on that. We talked a lot about the cup cup race in the super Speedway package. We're going to. Yeah, the plate race Busher wasn't happy. Chris Chase Briscoe, not happy. And I want to wait for some of this stuff for our guest Celeste Talk Cars Tour Cars Tour I went to Orange County Speedway.

[Travis]

Did you throw a promoter caution?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I did not.

[TJ Majors]

Did you Black flag?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

We already have those baked into our process. So the cars tour was, was awesome. We, I went to Cordeal, ran that race, got out. I went on flow and all these other, you know, Matt Weaver and all these guys and did some, did some content about things. We need to fix things. We need to do better mischiefs and stuff like that, causing some crashes. We went to Orange county and we had in my mind an exceptional weekend. Everything that you want the series to be and how you want it to perform, it was that. I just rolled up there Saturday morning, watched our staff work through tech and practice and all kinds of other things. We had a long, we had a short, actually short conversation with the drivers about, you know, kind of cleaning our restarts up a little bit. And you know, we're putting some, we're putting some of, you know, putting some of the responsibility on them. They argue that we need to do a few things as a series to hold them more accountable. And so there's a little truth to both sides of that. But man, I will say this. The drivers, the spotters, the spotters play a big role too in coaching these young drivers and telling them kind of what, what's expected and so they can, they can help or hurt what's going on on the racetrack. Everybody did a great job. Our restarts looked great. We didn't have any real big mistakes. No miss shifts, no cars destroyed on restarts and our races. Another issue I had was we ended up at midnight, I think around midnight at, at the Cordial race.

[Travis]

So it was pretty late.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, pretty late. So my beer drinking hours got ate into.

[TJ Majors]

Can't do that.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Can't do that. And we got done at 9:15pm People were pulling out of there. I was on the highway at, you know, 9:30 to go home. So it was a lot of fun. We, we had Ryan Newman race. So I called Matt Pearcey, who owns a car his dad manages, Hickory Motor Speedway. And Matt's been racing at Hickory with his cars and in the cars tour here lately.

[Travis]

He's been a champion there, hasn't he?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yes. Won the South Carolina 400 a couple years ago. So Matt's got some great cars. Tristan McKee's driving his car this year in the late mall stock, but Tristan was running some Trans Am stuff. So I called Matt because I was complaining to him about something he said on the radio at Cordeal that we needed to clean up. And in that conversation, dang.

[Travis]

You calling drivers, huh?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

The team owner, y'all.

[Travis]

Team owner. You calling them out?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Well, I call him when we got.

[Travis]

I think it's good.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

He actually.

[Travis]

I think it's good you do it.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. He wanted to talk to me about it. So we talked and we. In that conversation he said we got around to talking about races and inventory. And he said, I got a couple races open. Tristan's not going to run and I'd be open to running a driver. And I said, well, I got this little list of drivers. Ryan Newman, let me see. Casey Kane, Matt Kenseth, maybe Kurt Bush, Bobby the Bonnie, Greg Biffle, Clint Boyer. I want to. And reply down in the comments. What driver? It could be anybody. Bubba Pollard. Nasty. I don't care who it is. What driver you want to see running the car store that hasn't ran there? Say you are going to plug a. Plug a driver into a car for a one off, one time experience. Who do you want to see come to the car store and race. Well, I called Ryan Newman and I said, hey, man, I know it's short notice, but I got a car for you if you want to run it. He went to the racetrack, they qualified good and raced 14th. Kind of struggled in the race a.

[Travis]

Little bit, but that's really not struggling in a car store race, to be honest with you.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

But Ryan. Ryan Newman got out of the car pouring sweat. His helmet blower didn't work, so he didn't have any cold air blowing in there. But. So that would have been miserable. But he's like, dude, these guys are intense. The racing is. The racing is intense. So intense. He thought when the race started they were just kind of going to be, you know, kind of smooth and steady pace. And he kept losing spots. And I'm like, damn, Ryan, you better don't want to lose too many here. And. And he noticed that. He's like, man, I didn't think they were going to fire off the way they did at the start. It was really intense. Loved it. He had a great time. He'd love to do it again. He'd never ran a late mile before. So that's what I want to do is, you know, take a. Take a couple of these guys and plug them in.

[Travis]

Jerry had a little bit of a list for you. Yeah, I had Mark McFarland. I would like to see Mark get back in there. I wouldn't mind seeing Coleman Presley get back in something. Coleman's a pretty good little driver. And your boy Denny. So I would like to see Denny go run a late model again.

[TJ Majors]

Well, Denny's already said that he wants to run Xfinity next year.

[Travis]

I don't. I don't want to respond. I want him to run.

[TJ Majors]

So let's just add. So I'm saying let's add.

[Travis]

I want to see Danny go run the cars. Tour.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, I'd love to get Kyle Busch in our car, in one of my cars for a race.

[Travis]

As long as he doesn't follow you to pit road, you're good.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I know he would do it. I know he would. He would do it if I. If I. If we could figure it out. But. Tough thing about it with the cup guys is they're racing every weekend. We are, too. Yeah. But there's a couple options. Caraway is a Wednesday race, and then the full Lawrence race is on Friday or Saturday before the Darlington race. I mean, that's all our weekend. Yeah. Our star weekend. I guess they wanted to, but anyways, we had a great weekend in Orange County. We go to Ace this weekend on Saturday night, May 3rd. So tune in to flow if you want to. The one thing your mom wants from you is for you to call her this Mother's Day, give her a call, and give her an Aura digital picture frame. Aura Frames was named the best digital photo frame by Wirecutter and featured in 495 gift guides last year. So the next time you call your mom, send her that new pic from that trip you're telling her all about, right from your phone. Andrew, you've used Aura before.

[Andrew]

Yeah, I have. This is a gift that my dad's side of the family gave my grandparents. And they have just loved it. I get to send pictures to them just about every week. And there's nothing that compares to the texts I get from them in the morning saying, hey, I just got your photo.

[Austin Cindrick]

I love it.

[Andrew]

Thank you so much for sending. So it's a very meaningful gift to give somebody.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, it's pretty cool. We have a couple and we have one at our house. So when you add a picture to it, it's kind of fun. Wait to see who notices the new photo that you've added into the rotation. Aura has a great deal for Mother's Day for limited time. Listeners can save on the perfect gift by using auraframes.com to get $35 off plus free shipping on their best selling Carver Mat frame. That's a U R A frames.com promo code. Dale Jr support the show by mentioning us at checkout. Terms and conditions apply.

[TJ Majors]

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[Andrew]

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[TJ Majors]

There's no need to wait any longer. Speed up your hiring right now with Indeed and listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility at indeed.comdalejr just go to indeed.comdalejr right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.comdale Jr. Terms and conditions apply. Hiring Indeed is all you need.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

So Austin Cindrick has joined us on the show. Austin, thanks for coming.

[Austin Cindrick]

Yes, sir.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I appreciate you being here in person. Usually our winner calls in.

[Travis]

Congrats.

[Austin Cindrick]

Thank you.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

What you been up to? What you what's the last couple, what's this morning look like?

[Austin Cindrick]

This morning it's been pretty busy. A couple live TV interviews. Most fun thing I did so far this morning went to Rouse Yates. Delivered some donuts. It's kind of been a, a thing for me in the past. You know, I was racing the Xfinity Series and kind of expected to win a bunch of times throughout the year. You know, I'd, I'd come there every, every couple months and bring donuts and thank them for a win. And you know, the, the, it's been spaced out a little bit more since racing the Cup Series.

[Travis]

So you got the big motor.

