Dale Earnhardt Jr. on partying and professionalism
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ส.ค. 2024
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. estimates that he reached 80 percent of his racing potential and attributes the void to ignorance and late nights partying in his pre Hendrick Motorsports years as a young NASCAR driver. Dale Jr. says the drivers (including Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon) and the management team at Hendrick held him accountable for the first time and showed the level of focus and responsibility required to succeed in the sport.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s book - Racing to the Finish: My Story - is available on Amazon.com now - www.amazon.com....
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That is some brutal honesty. So much respect for him.
Hell if he lied about it everybody would know, he was lying.
So refreshing to see the real Dale Jr. come out and be so honest!! Great job Bensinger!
He always been that way, it has nothing to do with the interviewer.
@@lskiller1903 maybe he has but Grant really is a talented interviewer.
Junior is so in touch with his reality. I’m glad he seems happy in his own skin. He deserves it! Great guy.
Some people mature faster than others, no big deal. He came out and said it, and it’s all honestly and you have to respect that!
So cool that it doesn’t haunt him what “could have been.” He did it. He understands it. He keeps on keepin’ on.👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
This just shows how incredibly smart and sincere Dale Jr. is! Love this guy!
Junior is the type of talent that needs and thrives on structure. His father dying took that structure until he went to Hendrick but that was at the end of his prime. Could’ve easily got 40-50 wins and a cup had he kept structured after Sr passed.26 wins on just talent ain’t bad though.
This is the exact way I feel about him. He did his best with the hand he was dealt.
that's about the best way i've heard it said about jr
I don't even follow NASCAR but I could listen to Dale jr. Talk for a long long time. He's bright and honest and humble in his way, down-to-earth and informative. Good job, Graham
Maturity & honesty, well done Jr.
I relate to all of what Jr. said here. Maturation is a process that takes time, and works differently for everyone. It took me a long time to realize that structure and being present for things that would better my writing abilities were important to my development.
I bartended in Daytona Beach right on international speedway and back then servers dreaded Jr comin in drinking. He was always loud, rude and rarely tipped. I think we all just let it slide because you could tell he was drinking to forget and he was young. People always felt bad for him because of his dad. He has changed sooooooo much, turned into a good man.
always heard he was a shithead
I realize now that once Dale sr. Died along with him died Jr’s dreams to win championships instead he got lost in his own success and mourning while also dealing with Teresa’s BS. I think if his dad were still alive Jr would have won a least one cup title. With that being said I still see Dale jr as a great driver and an amazing person.
Wow. Junior out putting back cold ones! On the regular too! Good for him for living his life.
Dale Jr. is a helluva guy! What an honest and straightforward guy. Jr. is humble and self accountable and I think we can all learn from this! Nothing but mad respect for Dale Jr.!
damn
these are the best interviews on the entire channel
so much insight that we have otherwise not heard about form Dale Jr, even at his new role at NBC
His dad dying must have been so hard. I can’t imagine my dad dying. I wouldn’t be the same, ever.
I second that^ but you just need to buckle down, and accept that life won't be the same. However, you're the man of the house now and it's time to get it done
I miss my Daddy
Wow, pure honesty.
Great insight, and for him to talk on it like he has grown and matured not only as a driver but also as a person.👏🏾
love your honesty...it hurts.. im PROUD of you and proud of the man you are ... your pops would too...
His dads a legend in North Carolina we say raise hell and praise dale love the whole family aint never met em but North Carolina loves em
Jr's focus & drive ended on Feb 18, 2001. He's said time & again that he was only driving to get apporoval & attention from Dad. If Sr hadn't died he woulda been there to whip Jr's butt into shape & he may have won more races & a season title...
he won 24 races and both his 500's after that day....what the HELL are you talking about?
