To Punch Or Not To Punch ... That Is The Question

Summary

The Dale Jr. Download
Episode: To Punch Or Not To Punch ... That Is The Question
Date: March 20, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode of The Dale Jr. Download, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is joined by co-hosts, contributors, and special guest Terry Wayne Allen a.k.a. Magnum TA, a legendary pro wrestler, for an engaging and candid dive into NASCAR culture, throwback traditions, memorable stories from the racetrack (and beyond), as well as a timely discussion on NASCAR’s stance regarding driver altercations. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. joins to open up about the real-world consequences of throwing a punch in modern NASCAR and how drivers send a message in an increasingly rule-bound sport. The episode offers laughter, nostalgia, and sharp behind-the-scenes insight for longtime followers and newcomers alike.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Family, Victory Lane, and Making Memories

[02:30–06:12]

• Dale and co-hosts touch on the joy—and challenges—of having family present for milestone wins.

• Dale reflects on how real memories are forged not just by seeing races on TV, but by sharing moments at the track.

  • “The memory was them riding in the car and Molly picking up the confetti in Victory Lane and throwing it. Like that’s where the memories kind of get made, is when you’re in that moment. So it was really fun that, that I had everyone there for this latest.” – Dale Jr. [04:30]

• Concludes that nothing beats your kids and spouse actually being there:

  • “If I can’t get them home by 7 or 8 o’clock on a Sunday…they’re not going to go to the race, ‘cause they got to get up, got to go to school the next day.” – Dale Jr. [03:24]

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2. Superstitions and Fan Calls – Playful Banter

[06:12–09:49]

• The crew discusses racing superstitions, especially pre-race haircuts and lucky shoes.

  • “My dad had a superstition…every year on opening night, you had to have a fresh haircut and a new pair of sneakers.” – Guest/Co-host [06:52]
  • Amusing story about missing his pre-Daytona haircut; now, due to good luck, he’s stuck having to let his hair grow.

• Fans call in with funny and irreverent takes (Reaction Theater):

  • “If I had that much hair and that beautiful head of hair, I’d be getting more ass than a toilet seat.” – Terry Wayne Allen/Magnum TA [06:32]
  • Listeners joke about drivers’ looks, recent on-track actions, and superstitions—all in good humor.

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3. On-Track Aggression: Where’s the Line?

[09:49–10:34]

• Discussion about race incidents—when does aggressive driving cross a line?

  • “Even if it happened 5 times in the race, like, I still don’t think you need to wreck the guy to get your point across, but whatever.” – Guest/Co-host [09:21]
  • The panel debates whether responses are justified and how much is too much.

• “Chase sexuals” explained—a playful inside fan community nickname for Chase Elliott fans.

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4. Pro Wrestling Legend Magnum TA’s Story: Triumph & Tragedy

[14:42–20:40]

• Magnum TA shares a gripping account of his near-fatal car accident and journey toward recovery.

  • “I broadsided a telephone pole...I compression fractured my head on the roof, my C5 vertebrae explodes. Can’t move anything from my neck down.” – Magnum TA [16:06]
  • “When I got to the hospital…the surgeon standing over me telling me I’ve got a million and one shot of ever walking again. Damn it, at…on the precipice of the biggest time in my life, career wise.” [16:57]

• Surviving trauma:

  • “I wasn’t putting it all together…but I was five months in the hospital…thirty days in ICU…it was just the most brutal battle of my life.” – Magnum TA [17:32]

• Emotional moments as wrestling friends visit him in ICU, uncertain if he’ll survive.

  • “Can’t move, can’t talk, can blink. And you see the pain on everybody’s face just looking at you.” [18:56]

• Recovery milestones:

  • “Immediately after the surgery, I could bend my left arm. So that was a big deal. That was...some immediate return.” [19:16]
  • Gaining back mobility, feeding himself, and regaining hope: “I just started to wrap my head around what it was I could actually do. Everybody kept saying, oh, you got to come back. I was trying to figure out how to come back to life.” [20:24]

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5. NASCAR Throwbacks: Paint Schemes, Memories, and Fan Perceptions

[20:50–26:03]

• Dale Jr. shares his love for vintage schemes, particularly the overlooked 1981 Earnhardt car.

  • “That 1981 car…it’s a lost year. Dad started the season driving for Rod Osterlin…81 is forgotten, lost, unappreciated. But the car is underrated…the yellow nose with those old vintage stripes is straight badass vintage.” [21:09]
  • Recounts running the scheme with Martin Truex Jr. and (humorously) his anger when blue tape was erroneously applied to the yellow-nosed car: “I was madder n’ hell that Bono Manion had put blue tape on the valence...” [22:40]

• Clarifies that throwback schemes aren’t banned—but the focus at Darlington has shifted towards honoring legends in person:

  • “No one ever, ever, ever, ever said, we’re no longer doing throwbacks.” [23:36]
  • “Now, if teams want to do them, they can.” [25:31]

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6. Slapstick Slopes: Family Ski Trip Fails

[29:07–33:19]

• Dale details an epic slip-and-fall on the ice while with his daughter Isla.

