Dale Earnhardt Fanboy Daniel Ricciardo Once Lived His Childhood Dream by Making a Cheeky NASCAR Swap

Daniel Ricciardo‘s love for America and American sports is no secret. The Honey Badger is a huge NFL and NASCAR fan. More specifically, he is a big Dale Earnhardt Sr fan. The Aussie F1 driver watched Earnhardt Sr. race during childhood and became an instant admirer. Imagine his reaction when he got to meet NASCAR driver and Earnhardt’s son Dale Jr.

When Ricciardo joined McLaren from Renault, CEO Zak Brown gifted him a miniature Earnhardt Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Zak also promised to let Daniel take his actual Chevy out for a lap when he won his first race with the team. As Ricciardo won the race in Italy, he drank the winning champagne from his shoe with Zak and took out his Chevy for a ride around the COTA.

In 2017, Ricciardo was Chase Elliot’s guest as he went to watch a NASCAR race. Daniel sported a vintage Dale Earnhardt Sr. “The Black Knight” T-shirt. Speaking ahead of the race with NBCSN F1 pit reporter Will Buxton, Ricciardo said, “The Earnhardt family is a huge name in motorsport, not only in America but all over the world. Yeah I wish him well. Hopefully, I get to see him perform well in Texas. I’m gonna try to do a helmet swap with him. We’ll see how we go.” Later, Ricciardo swapped helmets with Earnhardt Jr.

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Such was the influence of the NASCAR great on the Aussie that he tried to incorporate his aggressive racing style into his own.

Daniel Ricciardo was ready to risk it all to excel

How much of a Dale Earnhardt fan Daniel Ricciardo is? He adopted his #3 racing number as his own and has raced with it in Formula 1. However, that wasn’t the extent of it. The Honey Badger made some changes in his driving style and attributed them to Earnhardt’s.

Speaking in 2021 with Ben Winstanley, Daniel said, “I got to a point where I didn’t really want to be the nice guy who is just there to show up. I started, let’s say, putting my balls on the line and actually, you know, pulling off some moves.”

“Once I was able to show that I could still be this fun guy, but when the helmet comes down, I’ll do what it takes, ” Ricciardo told about his fierce attitude. “That was the moment I felt I earned the paddock’s respect. Yes, you do see me smiling, but this shit means a lot to me.”

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Ricciardo will stay away from regular action in F1 for a year. However, he has vowed to come back in 2024, faster, better, and stronger. That is exactly what his fans will want to see.