Wrong
Jr was a dominant Busch Series driver under his fathers watch, he shoulda been as good a Cup driver as he was a Busch driver, especially when he got to Hendrick Motorsports. He won a total of 9 races and had 2 top 10 & 1 top 5 final pts standings finish in 10 years at HMS, that is absolutely pathetic for a driver of his caliber....
He wouldn't have been a Hendrick Motorsports as long as he was if wasn't for his last name. Went there thought best equipment in NASCAR. was terribly disappointed that's where he went. His career records show that he did more at DEI than he did at Hendrick Motorsports. I was as big of fan off his father's any there was. & followed Jr. up until went to Hendrick. His wins at DEI meant more to me than any of the few ones he one at Hendrick Motorsports. But just is what it is.
What’s pathetic is insulting what he accomplished regardless of his career stats SMFH
Love his honesty much love to you Junior
I have to admit that Jr wasn't my favorite driver. But the more I've heard him talk the more I like him. He is such a regular guy he could be from a "holler" here in WV. I have such respect for him now because he's not afraid to tell the truth whether it's good or bad on him.
Him and his father will always be my favorites
Could you imagine if Jr was focused in the early 2000’s like he started doing in 2011 onward. He would’ve been dominate
DaleE988 i think a lot of that had to do with the loss of Dale Sr not being there....Trust me Dale Sr doesn’t pass on he would have been cracking the whip on Dale Jr
BRETTFANTO BRETTFANTO
Highly doubtful
bangin gears from 2000-2004 he had 15 wins and contended for championships in 2 of those years. That’s with him not being focused and fucking off in practice sessions and what not. So saying highly doubtful is a wrong statement in my eyes
@@88fanforlife thats it, thats his whole coattail riding career.
You go brother would have given anything to party with you !! My greatest respect to u brother!! You were so smart to leave and enjoy your family! That is when I developed the upmost of respect for you . God bless brother.
That’s why I’m a really big fan of Dale jr he,s down to earth and straight up honest and yea I do wished he buckled down on his career and took it more seriously he would have a lot more wins and definitely some cup championships
Your a class act Dale!
He right about that. I remember at Bristol in the Bud days maybe 2003. It was 10 laps from the end and the biggest concern on the scanner was which highway everyone was driving on to go home. And he was in running in the top 10 at the time.
I remember when he wrecked at Charlotte before mid race, got in his bus and left to party I suppose
I was never a fan but now I wish I was... What a great guy. I hope he is healed and has no long term effects.
He said recently that he still experiences symptoms similar to vertigo every now and then
We all forget how young he was when his dad passed, that chged everything, then rick hendrick came in and chged everything again. Jr still did a lot of good and enjoyed his career
Rick Hendrick more or less tock Jr and put him under his wing he'll he loved all his crews
Lol... appreciate the honesty. Jr was comfortable in his own skin. He's genuine, honest and humble. Thats what I respect about him.
Every thumbs down has accomplished nothing in life! This boy has faced some hard lessons. Glad he's still with us. The grave is never far away living in this world. I know that all too well. My great friend and racer, Tom Curren told me: "You know you're alive when you're going 180 mph backwards."
At that time period, I didn't know he was a party boy. Drank every week, and was still racing the same weekend. I agree on one of the comments on here, he was also drinking cause of the lost of his dad, and to forget what happen on that day. But huge respect for junior for him being honest, to the fans that didn't know what was really going on off the race track.
Raise hell and praise Dale.
Another great interview. Glad Jeff and Jimmie had such a great influence on him. Those two are my favorites then Dale Jr. Chase Elliott will be a great one just like Jeff, Jimmie and Dale. I fist bumped Chase at Martinsville. Hope to meet them all one day.
Dale can take that experience and pass it on to new, young, up and coming drivers, so they don't make the same mistake.
I couldn't have understood him anymore more than I just did.. I can relate..
All class my man little E.