[Austin Cindrick]

It's kind of a, it's kind of a, it's kind of a bigger deal now that we do it. And it was their, their 200th cup cup win. Damn points paying wins. So it was a, a big win for them. And to do it Talladega, that's a big deal for, for Doug and the family. Talladega is an important place. So kind of cool for it to all come together.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

They're really nice. Well, you've established I think yourself and Denny said this a couple of months ago as one of the best racers. Restricted plate tracks or the plate tracks like Daytona Talladega and you know you're able to put together really, really great race, do everything right and want to, want to celebrate that. With that said, you know, obviously you hear the conversation around the, the how the car races there and there's no, you know, you've raced in the Xfinity series there, you've raced in the old cup car there. This current generation of the cup car there. You know, do you feel like that it's, you know, if you know, I know you cross finish line first so it's hard for you to kind of put yourself in the mind of the guy that's sitting there on the Last lap running 8th or 10th. But what, what kind of style of racing do you enjoy at those racetracks?

[Austin Cindrick]

Yeah, I think first of all, the more that we can help educate what's actually happening is is going to make these races more exciting. And not that, I mean that race in my opinion. Yeah. As the winner, but like it's an exciting race and it's green flag finish too.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Austin Cindrick]

And I feel like there's a lot of like, oh, we all these photo finishes on the back stretch from a camera and where's the camera angle than that?

[Travis]

Definitely better than that.

[Austin Cindrick]

We did better at that. We're not single file out by the wall. We're doing four wide. I mean, you know, somebody who might not even know what's going on probably thinks it's the coolest thing ever.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yes.

[Austin Cindrick]

Obviously, you know, you want to be able to race through the field and be able to push your way forward and make moves and make decisions. We've had that before. And you know, I, I feel like there's, there's a skill set with that and there's a skill set with, with, with perfect execution. There's a skill set with, with the saving the fuel. There's, there's a skill set with, with controlling lanes. I, I feel like that doesn't happen as much as it used to. I feel like that's something you Used to be really good at something Brad used to be exceptionally good at. So. And. And. And that's a lot harder to control now because of, you know, the. The. The whole. The car punches and, you know, different. Different factors. Right. So the racing that I would want to see. I never give myself the luxury to think that way, I guess, because I feel like that'll influence your decisions emotionally in the car. Maybe as a race fan or as a competitor, I feel like I have to separate those two. But I watch a lot of these races, and to me, they are very challenging because the funny thing about this car, and we've changed it a bunch of times with. With different aero packages, trying different things. To NASCAR's credit, we have tried a ton, especially at short tracks, but this package has not changed at all since we did our first speedway race at Daytona 500. Same package, same engine, same everything. But the race looks different every time. Every time. And it's the human element, and the human element's so important at those tracks. Whether if it's the. The. The strategy calls or whatever drivers thinks are going to work, and if there's enough people that believe in one thing, all of a sudden there's a lane that works that never did before. You know, it's very interesting to kind of follow along with that and understand what's actually happening versus what's being influenced.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, no, that's a great point. I mean, when we did run the high line in single file, like that was an option for years that none of us ever did, we didn't do it right. And then once we got up there and we saw how that changed, how the cars engaged with each other. And instead of when we ran the bottom of the racetrack, only really the leader was wide open. All the other guys were a little bit out of the gas at different times throughout the lap. But when you move to the top, more people are wide open. And that's why that was hard to really race against or hard to make. You couldn't make any moves or go, you know, move forward unless you really got a ton of people to believe in that bottom line. And. But that high line was there for years before any of us discovered what that phenomenon was.

[Austin Cindrick]

Right.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

The one thing that I don't love or I think is kind of problematic is the difference in the speed of the car by itself versus the speed of the car in the draft. And if they was a way to close that gap, that might allow you guys to have more influence over what you're doing when you're mid pack or trying to make some moves instead of just kind of being boxed in. Like when we come down to the finish line, not so much the guys pushing you and you know, the guys in the second row, but like the car in 8th or 10th can't get out of line because the drag on the car is so bad. He's like, yeah, I'm not going anywhere. Because if you get out of line, you're driving a car that's 20 mile an hour slower and you're just going to bleed speed to the finish line. Everybody's going to go, wow, what a dumbass. You know, so people wonder, you know, that part is like, again, that's why people like sit there and watch and go, what the hell? None of them tried anything. Well, there's a reason why they didn't try anything. Right. And explaining that to your point is kind of what was missing a little bit. But the thing that you did do was you had a flawless race. You did everything you you supposed to do to be able to put yourself in that position late in the race to where you had the track position necessary. Talk about how that process begins, and I'm sure it starts Monday morning in the office.

[Austin Cindrick]

Yeah, I think rarely can you leave a superspeedway race and go. We did. Every single person on the team had an influence in the win, and I think that's what makes this win really satisfying for me. Obviously, I have to do my job in executing, but from the fuel mileage, from the fuel that we put in the car to the man actually physically putting the fuel in the car, to the spotting on the roof, to the speed in the car through. Through inspection, how the car handled. Like, I can't think of a category in a box that wasn't checked for us for that race. And that's hard to do. Like, we can go to Texas this weekend, have the fastest car and do all these things and feel good about and probably win the race. But that doesn't happen very often at speedway races. And that's what's so exciting for me about a win like this. But, but what goes into it? I mean, you have to prepare for these races differently. I mean, you know, I'll go out back and practice with my fueler. I'll, you know, study film. I study film every week. But, but, you know, you have to study it differently for, for these types of races and really understand. I mean, I watched the Xfinity race from, from the spotter stand with Doug. I mean, it's just, it's Whatever you want to do. Right. I mean, and every driver is going to be different. You know, some people want a quiet mind, and some people want to. Want to just lose themselves in what they do. And, you know, I've got nothing else going on. This is. This is all I care about. So. And I get confidence in my preparation. You know, I don't. Like, confidence isn't like an emotion for me. It's. It's more of, have I done everything I've. I could possibly do to be ready for the race? And if, If I have, then my mind's quiet and I can just go do my thing.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. So a lot of was made about the comment that Joey made during the race.

[Austin Cindrick]

What comment?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, I. I said. I put out a post on social media when that was going on, and I said, man, it's. There's. When you're in that car, there's nobody to sit there and go, hey, man, maybe you shouldn't do that. And there's no time for you even to go, should I say this? You just say it. And there's no point in saying it unless somebody can hear it. And so there's no point in saying anything unless you mash the button. And so there's a thousand times where I've been in a race car and mashed the button and said something, and immediately, if not right after that, maybe later that day, he went, you know what? Probably didn't have to air that out. And the great thing about today is that all that stuff gets easily captured out to the masses. Right. Either it's on broadcast or it's going to be a YouTube clip that'll live forever. So we know that this is not too, Too uncommon. It was a bit personal. Right. And so, like, how do you handle that going forward? Have you and Joey had a chance to have a conversation about it? Because it, It's. It's gotten a little more, you know, talk and traction than most things do.

[Austin Cindrick]

Yeah, I mean, I, I don't really take that overly personal. You know, Joey and I know each other really well, and we've been teammates for a while now. I. I like to think it's just. He's a bit Italian. You know, that's. That's where that comes from. And that's about it, really. We. We just talked about it yesterday and talked about as a team and, you know, cleared the air on some topics. And what that really comes down to is, I think between the three, the four of us, really, we're all. We're all Good enough at this to expect a lot out of each other, and we do a lot for each other. So with that comes, I mean, when we have three of our cars, you know, in proximity at the end of a stage, like, we want to capitalize. I mean, these are, these are great opportunities for us. And that's obviously where, where the frustration comes from. I mean, you can dig into the weeds of what we could and couldn't do, and I feel like everybody has a role there, but otherwise I'm, I'm. I'm cool about it. I don't.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I feel like Joey surprised how much traction that got.

[Austin Cindrick]

I mean, I didn't ask him that question, but what did he say about.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

To you at all?

[Austin Cindrick]

I mean, I think we talked more about the racing stuff than anything else. I don't think there was.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

There was no, like, face to face with him and didn't, like, have a conversation about this.

[Austin Cindrick]

Not really. I mean, like, we acknowledged that, like, hey, I probably shouldn't have keyed up and said that's what he's like.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, good enough.

[Austin Cindrick]

It's kind of one of those things.

[Travis]

So he acknowledged it at least.