  • “[I] put one foot on that ice, went straight down on my knee...I went every bit of me down on that ice.” – Dale Jr. [30:37]
  • Isla laughs hysterically rather than helping; Amy (Dale’s wife) shares her own chairlift mishap: “My ass wasn’t coming out, and so I rode. I started going this way, and I just jumped off. They had to stop it.” [32:26]

• The segment is full of warmth, family charm, and good humor.

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7. To Punch or Not To Punch: NASCAR's Fine Lines

[33:19–38:02]

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Interview

• Stenhouse Jr., the last driver to throw a punch in NASCAR, discusses the true impact of fines for on-track and off-track altercations.

  • “I’m not sure where Daniel got his $50,000 from, but I wish that’s all it was… going forward, it definitely would be in the back of my mind before I pull the trigger on that again.” – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. [33:50]

• Debates whether fines and rules on fighting actually “protect” drivers or just suppress drama/publicity:

  • “We drive race cars at 200 miles an hour, you know, getting in an altercation after the races, safety is definitely not a concern of mine.” [35:30]

• Considering how to “send a message” under current rules:

  • “If you’re not allowed to fight technically or you’re going to get fined for it, you’re not allowed to intentionally wreck someone…how are drivers in 2026 supposed to send a message?” – Host [36:28]
  • “You can definitely still put people in bad spots, you know...you will continue to do that, week in and week out.” – Stenhouse Jr. [36:50]

• Key takeaway: Big fines are causing drivers to think twice before throwing punches. On-track “messages” now take subtler forms; some lament lost old-school grit.

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Notable Quotes

• On family at races:

  • “Nothing beats when they’re actually there because they get to create that memory.” – Dale Earnhardt Jr. [04:30]

• On superstitions:

  • “That’s how we have…good luck. I’m waiting for…if we don’t have a top 10 points day…that’s where I draw the line [on haircuts].” – Guest/Co-host [08:04]

• On throwbacks:

  • “No one ever, ever, ever, ever said, we’re no longer doing throwbacks… Now, if teams want to do them, they can.” – Dale Earnhardt Jr. [23:36, 25:31]

• On the reality of fines after a fight:

  • “It would definitely be in the back of my mind before I pull the trigger on that again.” – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. [33:58]

• On driver altercations & being ‘protected’:

  • “We drive race cars at 200 miles an hour…getting in an altercation after the races, safety is definitely not a concern of mine.” – Stenhouse Jr. [35:30]

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Memorable Moments & Timestamps

• [04:30] Dale Jr. on making memories in Victory Lane with his kids.
• [06:32] Magnum TA cracks, “If I had that much hair…I’d be getting more ass than a toilet seat.”
• [16:06] Magnum TA recounts his life-changing accident and miraculous survival.
• [21:09] Dale Jr. passionately describes his favorite overlooked throwback paint scheme.
• [30:37] Dale’s slapstick knee-busting ice fall, and Isla’s giggling response.
• [33:50] Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on how fines impact driver confrontations.

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Conclusion

This episode balances laughs, candid stories, and serious debate, embodying Dale Jr.’s unique accessible tone—a blend of blue-collar wit and racing intelligence. The shift in NASCAR culture around physical altercations is dissected with input from those who’ve been in the spotlight and paid the price. Meanwhile, the show’s signature segments highlight why The Dale Jr. Download is beloved: it’s about more than cars; it’s about legacy, family, locker-room banter, and the personalities that make racing—and racing stories—so unforgettable.

Transcript

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Dirty Mo Media Junior Motorsports and I have a new partner this year and we couldn't be more excited about this. A lot of y' all may have heard Arby's has come on board and we're loving every second of it. And Arby's has entered the chat with a meal deal that raises the bar for value. Introducing the new meat and three box for $7.99 that's filled with Arby's quality favorites. Each meat three box includes your choice of one sandwich. The classic roast beef that is hand sliced and slow roasted, the crispy chicken sandwich, or you can go with the crispy fish sandwich. All this comes with the melty mozzarella sticks, some crispy curly fries. Everybody loves those. And a peach cobbler roll for dessert. Guys, you gotta try that dessert. It's really good. And you get a small drink. It's called meat and three. But you're actually getting five items all for only 7.99. Nobody out there is giving you this much value for your money. This is a value meal that won't leave you hungry. You know you don't have to settle for less when you get more from Arby's. Available for a limited time at participating locations. While supplies last, prices may vary. Get your Meet in three Box at an Arby's near you today.