At least he’s honest. This is why his podcast is so good. There’s no subject he won’t touch and he tells it like it is. 🤷🏼♂️
Absolutely...in the 80s if you weren't partying you weren't living...l threw away my best years! Now I'm in my 50s feeling the pain... mentality and physically
dale jr comes across so simple and straightforward harmless dude! since he stopped racing professionally his personality is very honest and endearing and it's hard to draw the parallels between him and the 200mph life history and having the most badass father and stereotypical bitch stepmom he's somehow managed to be humble and passive in nature the polar opposite of what you'd expect!
Dale Jr. IS the truth!!
we need a Graham interview with Jeff Gordon
I can't blame a young driver period who loves to party and have a good time having a booze company of some sort for a sponsor and not taking advantage of the situation. I would've if I was a young driver, I used to love to party when I was younger. But that's the one thing I love about Dale Jr, he's 100% straight up in knowing and admitting all of his flaws as a driver and person now and when he was younger, now that's an honest man!
It was obvious watching him week in week out that he didn’t have the ferocity and drive his father had. Yet he was so popular because of his name.
I have no doubt that Dale would have won a championship with Letarte had they had another year or two together..
That minus the concussions! The concussions more than anything screwed up his performance on the racetrack.
Even in 2015 with Greg, he probably wins it if nascar didn't screw him over at Talladega in the the race
I don't know how the "what ifs" don't bother him. When I look back on missed opportunities due to my actions, it bugs the shit out of me.
He is thankful to be alive and also he has a gorgeous wife and beautiful daughters
Yep
Makes a lot of sense now
Stayed up until 8am the next day on Budweiser 🤔
Great post!
Wow Jr. Well, if you weren't accountable then, you have certainly held yourself accountable now. Honest take on your behavior. I don't think there are many people who wouldn't have done the same in your position. Nearly EVERYONE rests on their laurels. The only reason the other guys were 15 minutes early is because they still had something to prove (or thought they did).
P.S. 500th like for this video. Where's my miniature Harley J Earl trophy?
I don't know what he means by "better at racing" when he went to Hendrick. He won more races at DEI in fewer years.
He meant the overall aspect of being a professional racer.
Racecraft, car setup and strategy are things a driver has to be all about in order to get themselves to the next level beyond where merely driving fast has got them so far. Junior let himself get carried by the Eurys during the DEI years and it wasn't until he ran into people at Hendrick who refused to do 80% of the work for 20% of the credit that he learned what it meant to be a professional driver versus just a race car driver. The latter is disposable, the former is indispensable.
The journey😃
If he had completely focused on racing in 2004,Kurt Busch would not have been the first Nextel Cup Champion,Jr. Would of had. He had the best year of any driver and that was only 80%.
I think like a lot of people when I say that Dale Jr is a driver that dealt with a lot of unfortunate Bad Luck
I mean his Dad died, then his Step Mom took ownership and never gave it too him/Kelley, then he went to Hendrick and got paired with Lance McGrew, finally got Steve Letarte but got a concussion when they were running well, then Steve Retires
Not to mention more concussions he got throughout his career and a lot of Nascar drivers would not succeed well
Love you Dale Jr. but you should have had at least two Championships, and I still say going to Hendricks wasn't a good move only because of the two future Hall of Famers on that squad..the loss on Dale Sr. and his battle with the step mom derailed a promising career..along with him not being focus and understanding that you gotta put in the work to win..
Hate NASCAR but I love Dale Jr
This is why if his dad were alive, he would have whooped Jr's ass and kept him focused. Jr's career would have been much different.
Had his dad lived he would have won and been better in the bud car. Nobody at DEI really cared enough about Jr winning after his dad died.
I don't care what anybody says. Steve Letarte is a freaking genius.
He clearly said that when his dad passed he look for no one for advice and to be discipline, Sr wouldn't have allowed that to happen.
If his dad didn’t die and dei didn’t fall and he kept his crew chief and wasn’t taken away points in 04 he would of had at least 2 to 3 championships.