[Austin Cindrick]

Yeah. You don't. You don't want to. I mean, it's.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I mean, it really is great that you won the race. There's not much you could say.

[Travis]

No, but like, the ultimate.

[Austin Cindrick]

It's. It totally doesn't matter.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Lose the race. Like, he could be like, dummy. You dummy. See, you know, he could. He could have continued his point.

[Austin Cindrick]

I've. I've. It's been a long time since I've been called every word in the book, and that's about as close to it. So, yeah, like I said, it doesn't. Doesn't really bother me.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Did you see what Chipper Jones said?

[Austin Cindrick]

I. I did. I did. That's been fairly entertaining, to be honest.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Where. Who knew Chipper Jones. Are you and him golfing buddies or what?

[Austin Cindrick]

No, I was kind of surprised. I mean, I don't know.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

He's not.

[Austin Cindrick]

I don't follow much. I don't follow much baseball.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Austin Cindrick]

But I would say I'm a very casual Braves fan.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Bigger. Bigger fan now, I suppose.

[Austin Cindrick]

I. I do have a Braves hat in my truck, but it's not some. A war into the meeting by any means.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yesterday I would have been awesome.

[Austin Cindrick]

No, it would not have been awesome.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

That's absolutely right up your alley. Yeah. Sense of humor.

[Austin Cindrick]

The thought. The thought crossed my mind, but it was not the right moment.

[Travis]

No, that have been good.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

That one is cool, though.

[Austin Cindrick]

I Don't. I didn't know that he was such a big race.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Carried the trophy.

[Austin Cindrick]

Yeah, probably not.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I was surprised, man. I was standing. I was in Vegas doing an appearance, standing there and saw that on my phone. I was like, I had to look at it and make sure it wasn't a fake account like chipper with three P's or something.

[Austin Cindrick]

I triple checked it.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Austin Cindrick]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I'm like, these chippers don't like, he's very. This is a lot of detail and it's.

[Austin Cindrick]

I mean he's a big. At all.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, he's like. I reckon he's a big race fan. Bigger than I thought.

[Travis]

I.

[Austin Cindrick]

And I love that. Like, I mean the comments and all that is wow.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Austin Cindrick]

But like the, just the passion, like he's a NASCAR fan. Clearly, like that is a NASCAR fan.

[Travis]

And send it to tweet out because like that's pretty good.

[Austin Cindrick]

Like if, if you're that engaged with the race. Yeah, exactly. It's only good for, for our sport from, from, from that standpoint. So I, I love, I love the support, but yeah, the, the, the rest of it is a bit noisy.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Oh my gosh. Yeah.

[Travis]

We were flying home and I was, I saw was teammate Beef and I'm like, oh boy. And I'm like, whoa.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Travis]

Okay.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Pretty interesting. Well, I'll say this. I know it's probably not a ton of fun to be in the muck of those type of things and the, you know, the awkwardness of it, but it's awesome, awesome, awesome for the sport. So like to have Chippy Jones, it is chiming in, you know, any kind of athlete outs or any entertainer outside of our world giving it about what's going on.

[Austin Cindrick]

For sure.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Awesome.

[Travis]

Winning the race though.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Travis]

Is what really did it.

[Austin Cindrick]

Oh, no doubt. I mean that's, that's definitely the best part of my week and.

[Travis]

Oh yeah.

[Austin Cindrick]

You know, that's. It's such a, it's such a satisfying feeling to win those races and I mean I even did just a cool down lap like by myself. Like did the full lap. Kind of look around the infield and just looking around my car. You know, it. You don't know when your next win's going to be and these things are so hard to do and it's. I'm glad I did that. It's a, it's a, it's a fun feeling and it's a fun group to do it with.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. For sure. So there's a conversation in the industry around the playoffs and changing the Format. What's your favorite format?

[Austin Cindrick]

I like playoffs.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

You like how it is?

[Austin Cindrick]

I like playoff. I mean, for the most part, I feel like you can nitpick it, but yeah, I'm playoffs guy.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

What if I said there's a 36 race season, right? What if I said we're going to run 30 races and then somehow through wins, points and all those things, the top four or six are going to go race in six races for a championship. No rounds, no eliminations, just six drivers.

[Austin Cindrick]

Doesn't sound very exciting at all.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

What?

[Austin Cindrick]

Like that doesn't sound exciting at all to me. I mean, and I'll tell you why. Because the elimination factor, like no different than the playoffs in, in the NFL, than. Than the ncaa.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Those parts are exciting.

[Austin Cindrick]

That is.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

They are.

[Austin Cindrick]

That is high pressure. You want to see. You want to see people be put in high pressure situations and perform at their absolute limit.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Can't argue with that. What about the. What about the conversation that a driver has more satisfaction and you probably won't agree, but there's. There's been drivers that have said to me, man, I'm. I'm more relieved and proud of just getting to the finals than actually winning the championship and that they don't covet winning the championship as much as we did years ago. And so when I've been in these conversations with drivers, I'm like, okay, so our first thing that we need to do is make this really matter and be the most important thing you're ever going to do in your life. And they all nod their head, yes. That's what we need. That's what's missing. Right? So how is. Would you. You wouldn't agree because you haven't won a championship. Neither have I. Like, I would. We would do anything. Right. It's still the greatest thing in the world.

[Austin Cindrick]

Yeah, I think I have some perspective because I do feel like I've been on both sides of it in the Xfinity series. I have. I've. I've only ever raced in a national series with stage points, stage racing and in playoffs. My first year in trucks was the first time that in all three. And you know, in Xfinity, I won the championship. I won the last race. You know, you could have argued me and Briscoe, one of all guy or one of us deserved the championship. We raced it out the end. I won the championship the. The following year. You know, I feel like I could. I could leave there and go, well, I got more points than everybody else the entire year. And, you know, this format I lost the championship because of it. No, I lost the championship because that's. That's the format. Like, I didn't win the race. I didn't finish in front of the other three guys. Like, I feel like I've seen both sides of it to. To understand the pressure, but. And I understand, like, I would totally agree, like, the largest challenge that we have in our sport is to make.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

It to the Final Four. Yeah, we need to flip it. But do you think that you should have more races than one for the championship?

[Austin Cindrick]

I think there's some value in that. You know, I think maybe. Maybe having a round, you know? You know, but what does a race win mean in that round? Yeah, so like I said, I feel like the format can be. Can be tweaked, you know, nitpicked, but the concept of having playoffs themselves, Gosh, I think there's so much value in the pressure and the intensity and what it pushes everybody to do. I mean, you wouldn't get Ross Chastain riding the wall at Martinsville without playoffs.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Sure.

[Austin Cindrick]

You wouldn't get so many things that happened throughout the year and so many emotions that happen throughout the season. I mean, the emotion from me winning the race yesterday, I mean, that changes the next 17 weeks of my year. Being able to have the pressure not to make the playoffs, but the pressure to double down on yourself and be ready to run for a champion.

[Travis]

But do you think that changes, though? You know, like, you, Larson, a lot of big guys already have wins. Does that take pressure off them to be as aggressive as they need to be at times? When he's saying, if you have to perform all year, he wants the guy. I want the best finish I can get every day. Now you're more likely, you know what? I've already got a win. I'm not tearing this car up for this spot rate. You know what I mean? Like.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

We need to find a way to make the regular season have the same amount of pressure and urgency that the playoffs carry today and where, like, your win would be important, but it wouldn't. But a bad run next week would still be concerning, you know? Right.