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[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Hey everybody, I'm Dalen Hart Jr. And this is the Dirty 30. The best highlights from all of our podcasts this week. 30 minutes every single Friday. The Dirty 30 coming at you. Let's get right to it. This episode of the Dirty 30 is presented by Arby's new Meet in 3 Box. Get more meal for your money at Arby's we have the meats.

[Terry Wayne Allen (Magnum TA)]

Hey, guys.

[Dalen Hart Jr.]

Welcome to actions detrimental after Las Vegas.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

We've been on this train of get

[Dalen Hart Jr.]

to 60 wins for a few years now you're at 61, you kind of

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

know where the, the checkered flag is

[Dalen Hart Jr.]

on your career, right? I, I thought that realistically it was. I, I think I'm. I don't know. I think I'm gonna fall in 67. That's where I think it ends more than likely if it, you know, goes into the next year, more likely 67, maybe that's just, you know, by the numbers. That's, that's not any. Oh, I feel this, I feel that that's just where the numbers land. Averaging what I average three to four wins a year. Yeah. Yeah.

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

What did the embrace with your mom mean?

[Dalen Hart Jr.]

Yeah, it was great. I mean, she, she went to Daytona. I don't know about any others. I can't remember really. Can't remember. She did go to Atlanta, but, you know, none, none of my family, mom, dad, you know, fiance and kids, none of them were at the 60th West coast races. It's really hard with the kids because you got school and stuff the next day. It's, it's just impossible. And my typical rule of thumb, if I can't get them home by 7, 8 o' clock on a Sunday, you know, they're not going to go to the race because I just got to get up, got to go to school the next day. So, you know, while it's cool to be able to FaceTime them like we probably did in Victory Lane at Vegas in the fall, it just nothing beats when they're actually there because they get to. That, they get to create that memory. They're not going to remember watching 60 on TV because I can assure you, three minutes later they were probably

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

gone

[Dalen Hart Jr.]

and doing something else. Yeah. You know what I mean? The memory was them riding in the car and Molly picking up the confetti in victory Lane and throwing it. Like that's where the memories kind of get made, is when you're in that moment. So it was really fun that, that I had everyone there for this latest.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Dalen Hart Jr.]

And that that hasn't happened ever. I, I don't remember. That's a good point. I don't, I don't know that I've ever not. I have. But I can't remember the last time we had everyone there. Yeah. At the same time. Right. See, they're my mom. It's. My mom travels as much as Jordan does, but not the Always the same weeks. Right. But I also mean Taylor.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Molly have never ridden in the car

[Dalen Hart Jr.]

to Taylor has they had once before. Yep. Oh, that's. Yep.

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

That's why in the group text. In the group text, I put. I said, we just passed tech.

[Terry Wayne Allen (Magnum TA)]

We're good. Yeah.

[Dalen Hart Jr.]

And that's what I said in. In post race media, I says, taylor's got to enjoy this. And the one time she. She did, they took the trophy from me five hours later. Like, that was. You didn't think, like, taylor, I can't have you get in this car. No, I. I just, you know, especially Molly. She hadn't got to do it before, but it was so cool because, like, I didn't. I didn't tell Molly to hold that flag out. Like, she just. She just naturally did it. So it was very cool.

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

I love their reaction.

[Dalen Hart Jr.]

They got in. When they got in, they were like, oh, my God, it's hot in here. Like, damn right it is.

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

Hey, what's up, everybody? Welcome back to Door Bumper Clear.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

It's time for Reaction Theater, where fans can call in and voice their opinions from this weekend's race.

[Terry Wayne Allen (Magnum TA)]

Hey, I saw Freddy doing a video the other day, a promo or something,

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

and he didn't have his hat on.

[Terry Wayne Allen (Magnum TA)]

And I thought, my God, I thought Wolfman Jack was dead.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

But then I got to looking into

[Terry Wayne Allen (Magnum TA)]

that full head of hair, and I thought, my God, I wish I had that hair. If I had that much hair and that beautiful head of hair, I'd be getting more ass in a toilet seat.

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

Somehow I knew that was coming.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

You kind of, like, broke the Internet

[Guest or Co-host (female, possibly Amy or Isla's mother)]

with that photo of you.

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

I mean, whoa. I don't know what the problem is.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

He looks like the baby Grinch. Tell him why. So.