I'm surprised DW or Kenny S never took him in hand
Pretty sure his step-mom said he needed to decide if he wanted to be a rock star or a race car driver. But she did it through the media, which was a mistake, IMO.
she was def in the wrong for airing that out if she had pulled him into the office and discussed it privately things would have been different.
@@retroguy1976 I think she discussed it privately as well but I’m sure it fell on deaf ears. I’m not saying she was wrong, but doing it publicly like that was the nail in the coffin to their relationship, IMO. I was actually on Teamspeak with Denny and Junior when the story broke.
Dales my man. Honest everyday dude racer.
Not trolling, Dales my boy, just Its funny all his wins came when he was more relaxed and as he says "ignorant". Sometimes if its just working for you, you just need to keep on doing what your doing to keep it working.
Arguably when he went to Hendrick and saw the "work ethic" of Gordon and Johnson it may have made him try "too hard" and hence his drought of wins from that time period on. I know he had a lot of concussion problems and those sure didn't help him out that's for sure.
Looking forward to your race broadcast on Sunday Junior, keep it up, your a good announcer and bring an honest insight of whats going on the track (unlike Nascar apologist Kyle Petty uggggggg).
He experienced a lot of concussions later in his career that hurt his vision because they weren't being treated. Had he taken care of his body we would've seen more wins for sure and he'd probably still be driving.
If his kid wants to race, they're gonna have an awesome mind guiding them
BECAUSE he was Jr
What shoes are Dale wearing?
asics
His results was better during the bud years though.
He was younger and in his prime
takes a big man too admit it. much respect.
I think if Dale took racing serious from day one and if Dale Sr. didn't die, he woulda have 2 or 3 championships and 50+ wins
Nobody in his inner circle said anything because he was Dale Jr., they figured HE should know better,maybe?, just sayin'
When he says he didn't know netter what he's really saying is he was being lazy and taking advantage of the situation. He admitted in one of the other interviews that his dad would give him hell as a kid saying how when he (Sr) was young he would always be in the shop cleaning tools and stuff while Jr wanted to play. He watched his dad focus solely on the team, his career, and the cars so he really should have known better. I didn't always see eye to eye with my dad but he taught me everything I knowand how work ethic was everything but I still had my moments of laziness. It seems a lot of times those with the best teachers still ignore their lesson when the teacher is your dad.
If his mind had of been in racing instead of drinking and partying he would have been a lot better !
Well he could never be a politician.
What are those shoes? Asics...
I have a pair. Super comfortable.
If SR wouldn't have passed, he would have a few Cups...
I don't think he was kept on a long leash. He was off-leash. His will be the most interesting movie if they ever made one about a real NASCAR driver.
Yet he won more and had his best driving years when he was being lazy and making it up as he went along. There was a method to his madness.
The girl in the background in the thumbnail of this video is Dale, Jr’s former girlfriend Kortnie Coles.
It's too bad he didn't have to earn it. Daddy paved the way.
If Dale sr was still here geophry Earnhardt would be in a top tier car instead of struggling with solo teams!
3:37. is that a fart? 3:52 is that another fart?!?!?
so your normal for someone in there 20s
Bet yet his best year AFA winning a championship was 2004. Lost 25 points for saying "shit" on national TV after winning Dega (which was bulshit). And then Edwards wrecking him at Atlanta most likely cost him the championship that year.
smoke 14 also they changed the point system and that crash he was in where he got burned a little didn’t help ether
2003 and 2014 were Good Too
Dale is too tough on himself…He almost won the Cup in 2004 with how he did things…sucks he didn’t leave DEI and go to Hendrick in like 2004
Who in the Hell disliked this?
to be completely hones he needs to admit that felt like::::: IM DALE EARNHARDTS SON AND ILL DO WHAT I WANT.. TRUTH
8 in the morning 🤦🏻♂️
Nose beers
I think Dale's dad dying. he Lost Focus because Dale senior would have got on his ass, so he was getting his anger out by just partying and just not want to care anymore! Just how I see it, things change when you love someone Like Dale Jr did! .