[Austin Cindrick]

You know, I think with that, like, say, the Commanders have a great season. You know, they're going to sit out maybe their starters going in the playoffs knowing that they got the divisional title locked up, you know, and as a sports fan, you know, I. I remember when the Colts. I'm a Colts fan, big Colts fan, and I remember when the Colts were, like, on an undefeated season run with Peyton Manning, and they Decided to sit him out for some schmuck. And like we ended up getting beaten the first, first game of the playoffs and it was over like. And I remember how like disappointed I was me. It's like basically a first round exit after Bristol. Like it's just all this build up and we saved all this for now and like it sucks. So I agree. Like there's, there's probably. And I don't necessarily have the answer on what it would be or spend too much time thinking. I kind of think about like your question was speedway racing, how do we fix them? Like, I'm a competitor. I haven't worried about fixing. I'm worried about the game. So I think the, the incentives for, you know, running well are, they're currently in place. Like we have playoff points. Regular season points do matter for those that are in the playoffs. I mean that's, that's a point per spot, regular season points. So you know, it's 15 to win the whole thing. That's a lot. That's, that's three race wins. So I think the incentives are there. It's just. Are the incentives not high enough? I think or maybe, you know, could you incentivize in different ways because, you know. Yes, to your point. I do now have a softer landing if I have a bad day at Texas or at Charlotte or somewhere else. Like, if I have a bad day, I have a softer landing. But I feel like me mentally, my, my pressure is now different, you know, than, than maybe, maybe somebody else that isn't locked in at the moment.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, for sure, man. I appreciate you giving us some time today. Thanks again for coming in.

[Austin Cindrick]

Thank you.

[Travis]

Appreciate it, man.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

All right, y'all, before we get to ask Junior, it's time for this month's selection of our ultimate racing collector, presented by Lionel Racing, the official Diecast of nascar. Lionel Racing is your go to source for all your racing Diecast needs. Check out the latest pre orders@lionel racing.com. and the winner of this month is Big Dan on Twitter. Big Dan.

[Travis]

Big Dan.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Big Dan.

[TJ Majors]

That's it. Yep.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Well, hey, look at this room.

[Travis]

Big Dan's got it going.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

He's got some helmets, full suits, jukebox. Oh, man, everything's in beautiful cases. Crew uniforms, some. Oh, look at the bar. I love that.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah, it's not hard to tell who his favorite driver is, is it?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Well, he loves the number two Miller Light Ford. I believe it's Rusty Wallace. Yeah.

[Travis]

Jukebox right in the middle.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Got him a jukebox. This is an awesome man cave.

[Travis]

It is.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Big Dan, you're doing a hell of a job here, brother. I'd love to come in there and drink some beers. Got him a little game cast.

[Travis]

Oh, look at the. Look at the game thing in the middle there.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I'm saying little multicade.

[Travis]

Wow.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Little multicade arcade down there. You got you.

[Travis]

It's true 2 fan.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. Got all of that. You got several die casts. Lava lamp. Gotta have that. There's a couple of helmets. Autographed.

[Travis]

Lots of helmets.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Loads of autographed helmets. Neons and lights. You gotta love it. There's a little. Oh, yeah.

[Travis]

Little tv.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yep. Got a couple of cars. Those are probably, like, dang table lights.

[Travis]

Oh, it's a blanket of shirts.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yep.

[Travis]

All Rusty shirts.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Took a T. Yeah. Took a bunch of T shirts from Rusty and made a blanket. Damn it. And the jukebox. It's badass. Let's get. I'm. I'm hoping we can get to the bar. I'm probably. He's probably not going to show us the bar, but that would be cool yet. We're not headed to the bar.

[Travis]

Oh, no. Mike, Maybe.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Nope. Damn it. Here's Rusty. There's Rusty. Rusty. Rusty, Rusty, Rusty. He's got a lot of. Rusty Wallace. He needs to go. Rusty needs to take his food. Cabo. Rusty's got a house in Cabo. He does.

[Travis]

They vacation there.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Take Big Dan the Cabo once.

[TJ Majors]

Are we getting near the bar?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, we're at the bar. There it is. Oh, we got another multi. I love it. And always stocked up. He is. Plastic cups.

[Travis]

Rusty cups.

[TJ Majors]

Even had a rusty crown.

[Travis]

Easy.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Look at this. Oh, wow. Liquor collection. Oh, a lot of autographed Rusty Wallace liquor bottles and moonshines and all types of stuff. I don't. There's my high rock. I saw some high rock vodka in there. All right, Big Dan, you are doing it.

[Travis]

There's a lot going on here.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Damn right. Oh, it's a tight little spot, but I love it.

[Travis]

I know.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Hey, man. I only. That's all you need.

[Travis]

Great tour.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

That's all you need for a man cave in a bar.

[Travis]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

You don't want too many in there. Just a couple of bar stools just for my friends. Everyone else going to have to stand. I want to hear the music. I bet it plays good and loud.

[Travis]

I know. I wonder what he plays.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Mighty. That is awesome. Good job, Big Dan. Appreciate you sending that in. A very deserving winner of this month's ultimate racing collector. Now, y'all see what we're doing now let's see who can bring the competition to Big Dan. He's on top right now.

[Austin Cindrick]

Look at that.

[Travis]

Cable Management.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Big Dan's on top. Who can take him down? Send in all of your photos as we continue. Each month we're going to select a new winner for the Ultimate Racing Collector, presented by Lionel Racing, the official diecast of nascar. Damn, that was good.

[Travis]

That's an awesome one. That's really good.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Big Dan goes into the hall of Fame.

[Travis]

Big Dan goes hard immediately.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

He's still got a couple years left of his playing career, but we're going to plug him into hall of Fame already.

[TJ Majors]

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[Travis]

Me and my femi love to spend as much time outside as we can. But. But my girls hated having to deal with the bugs. But that's no longer a problem thanks to Pesti Plus. With it being kid friendly, I don't have to worry. The best part was how easy they made it. They mailed me my kit and took less than 10 minutes to put together. And with Pesty, I Told them where I live, what kind of bugs I was dealing with, and they were able to customize the treatment to make sure it wasn't a problem and it was taken care of. Now is the time to protect your home from bugs with pesty. Go to pesti.comdel junior for an extra 10% off your order. That's P-E-S-T-I E.com Dell Junior for an extra 10% off.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

All right, everybody, it's Dale Junior here for the Ask Junior segment of the show brought to you by Xfinity NASCAR fans. You know booming speeds when you see it, and Xfinity WI Fi, well, it's booming like the roar of a NASCAR engine on race day. It's as fast as a V8 engine and as reliable as an elite pit crew. Xfinity WI Fi gives you the power and the speed of NASCAR in your home. Choose the right plan for you, and you're off to the races with the latest streaming experiences for NASCAR and all your favorite sports. Because Xfinity WI Fi, it's booming, bud. Don't just raise the bar. They stream in overdrive. Xfinity, the proud premier partner of nascar. And you know what else is cool about Xfinity? Their WI Fi service. They'll upgrade that, man, just for free. It's cool sometimes, like, I'm a customer and I'm an anonymous customer, right? So they're not just doing to me as a favor, but I'll get an email and I got. I got an email saved in my phone to remember when I go back to this house where I have this Xfinity WI Fi, they want to upgrade some hardware to give me faster for free. And I'm just. They just. That's just a customer service deal. I don't know. Ain't no special favor. So I like that, like, because I've been doing this. I've been in the WI Fi game long time, man. I've been in the Internet game for a while. You have to remember, remember T1 lines and all that stuff.

[Travis]

First guy to ever have a T1 in his house.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. So, you know, as speeds increase, you don't have to increase the price you're playing. They just give you the speed free. Hey, man, we got faster speeds. We're just going to keep it. Yeah, we're just going to charge it the same for faster. I love that. I got off on a tangent there about that. Hey. And I've got a lot of blank stares from the folks in the booth over here. Andrew And, Travis, Andrew's back. And it's good to see you, Dale. Yeah, it's good to see you, too, tj. Not so good to see you, Andrew. All right, let's get to some questions. I know I want to pull my stuff up here.

[Andrew]

Yeah, pull the chat up.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

But they're.

[Andrew]

They're a lot. I'm seeing a lot of our regulars in the chat, which is great to see. Bev, Pamela, Daryl. Did everybody watch Alaska?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Huh? Did anybody on the. On the chat watch wrestling last night? Did you see Mr. Blaney?

[Andrew]

Oh, yeah. And he was wearing a Steve Austin shirt, wasn't he?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yes.

[TJ Majors]

He was not chugging a beer.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, that's pretty awesome. Yeah, they put him on the screen, announced him. He stood up, showed everybody his. His Steve Austin shirt, which, I mean, absolutely awesome to see. You know, Steve Austin's a man, right? So. Yeah, but he. He. He drank a beer. He drank a swig of beer, as Steve Austin would say, but he didn't chug it, I think. And didn't Pat McAfee say as much?

[Andrew]

Always McAfee.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

McAfee or whatever. I can't never get his name right. I wonder if he regrets maybe not chugging his beer. Just about a quarter of a cup left.

[Andrew]

Yeah, just.

[Travis]

Just.

[Andrew]

Just to give the people what they want.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

That's what they want. Anytime you put on a big screen at a sporting event and you're holding a beer, I think it's a must.

[Andrew]

We've got a bunch of questions. This first one's coming from Tyler, and I don't think you guys have talked about this yet today on the Dirty, but what did you guys think of Ross Chastain's moves on Sunday?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Blocking a bunch of TJ Adams in the chat's asking if I got that Little League Intimidators baseball uniform sent my way. Yes, I did. Awesome. The Ross Chastain move. Like I saw in our notes, right as we getting prepared for the show yesterday. Should he be black flag? Is that. Is that coming directly from you, Travis?

[TJ Majors]

No, I'm asking the question.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Is there a real conversation?

[TJ Majors]

Denny Hamlin on Action Detrimental asked about it.

[Andrew]

So here we go.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Here comes the Denny, bro.

[Travis]

I did it.

[TJ Majors]

But did I say he should be black flagged? No, I'm presenting what a cup driver of 56 wins is saying.

[Travis]

Oh, what are you cooking tonight for dinner?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Andrew's loving it.

[TJ Majors]

So wait, so if he. If a driver says something, I shouldn't take it and bring it on this show?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Nah, I'm messing with you.

[Travis]

Man.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

TJ's mess with you. TJ's not messing. He's serious taking him McDonald's.

[Travis]

I'm just kidding. But not really.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Dude. We can't be black flagging drivers for. For swerving or blocking.

[Andrew]

And I know it's literally part of talent. It's how you race it.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Like I mean you're, you're. Everybody's going to be like, is this okay if I just move over? Is that all right?

[Andrew]

It's just an F1.

[Travis]

Not. This is talked about too. Like it's a strategy to block, to open, to spread everybody out so the pack just doesn't roll.

[TJ Majors]

I love you guys think that. I agree with Denny.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I love.

[Travis]

I know you agree.

[TJ Majors]

I don't though.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I love how. Listen. What Chastain did was absolutely reckless as hell. But it's scary. But yeah it's reckless. But it's. It's kind of like if that's he has the obligation or the right to make that move is if it wrecks the field he's. And everybody will be disappointed and not upset with him.

[Travis]

He's done it before.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I'm just saying. But he has that obligation prerogative to make that move and not be. Not. There's no. There should be no conversation of a penalty. And if he wants to drive that way or anybody wants to drive that way. Right. That, that he'll suffer the consequences of public opinion and his reputation if it were to create a problem. Right. It didn't everybody.

[Travis]

It's risky for him too.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Risky for him too. Yeah, for sure. Dude. I mean I remember when we would go out and practice and guys would do that in practice. Yeah.

[Travis]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Like we would be coming Big train. We're out there. You know, practice. Just get started. Five minutes in, we're about eight or ten of us hauling ass down the back straightaway at Daytona and somebody pulls out and they will drive across the racetrack to block the line.

[Travis]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Of cars going 10, 20 mile an hour faster thinking we're all going to go. Oh yeah, you want to lead the line here? We'll just.

[Travis]

That's how we wrecked our pole winning car.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Travis]

Robbie Gordon that's pulled out front of the pack. We checked up and the guy behind us didn't.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Kenny Wallace did that one time come across a racetrack to try to jump in front of the pack in practice at Daytona. I was like, holy. Like it just practice. But I mean, you know, it's. It's his. He can there to think like to even. To even think that that should Be something considered a penalty is wild to me.

[Travis]

Yeah. Travis.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

I didn't say that would be a dangerous precedent. I feel like. Oh, if we start penalizing because of blocks.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Oh, so how do I say this? All right. How do I say this? Right? Do I like what he did? No. If I'm in Denny's car, I'm pissed. But if I'm not a racer, I'm not driving no more. I'm just watching. Do I want a couple guys out there that are that crazy? Yes.

[Travis]

Do you want to be behind them?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I mean, if they're not out there, then what are we doing? Right. We're just going to watch them run around and two by two for the whole damn race. We need somebody, we need a couple guys out there, like a host of our and so forth that are willing to, you know, be a little risky.

[TJ Majors]

I'm okay with what he did. My issue is be like this all the time. But don't then when Carson does something, act like you're the garden of, you know, perfect driving.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Like, that's what's great about it. All right, so he, he, he's, you know, having. You're talking about Chastain Chastising.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Josevar on the front straightaway, Atlanta after that race.

[TJ Majors]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

And then he goes out there and he does what he does. It's awesome.

[TJ Majors]

I want Ross to race like this all the time.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I do, too. Every lap.

[Travis]

I know people that don't.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

And if he wants to get out and judge a driver who does the same thing, even better for all of. Of us.

[Travis]

Yeah.

[TJ Majors]

That's where I don't.

[Travis]

And when they confront him, it gets.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Even better that you are bothered by that. I probably am, too. But if he doesn't do it, I'm bored.

[TJ Majors]

So I do have a question, though.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Like, if. If he doesn't do those type of things and he doesn't, like, want to tell Josevar to drive differently, then what are we going to talk about on the show?

[TJ Majors]

Agree. And I wish you would have talked to the media afterwards, but so was that.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Did he.

[TJ Majors]

Did he didn't address the media afterwards? I don't want to talk about it.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

He does that. But isn't that part I don't like?

[TJ Majors]

I'm talking about the host of our incident, not this one.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Okay. I thought he did it again at Talladega. He didn't do it again at Talladega.

[Andrew]

Because he didn't have a chance to properly look at it.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. I mean, I can respect that if it's the Entirely.

[Travis]

Come on.

[TJ Majors]

But. So why is it not allowed to agree?

[Andrew]

T.J. i want the.

[Travis]

I want the initial reaction right now.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Sure.

[Travis]

I want to wait. Show them the camera.

[Andrew]

That's fair.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Put a mic in his face and give me a. Give me a sound bite.

[Andrew]

This next question is coming from the YouTube chat. OG rocker wants to know how the swans are doing.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Swans are doing good. We had two geese come in. So we feed the swans some chicken feed out of this little silver dog dish. There's a lot of algae in the pond that they can eat as well. They're really self sufficient. They don't really need us to feed them just yet. But once they clean the pond up, we might have to kind of have a little secondary option for them to. To feed. And so these geese came in and then the geese left after they ate all the food. And then eight more those geese and six more geese came back. Like the geese were like, hey, they got this food over here. Over. You guys over at the other lake. Come over this way and. Or the other pond. The geese are just here for a temporary time as they're flying north for the summer.

[Travis]

But we little community you got over there.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, it's pretty neat. So I was worried about them being lonely down there because it's in this bottom and there's wood, there's trees surrounding probably three quarters of the pond. Water moccasins and. And so it's a. I don't know. I just kind of thinking that they down there by themselves. They gonna like that. But they're getting some visitors. It's kind of nice.

[Andrew]

Yeah. That's cool.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I don't know if they're happy about it. They might not.

[Travis]

Yeah, they might like it. Being alone.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

They geese and.

[Andrew]

Yeah. Do they get along?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I don't know. That might be.

[Andrew]

Is that a. Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Problematic. But so far no fights.

[Andrew]

That's good.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yep.

[Travis]

That you'd have to go.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I mean the squad totally whoop their ass if they want to. I think that's what I'm. I'm looking there, I'm looking at and I'm going, yeah. You geese are lucky as well just allowing this to happen. If they want to get your ass out of here, they could do it. They're big.

[Andrew]

Yeah, man. Yes. That's fair. I. I feel nervous sometimes walking past geese. If there's like a bunch territorial.

[Travis]

You won't even drink a beer on a big screen.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

All right. I can see how you.

[Andrew]

I don't need strays from tj.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I could see how you Andrew would be nervous around.

[Travis]

Hey, man, let's go the other way. There's a. There's some geese over there.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I bet he asked, too, whenever he's invited somewhere. Will there be geese?

[Andrew]

Are there geese in beer?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. Will there be geese? And when you hear him flying over.

[Travis]

Do you run and get under something?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Jump? Will there be Jumbotrons or geese?

[Travis]

Poor Andrew.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Oh, man.

[Travis]

This is.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

This is just not going. We're glad you're back, man.

[Travis]

Yeah. Welcome back.

[Andrew]

I'm glad you're happy I'm back there. There have been people, TJ, they say you need a booster seat. YouTube chat.

[Travis]

I'm just lounging.

[Andrew]

I wasn't going to share that comment, but, yeah, you're angry.

[Travis]

You're angry. I get it.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Get lower. Yeah.

[Travis]

Whoever was in the seat before me had it laid back, and I felt like I was going to tip over.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Okay.

[Andrew]

Okay. So Cletus gave you the geese. This is a good transition to. Let's see. Billy wanted to know, what did you think of Cletus's ARCA run? And I even saw, I think, a tweet out there. Martha Miami said that the burnout strips were still on the back straightaway. That was pretty. That was pretty cool.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I didn't think about that. I was. I was unable to watch some of the cup race because I was flying to Vegas for appearance for High Rock. Me and High Rock and Texas Roadhouse have gotten together, and we have a drink on the menu. It's called the Del. Yeah.

[Andrew]

That's awesome.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

It is. If you like Creamsicle, it's going to be like a Creamsicle vibe. You can go to Texas Roadhouse and order this drink, and it's freaking awesome. So we went out to Texas Roadhouse, had a big party in Vegas, and we went out there to serve some of these drinks to a lot of the owners and so forth of the Texas. Of the Texas Roadhouses all over the country. And so, yeah, if you go to Texas Roadhouse, check out the Dell yet. Anyways, I didn't get to watch the cup race that much, but I saw somebody tweeting about those, and I said, hey, you know, first off, I was asking people, you know, describe the race. What are you seeing? How does it look? Because I was. I was seeing comments, and I'm like, yeah, I don't want to. I'm not. I don't want to be all judgy. I'm not even watching this. Came see it. I don't want to sit here and complain and go oh, the racing sucks, and I'm not even seeing it.

[Andrew]

Didn't Blaney respond, like, it's not going.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Good or I didn't have fun?

[Andrew]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

But TJ too. Yeah. But somebody said they saw the burnout, so I asked him to take a screenshot, and we got a lot of great screenshots of the. Of the.

[Andrew]

That's cool.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. And so that's pretty neat. But I. I watched some of the ARCA race. I saw Cletus immediately have the engine issue, and his car lost power, and some people were, you know, he started losing track position, and I guess they didn't get that fixed or.

[Andrew]

Yeah, he was down a cylinder.

[Travis]

He could hang on.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Never.

[Travis]

He could hang on to the pack at the end. He could make a move, but he could hang on.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. And he just dodged all the crashes at that point. Smart play. Me and him talked about it a little bit, and I thought, you know, look, when you get. When you're. When he realized he's young, I mean, super green, Right. Super duper green, like, as green as you could be. And when your car's not running good, the last thing you want to do is drive it into a crash. He's trying. He's. He's. While he's racing, he's also trying to create content and create moments. Right. So, I mean, it's. It's important for him to have a entertaining show. He's, you know, he wants to get out there and do badass things and make, you know, make people watching the stream feel like they're being entertained. So, I mean, that's hard to do when his car is not running. Right. Right. And I thought, you know, okay, is he going to get reckless, careless because he's trying to create YouTube content, or does he go into driver mode and go, hey, just get this thing to the house. We're, you know, we're down a cylinder. Let's dodge the crack crashes. Let's not tear our car up worse. And so I thought it was good to see him sort of make the good judgment calls to just get the car home. Right. Don't make. Don't make the bad day worse by feeling the pressure of the viewing audience that he has. He feels that pressure every time he releases a video. Right? Yeah. To get millions and millions of views.

[Andrew]

He'S got to give him something.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

He's got to be switched on every day and be able to pump out content, and it's always got to be great. So while he looks like he's having A blast. And he is. He's also in a lot of pressure, so I was wondering how that would happen. But he did a great job. Got it home, and can't wait to see him go to Bristol. Now that's going to be different. But he's raised Bristol. He's raised Bristol in the Crown Vic and when it was dirt and so forth. So it's not going to be completely unfamiliar to him, but, you know, it'll be different.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Daytona. I agree it's going to be different, but I think he might surprise us.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Because he races. He races Crown Vicks and stuff at his little short track. So he has the basic understanding of you can't drive the car wide open around the racetrack. Right.

[Travis]

Right.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

You got to lift, you got to break, you got to do these things. And he understands, like, trying to stay off of the guy on the inside of him and all those things. And so, you know, I think it'll be. I think it surprises how he does it at Bristol. I really do.

[Andrew]

We're looking forward to it. I'm seeing a lot of bald eagle emojis in the YouTube chat and a few swans. So it's, It's. It's. It's good to see everyone tuning in. Travis is pointing at his phone, which has the save the date for JRM Fan Day, by the way.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Everyone listen.

[Andrew]

May 22nd.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

All right.

[Andrew]

2025 this year. So come check it out. We're gonna have a lot going on.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Today is my. Speaking of dates, today is my dad's birthday.

[Andrew]

Yes.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Tomorrow is Isla's birthday. Wow. Yeah. May 3rd. We're at May 3rd. The car stores at Ace Racing, so. I know those dates. That's awesome. Yeah.

[Andrew]

There have been. I've seen a few Mother's Day's coming up days to your dad.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Mother's Day is coming up. Everybody better have it together. I got mine together. Do you? Yes, sir. Good. Ready?

[TJ Majors]

Do you have it ready? You've worked out.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

We're good. We're good for Mother's Day. She's going to be happy.

[Andrew]

All right.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Just letting everybody know out there, all.

[Andrew]

The guys the heads up that it's coming a few weeks away.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Good, Good. All right.

[Andrew]

Well, I'm getting the rap signal.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Damn. That's it.

[Andrew]

This was a fun junior.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

One more? Yeah.

[Andrew]

You want to do one more?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

One more.

[Andrew]

Dale wants one more. Okay. This one's from Lee. What's the strangest thing you've bought with your race winnings?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

So, way back in the day, I lived in a double Wide trailer. My roommate was Josh Schneider, great friend of mine. And we did not. I had an. I had a big screen, tube. Tube television. The big screen, heavy, heavy tv. And I had to get. I had to take it to the guy in Kannapolis multiple times to get it fixed because it kept breaking. This thing was originally from our lake house, that dad had bought this thing back in the early 90s or late 80s. It was old and all. And when I won, I got a $2,000. I got about a. I don't know, I got about a $4,000 check from a race way back around. 97, 98. And me and Josh went to Duke Power to pay our power bill. We were behind about three months, and I was. I was broke. Yeah, I had a lot of money. And so, I mean, it wasn't like. Dad was like, here's your credit card here. Right, right, right, right. And so I bought. When I bought. I bought a DirecTV satellite back when those things were like a freaking thousand dollars. Right? It's crazy. And I was like. Dad was like, you should get a satellite trailer. And I was like, I can't afford that. And he's like, I'll help you with it. And I said, all right. How much? And he goes, I'll help you with half. Well, when I bought it, I came to collect, and he. He had changed his mind. And that. Nice. So, I mean, that's kind of how the money situation was with dad. But anyways, I won this. I won this race or got paid for doing something, and I. We went to pay our delinquent power bill. And as we turned. When we turned around to walk out of the Duke Power, they had this big entertainment system. So they had a brand new tube big screen tv still in the tube TV days. They didn't have flat screens back then. So a big screen TV and then this big wooden entertainment, you know, big, massive back. Yeah, we had the build. And I was like, is two grand. I looked at Josh and I said, dude, we got, like, a lot left over here. What do you think? He's like, yeah, let's do it. And, man, we run home to put that thing together. We threw that thing together and we had our double wide trailer. We had the badass entertainment system. It was awesome. We used to have all kinds of parties there. So fun. Well, good. Yep. Good deal.

[Andrew]

That was a fun one today.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. Everybody, I appreciate y'all tuning in. This was a fun one. And thanks for. Thanks for supporting us here. Xfinity mobile customers with Xfinity Mobile. Get exclusive access to the most powerful WI FI network on the go with speeds up to a gig. NASCAR fans, that's important for you because that means faster downloads for turn by turn action. Smooth live streaming with fewer pit stops and a strong connection from the parking lot to the grandstands. So for more laps and less lag, stay connected with Xfinity Mobile. Thank you, Xfinity, for supporting us here. They do a great job. Great partner. Still getting around to that fix on your car. You got this on ebay.

[Travis]

You'll find millions of parts guaranteed to fit.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Doesn't matter if it's a major engine repair or your first time swapping your windshield wipers. Ebay has that part you need ready to click perfectly into place for changes big and small. Loud required. Find all the parts you need at prices you'll love.

[Travis]

Guaranteed to fit every time. But you already know that.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Ebay.

[Travis]

Things people love.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Eligible items only. Exclusion supply. Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen, place your bets. Dirty Bodo is brought to you by fanduel. Vandal kicks ass. That should just be their slogan.

[Mike Bagley]

It should, right?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I mean, everybody gets that, right? Everybody understands what that means.

[Travis]

Is that like the old win amp thing? Whenever he says fired up, it really kicks the llamas.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

They're the premier gaming destination in the United States and.

[Travis]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

And we've had a lot of fun on there. I've been taking it easy here lately.

[TJ Majors]

I've been on a run.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

You've been on a run? I've. I've. I've been. I've. I didn't intentionally do this, but I haven't probably made a bet in a couple of weeks. But that's good.

[Mike Bagley]

It is.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

It is. Yeah. It's casual. It's fun.

[TJ Majors]

The player to score in the first three minutes has been one of the things I've been on.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Did you. You had a Steph Curry last night?

[TJ Majors]

Steph didn't hit. But I did throw.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I'm glad I didn't follow you. I know you kept texting us. He did the.

[TJ Majors]

The bet was the right move. I also threw money down on Draymond. He hit it and then.

[Travis]

Technicals or what?

[TJ Majors]

No, he had a three to start the game, so his cashed. And then I bet that both teams would score in the first minute.

[Mike Bagley]

I don't remember seeing any of those.

[Travis]

You just.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Those are loser.

[TJ Majors]

Those were last minutes.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Didn't share those.

[TJ Majors]

Those are last minute bets. I'm sorry.

[Travis]

He was impulse.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

There has been a very.

[TJ Majors]

I was.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

There's been a very big issue Here lately, with the lack of sharing amongst this group on bets we're making, we've all been guilty. Yep. And we need to fix that.

[Mike Bagley]

Yeah, we do.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Because there's no. There's no shame, no judgment. I think that there's a hesitation of getting your friends to follow your bet and it losing. Right.

[Mike Bagley]

Yeah.

[TJ Majors]

Especially if you've been. Also.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

At least give us that choice.

[Travis]

I know we have to make the bet.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

We all got to do a better job.

[TJ Majors]

The other one, I think, too, is sometimes you're on a little heater and.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

You'Re like, get the out of here. If you're on a heater, you got to really.

[TJ Majors]

But sometimes you're like, I don't. You're afraid that if you speak it out into existence.

[Travis]

I mean, that's.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Nobody thinks like that. No.

[Travis]

That's when you put that info out there. Like, dang, I'm on a roll here.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Hey, guys, I've been doing good with this.

[Travis]

Yeah.

[Mike Bagley]

You might want to get on this train now.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I feel confident to share.

[TJ Majors]

Okay.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

So you're either not confident enough to share, then you're too confident to share.

[Travis]

What are we more like. Hey, guys, I've been missing everything. You should bet this. I'm not gonna do that.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

All right.

[TJ Majors]

I'll be better.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I'm gonna sit down this week and get back on. No runs in the inning on some major league games. We had a couple of bets, and I'm trying to remember mine. I had a Byron Stenhouse and Priests or no Eric Jones. Maybe.

[Mike Bagley]

I liked Eric Jones. Yeah. You told me I was.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I had a couple in the top 10.

[TJ Majors]

For the record. You didn't have me. Threw them out there for people.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

You did.

[Mike Bagley]

Yes.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. Yeah. But I still in my mind like to think that I bet that bet. But what was it? Was it. It was Byron. Byron for sure and Priest for sure.

[Mike Bagley]

And. Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

So where did they finish? Well, Priest got dq, but they don't honor they, are they?

[TJ Majors]

It depends on the book.

[Mike Bagley]

Depends. Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Book doesn't. We're not going to worry about that. We're just going to say that that bet cashed. Okay. Byron cashed. Top 10.

[Mike Bagley]

Top 10.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yep.

[Mike Bagley]

He finished fourth. Stenhouse did not.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Damn it.

[Mike Bagley]

No.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

So I was going to parlay them, so I bet would have failed.

[Mike Bagley]

We also had a. I think we had like a Austin Hill or Jesse Love in the Xfinity race, which was.

[Travis]

I had. Yeah. I was pretty high on Jesse.

[Mike Bagley]

Yeah.

[Travis]

Because I figured they were going to lose the appeal and. Which they did. And I thought he'd come out swinging. And he did.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

He did.

[Travis]

He was swinging hard.

[Mike Bagley]

He was right there.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Mike Bagley]

We also hit the drivers on the lead lap over 25 and a half. That was big.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Travis]

There wasn't a big. Wasn't really a big one this time.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

No, it was not a big one.

[Mike Bagley]

No. Which, I mean, early on, those like two, three car crashes, they were knocking out like flies.

[Travis]

You really need the big one to hit some of them.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I don't want. I'm good. There's not a big one.

[Travis]

Oh, I am too.

[Mike Bagley]

Yeah.

[Travis]

That hurts the long shot, guys.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

It does.

[Mike Bagley]

It does. Well, I thought it was maybe weird that there wasn't like a third lane developing at the end. That's kind of what I thought. Like, some guys would jump out if they're a long shot guy to go.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Out when they, when they run wide open hard. This car's two lanes and that's it.

[Mike Bagley]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

There will be. No, never be a third layer. Yeah. Well, did you, did you. Would you call it a success or a failure for your.

[Mike Bagley]

I would call it success.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Travis]

Yeah.

[Mike Bagley]

I don't bet a ton on Talladega having live betting. No, I would never bet live at Talladega.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

All right, well, heading into Texas this weekend, the betting favorites are Larson at plus 550, Byron at plus 600, Redick, Hamlin Bell, all north of 750. How about any of these drivers for a pre race bet?

[Mike Bagley]

I don't know about pre race, but I'd like to see how they qualify because you'll get probably a better number if they don't qualify in the top two or three. But I do like William Byron. He's statistically the best driver in next gen at this track.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Feels like he's due. Yeah. And. Right.

[Mike Bagley]

He's so consistent this year. He's him and I think LARSON Are like 1 and 2 and, you know, finishes and everything like that. So he's definitely my favorite. I think Hamlin and Reddick will do well, but I, I wouldn't touch him with this price. Oh, no. Ross Chastain is 28 to 1, plus 2800 to win. I kind of like throwing a little bit on that.

[Travis]

What about like, Kyle, what's he.

[Mike Bagley]

Kyle Busch is. Double check. He is plus 2000.

[TJ Majors]

Wow.

[Mike Bagley]

But not good Next gen numbers at Texas. Yeah, but there's only three starts. But it's a small sample size.

[Travis]

My long shot here would be going on a limb here. Josh Barry and Chase Briscoe. Yes.

[Mike Bagley]

I had Chase Brisket written Down too. So how much do you take Las Vegas, which is the only other true mile and a half we've been.

[Travis]

I'm not even thinking about that at all.

[Mike Bagley]

No.

[Travis]

I just know that I feel like Truex would run good at Texas. I feel like they have fast cars there and I feel like Chase has an opportunity to put together a good race. He'll be competitive as well.

[Mike Bagley]

Yeah, he's. He's ran good in the past in the 14 cars. So him down too. He's plus 18, hard to win. A couple guys top tens I kind of like. I like Chastain. I like Brad too.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

He.

[Mike Bagley]

I like. You know, he hasn't obviously ran great this year. A lot of misfortunes.

[Travis]

We fit everything back.

[Mike Bagley]

I know.

[Travis]

Yeah, we've hit everything we can hit.

[Mike Bagley]

You're gonna catch him now with some really good value numbers wise for like top tens. Maybe a win because he's been down. So this is a good chance. Maybe get on him and see if he can get on a run.

[Travis]

I mean they were fast at Darlington. Brad's fast Darlington and stuff too.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I think Brad could have a great weekend. It's really dependent on whether TJ retires his Wyoming coach or not. And. And just gives himself a little more bandwidth. Yeah.

[TJ Majors]

Cause he's focusing too much on his two teams.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Travis]

That's definitely. Probably it.

[TJ Majors]

Brad's number three and Brad probably has.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

No idea how that's taking away from his focus.

[Travis]

Had I focused on getting rid of Wyoming team before Talladega, we definitely would not have got run over by Kyle. Yeah.

[Mike Bagley]

Makes sense. That makes sense.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, it does.

[Travis]

That would have happened for sure.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. It had been far ahead of that.

[Travis]

Yeah. We would have been way up there. Absolutely.

[Mike Bagley]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

So who's a dark horse? Give me some dark horse top 10. Me a dark horse.

[Mike Bagley]

I like Austin Dillon. One here before. Usually good track for them in RCR.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

There you go.

[Mike Bagley]

You mentioned Kyle Austin Dillon. He's. I think he's plus 25,000 to win.

[Travis]

If you're going to go with Austin Dillon. How do you not take Kyle or something with that?

[Mike Bagley]

No, I agree. I think price wise, Austin, if they're both going to be good.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Right.

[Mike Bagley]

Austin's way better value than Kyle is.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. It's a single bet. Yeah. That's nice. Let's see how that cashes.

[Mike Bagley]

I think so.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

All right. All right. Appreciate you Tampa Tim's.

[Mike Bagley]

Appreciate you guys.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Dirty Modo brought to you by FanDuel, the premier gaming destination in the United States. Thank you Safety culture for bringing us this episode of the Dale Jr. Download. Remember, from the racetrack to the factory floor, safety culture is the workplace operations tool that gives companies what they need to get the job done quicker and improve every day. All right. The teardown was live after the race on Sunday on Twitter and YouTube. Jeff Gluck was on his soapbox race of hail. Yep, he's pissed at the team owners about saving money. But now Denny's come out with some words about how much this costs. Wonder what Jeff thinks now.

[Travis]

Yeah. The door clear, guys. And Carson dropped Monday. Kyle Busch joined the show. Very strong comments on how he ran over Brad getting the pit road and the All Star race. You don't want to miss this one.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. I'm sure Kyle gave us a lot of information on what he thought about the restricted plate racing at Talladega.

[TJ Majors]

Drafting.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. Restricted plate racing. Plate racing. Plate racing it up just a little bit. You can't do that with drafting. Yeah. Actions detrimental with Denny Hamlin, as we talked about a lot in the show. Dropped on Monday. Denny's doing a great job giving us all kinds of great information. Really dissects or describes how kind of how their hands are all tied out there trying to race this next gen around the Daytona and Talladega. My interview with Brad Means will come out tomorrow. Brad is Jimmy Means son. Jimmy Means was independent in NASCAR years ago and me and Brad became best friends. Grew up together at the racetrack. Gonna have a lot of fun stories about us as kids. I'm excited to have him come in here and share that with us again. That drops on Wednesday along with Herman Schrader and Speed Street. Connor Daley making some great content around the IndyCar series as they're ramping up.

[Travis]

Their month of May.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah. Their efforts to get the Indy 500 going on Thursday.

[Travis]

Bless your heart. Comes out. You have. You're having a lot of fun doing that and you're coming out with a drink of the week.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, we've. We've got a new partnership with High Rock, our vodka with Bless yous Heart. So we're doing a drink of the week. And last week's wasn't one of my favorites, but we had a pretty good one. I mean, some of them are going to be different that I don't really enjoy, but others might. Others might. Amy's a big fan of all. All the ones that we got on. It's Amy's show, so I'm kind of letting her have it and, and letting her choose the drinks. So we'll see. We'll see. What we like. Lastly, this is something extremely important, folks. And if you're still with us this late in the show, thank you. The Red Bull soapbox race show. It's a TV show. Mike Bagley and myself are the analysts and broadcast team for the new Red Bull Soapbox race show. It's on Discovery. It's out today. I hope you'll support this basically all across. All across the world. This Red Bull soapbox race goes to all these amazing cities and everyone in that area or that country has the opportunity to build their soapbox and come out and compete. And they have to have a theme. They're incredible. Their creativity is through the roof. And then there's all kinds of challenges on the course and they usually crash in spectacular fashion. It's a fun, fun show to do. I was thrilled to be able to ask. I was thrilled to be asked to participate and I was grateful to work with Mike Bagley and I think he brings a lot of great energy to the show. Hopefully you'll support it, watch it, tell us what you think. And yeah, I can't wait to see the feedback because that was something a bit out of the box, you know, something somewhere that I probably didn't think I'd ever be.

[Travis]

I agree.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Was handling the. The broadcasting analyst duties on the Red Bull Soapbox race. So much fun. We do it. Oh, hell, yes. Like, I've watched these on YouTube. They've been going on forever and they're hilarious and they've done a great job with this. This isn't a new thing, but I was thankful to kind of bring the. The content to an American. To our American audience on Discovery. And I hope that we get to do a season two. I would love to go and compete, but.

[Travis]

Try it.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, but I don't know. I mean, I love to build or send, you know, I'd love to build out and send something. Something down. Something down the strip. I'd like for you to drive it, actually.

[Travis]

I would like to build something.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

There's two drivers sometimes. Oh, sometimes there's one, sometimes there's two.

[Travis]

Pasture run along navigator.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Well, that's the show. Hope you enjoyed it. I'm sure you did. I thought was great. I'm confident that you enjoyed it.

[Travis]

Yeah, it was good. Good show.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

If you say you didn't enjoy it, you're lying.

[Travis]

You had some good ideas.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

You're telling a lie.

[Travis]

You had some good ideas and some bad ones.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

But I thought you did a great job.

[Travis]

Thanks.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

You did a great job, Travis. You did a good job.

[TJ Majors]

Thanks.

[Travis]

Andrew. Nah, probably not.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

But Andrew. Andrew did a good job after taking a week off.

[Travis]

Must be nice.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

All right. See you tomorrow.

[Travis]

All right, see you. Our state has changed a lot in the last 140 years. We know because MultiCare has been here guided by a single purpose. Making our communities healthier. That comes from making courageous decisions, partnering with local communities to grow programs and services, and expanding healthcare access to those who need it most. Together, we're building a healthier future. Learn [e-mail].