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

So my dad had a superstition when I was growing up that every year on opening night, you had to have a fresh haircut and a new pair of sneakers. That was their stupid. Whatever it was. Him and Tommy Ryan had the same thing every year, so I never seen Tommy clean.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

So

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

this every. Right before we leave for Daytona every year, I always go get a haircut the day before, and that's, like, been my good luck charm. And we've always run fair, fairly well, never won, so it's obviously not that good luck charm. But so this year couldn't go. The girl canceled the day before or whatever. So I was like, oh, no, I'm not gonna get a haircut before Daytona. And then my lovely wife Megan knows how superstitious I am. She's like, well, what are you Gonna do if you guys run well, you know, like, you're gonna have to keep. Not be able to cut your hair. And I was like, that's not. Yeah, whatever. It's fine. So here we are six weeks later, and I'm second in points, and now I'm not gonna be able to cut my hair for a while, apparently. So. So hopefully, I mean, hopefully I don't cut it for the next, I don't know, six months. We'll see what that looks like, but that'd be great. I would imagine. I'm waiting for. I think I'm. I. I've decided. I think, like, if we don't have a top 10 points day is where I'm. Oh, that's where you draw the line. So hopefully we keep it up and

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

he keeps top 10 every race so far.

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

We finished 11th at Coda, but it was. We had stage points, so it was like we were like seventh or eighth in points that day.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

So you're going to count that.

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

So I'm count that top 10 points if we're in the top 10 points. So did you get new shoes? I get new shoes all the time. I have. The company I work for has a pretty good shoe.

[Dalen Hart Jr.]

Oh, that's right.

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

That guy's got.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, that guy's got sneakers. So a haircut is the secret. Oh, here we go.

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

That's how. That's how we have.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I mean, John's gonna leave here.

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

When we go to these meetings, the analytics meetings.

[Interviewer or Host]

I shave my legs to not be

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

where I'm at right now.

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

You heard Everybody heard that, right? Everybody heard.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Let's see a video that.

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

Shave your leg.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Top 10, Darlington. Top 10, shave his legs. You heard it.

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

Here we go to these analytics meeting. They're talking about all these numbers. I'm just rubbing my hair. I'm like, guys, I don't know if you know, this is where it's at. Yeah, you can talk about whatever you want. As long as I don't cut this. We're gonna run good this week.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

All right, Austin powers, we won O'Reilly

[Terry Wayne Allen (Magnum TA)]

race, and you start putting people into

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

the corner like you're Dr.

[Terry Wayne Allen (Magnum TA)]

Evil or something. Should you be penalized for that?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, baby.

[Terry Wayne Allen (Magnum TA)]

Yeah.

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

He's talking about Sheldon Creed calling him Austin Powers.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Are these real calls?

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

Yeah, yeah, that's this. That's Dawson back.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

You guys got quite the production.

[Terry Wayne Allen (Magnum TA)]

I don't.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I don't know.

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

Yeah, I did. See, I didn't know what led up to that. Like, if it had happened multiple times in the race Looked like a little bit of overkill to me. I don't know if you saw it, but the 54 threw a little bit of a block, and Sheldon kind of just went and never wiped him out. I don't know that that was necessary, but I. Again, I don't know if it happened 5. Even if it happened 5 times in the race, like, I still don't think you need to wreck the guy to. To get your point across, but whatever. I don't. You know, maybe he didn't mean to do it. I don't know. Maybe. He probably hates that it happened like

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

everybody else does, but I hate that that happened. Yeah.

[Terry Wayne Allen (Magnum TA)]

You say sexualist.

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

What do you say?

[Dalen Hart Jr.]

Chase sexuals F you? He said.

[Terry Wayne Allen (Magnum TA)]

Yeah.

[Dalen Hart Jr.]

He must be happy.

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

Oh, Denny beat him.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Oh, no, wait.

[Dalen Hart Jr.]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He mad that then?

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

Yeah, no, he's happy that Danny won, so he's talking to the chase sexual.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Oh, okay.

[Dalen Hart Jr.]

Okay.

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

I think. I think I. I think I pieced it together now.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Can you play that again?

[Terry Wayne Allen (Magnum TA)]

Sure thing.

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

I didn't hear what he said the first time.

[Terry Wayne Allen (Magnum TA)]

Yeah, you say sexual. You.

[Dalen Hart Jr.]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yep.

[Dalen Hart Jr.]

Yeah, He's a Denny fan.

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

Yeah. Yeah. You know what a Chase sexual.

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

I don't.

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

That's a Chase Elliott fan on Double Clear. Apparently they. They've named themselves over here. So it's. That's. Like I said, our crowd is a little different.

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

I mean, I'm talking about shaving my legs.

[Dalen Hart Jr.]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer or Host]

Not one to judge.

[Dalen Hart Jr.]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

You've been here an hour now.

[Dalen Hart Jr.]

Look at you.

[Terry Wayne Allen (Magnum TA)]

Here we go.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah, we're about 34 bush lights deep, and we're just wondering about the race. You know, I would say Hong Money

[Terry Wayne Allen (Magnum TA)]

has stepped on his pecker for the

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

third race in a row.

[Ricky Stenhouse Jr.]

And what would you say about Denny Hamless?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I think. I think Denny Hamless, he had a good race, you know, but, you know, I wish you a little Kyle Larson had a little good race after yesterday, but, you know, it's okay. That is what reaction theater is for.

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

That's reaction theater.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Getting hammered, drinking 34 bush lights.

[Dalen Hart Jr.]

Did they know Denny even won?

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

That sounds like a mid race. That was a mid race call. I think that's what happened.

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

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[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

dirtymome media junior motorsports and I have a new partner this year and we couldn't be more excited about this. A lot of y' all may have heard Arby's has come on board and we're loving every second of it. And Arby's has entered the chat with a meal deal that raises the bar for value. Introducing the new meat and three box for 7.99 that's filled with Arby's quality favorites. Each meat three box includes your choice of one sandwich. The classic roast beef that is hand sliced and slow roasted the crispy chicken sandwich or you can go with the crispy fish sandwich. All this comes with the melty mozzarella sticks, some crispy curly fries, everybody loves those. And a peach cobbler roll for dessert. Guys, you gotta try that dessert. It's really good. And you get a small drink. It's called meat and three. But you're actually getting five items all for only 7.99. Nobody out there is giving you this much value for your money. This is a value meal that won't leave you hungry. You know you don't have to settle for less when you get more from Arby's. Available for a limited time at participating locations. While supplies last, prices may vary. Get your meat and three box at an Arby's near you today. We got a great guest coming in. Stepping outside of the racing industry for a minute. Terry Wayne Allen, also known as Magnum. Ta. Let's talk about the accident. 1986, October, you're on your way home from a match. Do you remember?

[Terry Wayne Allen (Magnum TA)]

Oh yeah, that day, October 14th, I was coming. I wrestled Jimmy Garvin in a lumberjack match in Greenville, S.C. and Dick Murdoch rode back with me when I had a 911 Turbo Porsche. That was my dream car from when I was a kid. I'd bought it, I'd had it about four or five months and it was pouring down rain and it was just horrible out. And we get all the way back to Charlotte and we stop at the Bennigan's was like the watering hole where we all hung out when we got back to town and we got back before it closed. And I lived literally 10 minutes from there. And I said goodnight to him. I was heading home. I was coming down Sardis Road and back then that was a two lane road over there where Charlotte Christian school is. And there was a little dog leg turn in the two lane road and there was a dip in it and it was raining so hard that the water had gathered really heavy. And so I'm running faster than I should. I'm running like 55 miles an hour and a 35. But in that car it felt like you weren't moving right. And I hit that water in a hydroplane. And I've hydroplane so many times I can't even tell you other times in my life. But I'd never done it in a rear engine car. And when I let off the gas and went to turn into it to catch it, it didn't catch. And then in a millisecond I said, you know, so they told me you had to drive these things out of a problem when you got it. Well, when I got back in it, it spun the tires, the turbo kicked in and I spun the other way and I broadsided a telephone pole. You know, no telling with the whip that it made how hard I hit it, but I mean, I hit it so hard it knocked the half shafts out of the motor. Motor never turns off. I compression fracture, my head on the roof, my C5 vertebrae explodes. Can't move anything from my neck down. I'm driven down in the floor of the car. And, you know, there I lay for what seemed like forever. A young man who was a student on his way home found me and called the. Called 911 and they used the Jaws of Life, cut the top of the car off and take me to. They couldn't airlift me out because it was raining so hard. And I got to get to the hospital and all of a sudden I got this, you know, the surgeon standing over me telling me I've got a million and one shot of ever walking again. Damn it at, you know, like you said, on the precipice of the biggest time in my life, career wise.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

When do you start to realize, you know, what you got right it.

[Terry Wayne Allen (Magnum TA)]

I realized when he told me because first of all, I didn't hurt and I didn't have a cut on me. I had a little scratch on my head, but I just hit my head on the roof. And then like I said, the pressure drove me down. And so I wasn't in pain, but it was a horrible feeling. I didn't know why I couldn't move. I always thought if you broke your neck, you were dead. I didn't know you could break your neck and survive. And so I wasn't putting it all together, but I was five months in the hospital. I was 30 days in ICU and then another four months in the hospital and rehab in Charlotte. And it was just the most brutal battle of my life. Just trying to get back where I could breathe off a respirator and start getting some movement. I had a decompression surgery done within eight hours of the accident. So I had fragments in my cord, my disc was pushed l shape up against the cord. I mean, they didn't know if I was going to make it overnight, much less anything else. So it was really touch and go. And I mean, they snuck. Dusty got Doug Dillinger, who did our security, was also a Charlotte police officer. And he made a way to get Flair and Arn and Tully and Them up to come see me because they didn't know if I was gonna make it.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Right.

[Terry Wayne Allen (Magnum TA)]

And they all came to see me in the icu.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

And do you remember that?

[Terry Wayne Allen (Magnum TA)]

Do what?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Do you remember them?

[Terry Wayne Allen (Magnum TA)]

Oh, yeah. I remember it well. And I couldn't talk because I had a trach. And it was the most helpless feeling imaginable.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Terry Wayne Allen (Magnum TA)]

Can't move, can't talk, can blink. And you see the pain on everybody's face just looking at you.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Worry and concern, I'm sure. Golly. You know, you talked about how long it took you to start a rehab. What are some of the milestones or some of the breakthroughs, I guess, that you recall having where you're thinking, well,

[Terry Wayne Allen (Magnum TA)]

immediately after the surgery, I could bend my left arm. So that was a big deal. That was. So I got some immediate return, you know, instantly, I think. And so moving my arm. And then the first time they set me up. Oh, goodness. I felt like my whole body was full of just made out of jello. Because all my. Because all those. Once all those muscles are turned off, even if you haven't returned, going back to them, you have to re. Educate them and do all kinds of things to get things working again. So it was that. It was being able to feed myself at first, then sit up, and then I think two months in, I actually was able to take some steps in five foot of water, and that was a big thing. But my right side was much weaker than my left. I have what they call as a brown support injury, meaning my motor nerves were more damaged on my right side. But I can feel better on my right side. That doesn't work as well, and the same thing vice versa. This side works better. It's still not 100%, but it's all functional to a degree. And I just started to wrap my head around what it was I could actually do. Everybody kept saying, oh, you got to come back. I was trying to figure out how to come back to life. I wasn't even thinking about. I knew what it took to do what I did in the ring. I had no earthly thought in my head that I'd ever be able to do that again.

[Interviewer or Host]

Right.

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

Next question. People will know your reaction. Have you seen Carson Hosavar's Darlington car?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I saw, like, the unofficial poster fan photo from inside the garage. Oh. So, yeah, I haven't seen this. Check this out. That's hilarious. So look, this is my favorite Dale Earnhardt paint scheme. The. It's the 1981 car, and it gets no love because 81 was a lost year. Dad started the season driving for Rod Osterlin. Rod would sell the team to JD Stacy, which dad would race for four races before leaving to go to RCR and then at the end of the year leaving there to go to Bud Moore for two years. So the 81 year is forgotten, lost, unappreciated. But the car is underrated. That yellow nose with those old vintage stripes is just in my opinion, straight badass vintage. It stands out. Yeah. And so I've ran that scheme a time. We did. And so we ran it on Martin Trix's car. Especially at Darlington when he won the championship in the Chance to Deal. I was so pissed off. We had. I'm like, I got Martin Trix Jr. In the car. That is my dad. My favorite scheme of my dad's. Right. We're going to Darlington with a chance to clinch. And I'm on the pit box. And I must have been practicing or something cause I didn't see the car before they put it on the grid. But he pulls out on the racetrack to do his pace laps and they've got blue tape on the valence and so it's a yellow nose. And I'm like. I was. I don't know why that's hilarious to me today that I was so, so annoyed by that. But I was madder and hell that Bono Manion had put blue tape on the valence of the yellow nosed race car. I wanted yellow.

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Right. And I was like, they did a

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

poster for this car too. Did you see that? They remade the poster for like the race.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Yeah.

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

And they actually like it. It. I thought the detail was actually really good because I think they changed back then. It was the, the back stretch was the front stretch.

[Ricky Stenhouse Jr.]

Right.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

And they actually changed and made the poster.

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

Yeah. So if you look at.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Dude.

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

Yeah.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

So that's how it looks now in the old. They have a comparison of the old one. It's right here. Posters right on the wall.

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

We see the. I like to see the grandstands, but

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

you can't see in the camera shot.

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

But yeah, I thought the detail was.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Dude, that's awesome. So this is awesome. I. I love this design. I love this paint scheme. They had to obviously slide the 77 back a little bit. Which getting that number back to the senator doors where it belongs is awesome. Mark Martin, Shout Out. I the other thing that I love is, and I said this on social media so some fans out there believe that throwbacks are gone. Like the idea of running throwbacks are gone. And so I'm like, you know, I'm reading on social media, and as Bob Pockeris and some other people are talking about how they're going to celebrate some of the. Some of the. You know, the. The past champions and legends of the sport at Darlington, fans are like, whoa, I wish the. I wish Throwback Weekend was still a thing. And I'm. I don't know why they got rid of Throwback Weekend and. And man the throat. And then there's other people that are saying that throwback ran its course. The car. Nobody could do a throwback anymore any good. So I just find it. I don't know where people got the idea why. Not that anyone said, you can't do throwbacks or we're not doing throwbacks. Nascar, basically. I don't know if their messaging wasn't good enough or whatever, but what probably should have been said was we're shifting our focus away from the idea of focusing on the throwback paint schemes. We're shifting the focus, actually, to the physical people and legends that had drove those cars. They have had a lot of people come into Darlington in the past, so this is not nothing new. They celebrated the 75 greatest drivers of the sport on stage on the front straightaway there last year or the year before. And so, you know, they've had a lot of, you know, historic guys come to this particular race for years. That's not, you know, every. Every time I see. Yeah, so that's what they're. They're going to shift the focus toward that. No one ever, ever, ever, ever said, we're no longer doing throwbacks. And I think that was something that kind of got lost in the whole conversation. Teams are still doing them, obviously, a lot of truck teams, Xfinity teams, cup teams. It's just no longer going to feel like this sort of forced campaign that you. You're. You're kind of scorned if you don't, and you're criticized if you do. Now, if teams want to do them, they can do them.

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

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[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I busted my ass on the ice too.

[Guest or Co-host (female, possibly Amy or Isla's mother)]

Yeah, we, we did fall a little bit or slide a little bit on ice.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I fell down on my left knee.

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

Well, you're lucky.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I am lucky. My kneecap was not in a million.

[Guest or Co-host (female, possibly Amy or Isla's mother)]

That was day three. He, as he was heading up towards where we have all the skis just hanging out on the little racks. So it's like there's like this patch of ice and he slips and falls into it. And the only person with him is Isla. And she loves it when people fall down. Like loses her mind laughing. Yeah, she's like, she's horse laughing at him as he's like on the ground trying to figure out if his kneecap's broken. And he turns around, he goes, you know, I'll laugh with you, but can you make sure I'm okay first? He was so mad at her for laughing at him.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

It was like the third or fourth day and Isla had never skied before. I had only skied four or five times in my life and it had been six years since I'd skied, so I was a little nervous about it. But it came right back. And Amy got to ski as well. But I'm really, really proud of Isla because she's learned to ski well enough that we get to go ski together down the greens and a couple blues and stuff. So I'm super pumped. And it's just me and her and she, I'm, I'm trying to get. There's this, there's this giant storage container where we keep our skis at night and it's right next to the, to the snow. I mean it's all very convenient, but there's this little strip of about 2 foot of, of a sheet of frozen ice. It is like 3 inches of water that is solid as a rock. And I didn't see it because it's between, between. I mean it's like gravel, you know, gravelish pavement, snow. And Isla's right there. And I'm looking at her, watching her as I'm walking toward her to like talking to her. Hey, all right, I got my stuff here. We're coming. And I put one foot on that ice, went straight down on my knee and on and it, I thought immediately I was like, I don't like, I've really. This. Something hurt. I busted My kneecap. I've done something. It was. I went. Every bit of me went down on that ice on the top of my knee, and fig tree fall hard. So I was thinking, for sure, I'm hurt. And there were so many people walking by, and I know not one person was like, hey, man, you ID or not? One person. You know, if you see somebody on the slopes out there, you usually kind of ski over and go, man, y' all good, you know? You need some help getting up, or is everybody okay? Hell, this is on the base, at the ground. Nobody. I mean, this is 8 o' clock in the morning. Everybody's just kind of showing up. They every. All them people walk by me, and, I mean, I'm laying there in real pain.

[Guest or Co-host (female, possibly Amy or Isla's mother)]

It must not have been as dramatic looking as you felt like it was. You know what I mean?

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

They're looking at me.

[Guest or Co-host (female, possibly Amy or Isla's mother)]

Well, I guess they could see that you weren't crying.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

Oh, my God. I was in pain. It's still sore now. Like, it's.

[Guest or Co-host (female, possibly Amy or Isla's mother)]

He has a big bruise on his leg, so he did it.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

I start laughing, and I'm. And I'm like, I'm not gonna get mad at that. I get up. I'm just thankful. Like, am I going to get to ski today? Do I got to go get my knee looked at? So after a few minutes of figuring out the knee was fine, I said, isla, I said, I don't mind laughing, because that's funny, but check on me first and then we'll laugh. I'll laugh with you. And she was like.

[Guest or Co-host (female, possibly Amy or Isla's mother)]

She's like, all right, whatever. Yeah, she's not going to do that. She loves it when people fall down.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

But we had a damn good time.

[Guest or Co-host (female, possibly Amy or Isla's mother)]

We had a damn good time. She. The girls did ski school for, like, two and a half days, so we had plenty of time to, like, ski, Especially the first day we went really hard. The first day. Oh, my God. First day we get on the damn chairlift and go up. I fell off the chairlift. He and I are on there together. It's just the two of us riding along. And I'm five three. I'm not super tall. So, like, chairlift is, like an active thing for me. Like, I have to get my mind right. Get ready to jump off, basically. Well, his skis tapped mine. He didn't do anything wrong, but, like, his skis tapped mine as he's jumping off. So, like, it threw me back in the seat a little bit. And so my ass wasn't coming out, and so I rode. I started Going this way, and I just jumped off. They had to stop it. I'm like, oh, my God, this is how it's going to go. This is the tone we've set for me being on skis. It's going to be a disaster.

[Interviewer or Host]

So let's hear now from a man who knows all too well about the consequences of a NASCAR fight. And bring in Ricky Sanash Jr who I talked to just a few moments ago. You were the last driver to throw a punch in nascar. And the explanation from the drivers we've heard over and over since then is about the steep fine you've received. And you pointed out that out again this week.

[Terry Wayne Allen (Magnum TA)]

So what.

[Interviewer or Host]

What is the truth, do you think? Like, are. Are these fines actually preventing drivers from having physical altercations?

[Ricky Stenhouse Jr.]

I'm not sure where Daniel got his $50,000 from, but I wish that's all it was. No, I mean, it's definitely, you know, in your mind, you know, for me, going forward, you know, definitely would be in the back of my mind before, you know, I pull the trigger on that again.

[Guest or Co-host (possibly a driver or commentator)]

So.

[Ricky Stenhouse Jr.]

And I'm sure, again, I'm sure everybody else is thinking that as well. Obviously you heard Daniel's words, you know, watching the whole thing. Just from clips that I've seen from, you know, people posting, I'm not sure anything warranted, you know, a punch. I'm sure they had a disagreement, but, you know, obviously their history goes, you know, way back, being teammates and things like that. So, you know, I had, you know, I guess kudos to nascar, you know, because I definitely think the fines are in the back of everybody's mind.

[Interviewer or Host]

Well, I'm a little bit torn on it, right, Because I think everybody wants to see. We, you know, you see the impact that, like, your. Your moment goes viral, right? And, like, you see all this. We see the Kyle Busch, Joey Logano stuff replayed nine years later all the time when we went to Vegas last week, you know, and it's like, okay, clearly these are moments that give publicity the sport. But also, I'm aware that drivers could get hurt. I mean, Brad Moran says this week, hey, like, there's concrete on the ground. Some of the drivers are different size. And so that he kind of indicated that outright fighting is still frowned upon. Pushing and shoving is. Okay. What's your reaction to them trying to protect you guys?

[Ricky Stenhouse Jr.]

I mean, I don't think it's protection, in my opinion. I think we all can handle ourselves out there. So, I mean, we drive race cars at 200 miles an hour, you know, Getting an altercation after the races, safety is definitely not a concern of mine. Know, I guess it could be used for them to. As why they, you know, fin us for it or, you know, why it's frowned upon. So, yeah, I don't know. I didn't see his comments. But yeah, to me, it's not. It's not about safety really. I guess it's more of, you know, what they feel like they want the sport to be. And, you know, if they opened it up, I don't know if you have less altercations or more, you know, because, you know, there's. There's definitely drivers that probably wouldn't go confront somebody if they knew for sure that it was kind of wide open and game on, you know, So I. I don't know which way it goes.

[Interviewer or Host]

So if you're not allowed to fight technically or you're going to get fined for it, you're not allowed to intentionally wreck someone, you're not allowed to use your car as a weapon. How are drivers in 2026 supposed to send a message if another driver did something that is they feel is like, not acceptable and will not be tolerated?

[Ricky Stenhouse Jr.]

You got me. You know, I don't know. I mean, I think with this car you can definitely still put people in bad spots, you know, kind of like, I guess, you know, Daniel and Ross off the term two, you can get close enough to them that, you know, they get tight and probably hit the fence, you know, not near as, you know, you can't manipulate the other car near as much as you could with the old car. As far as, you know, getting them loose and getting their left recorder or bumper, you know, through the corner like, like we could back a few years ago. But you can still put drivers in bad spots and you will continue to do that, you know, week in and week out if you have the opportunity, you know, I guess, you know, sounds like Daniel's gonna, you know, race for us a little bit differently week in and week out, you know, and I don't know if that's the case or how he'll do that, but you can definitely put drivers in bad spots still. So, you know, I guess you just continue to do that and not give an inch to them, you know, know, for. For weeks on end, I guess. I don't. I don't really know what else, you know, you could do.

[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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[Ricky Stenhouse Jr.]

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[Dale Earnhardt Jr.]

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