I wish all the drivers, and the sport in general, were less professional and more “Hell man lets get in the car!” That’s how it used to be, and that attitude is why I loved Dale apposed to the cold Try hard mentality of Jimmy and Jeff.
Reduce the number of engineers and computers first.
Retweet man good point
Heavy DropT
I think you need to geaux back to formula 1.
Sure tactical driving can be appreciated. I mean shit, Kyle Busch is undeniably the best in the sport at that. It just isn’t what the sport was built off of. Our sport was great because it was the total opposite of European style technical know how. What capture’s the heart of most Nascar fans isn’t simply winning. It’s the good ole boy picking himself up by the bootstraps, throwing a couple elbows, and not letting anyone stand in his way of winning.
Jeff was an amazing driver, he just lacked that rough neck attitude. Similar to Kyle Busch or Harvick, every one of their wins just seems calculated and soulless.
People need to cut Jr some slack...Teresa was a step mom from hell and had zero interest in helping Jr win...and he was mourning the loss of his dad
Yet he was better at dei
He got told to back off for Jimmy Johnson
At least he never expected to get championships by his name. He had great years at the end win wise
.
If his last name was Smith, Atwood, Kahne, Kesolowski, anyone think he would be the superstar he is treated like? Sad to say his retirement year had as big a send off as a guy who won, 93 races and 4 championships.
Like him as a person, but place in nascar needs to be put in perspective. And he is as much responsible for DEI demise as Theresa, it wasn't about winning it was about his head getting to big.
M. Ael The issue with DEI wasnt Jr’s fault. Kerry, Kelly, and Dale Jr. all wanted to take DEI from Theresa because Theresa was focusing solely on the marketing and not on the racing which Dale Sr. would have wanted, since Dale believed in the “As long as you’re winning, your marketing will be fine.” Which Theresa only focused on marketing because she didnt know the racing side. For DEI to do well from 2000-2004 with Dale Sr. being gone was because Sr. invested a long time deal with DEI. For all we know, if Sr. doesnt die, DEI might still be going today and might even be a multiple time champion. Also it wasnt about championships why people talk highly of Junior. He’s talked highly because he was one of the most respected guys in the hauler, because the other 43+ drivers that have raced with him have done nothing but sing his praises despite his wins or otherwise. He also has done well at scouting out and signing talent. Getting guys like Chase Elliott, William Byron, reigniting Sadlers career for a while, giving Allgaier the confidence again, etc. Dale Jr, scouting and choosing drivers wise, is just like his father, picking guys who are natural talents or deserve a second chance to show they can still hang. I genuinely believe JRM could be what DEI was supposed to be.
You are 100% correct.
Yea it if he wouldn’t have been so full of his self he would have a championship
Dale, wake up and smell the coffee. You're not your dad. Sure wish you could be, but youre better, or CAN be. Ever in the Southern AZ area, hit me up man, lets do a cart race for shits. Never watch your content unless i get really bored but it interests me and i think you need a real friend. Feel similar about my dad but on a micro scale AND he still lives. Overall, man, want to see you do awesome at whatever YOU want to..... Even if it is Gay Sex.. YOU need to be happy man... RESPECT for you and the family.
It's kind of your fault.
Graham chill with your chin fingers... You're not the great thinker. So annoying.
I like Jr. He seems to be a pretty level headed good person. Glad to see him admit that he is just another silver spooner that never was a "real" race car driver and never had any natural talent driving race cars. Kinda like a male version of Danica. She made it on sex. He made on last name.
youre an idiot jr was a very good racer
It doesn't bug you because your entitled and have 400 million in the bank, hard to complain about dad neglecting you, when him being away working his ass off is why you have what you have. Give it all back and go work a 9-5, I guarantee you will be screaming "neglect me again daddy" on the roof tops!
Learn accountability from Jeff Gordon? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha