“A Lot of People Claim” – NASCAR Insider on Dale Earnhardt and the Fake ‘Fishing Buddies’

Veteran NASCAR journalist Ryan McGee, co-author of Dale Earnhardt Jr’s autobiography “Racing to the Finish,” and current host of the ESPN talk show “Marty & McGee,”  has spoken out about a growing trend surrounding the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr. Years after his tragic passing in 2001, the intimidator’s legacy continues to resonate loudly within the sport. However, as time goes by, separating fact from fiction surrounding his life becomes increasingly difficult.

This challenge was recently highlighted by the NY-Times best-selling “With Guy,’ for Earnhardt Sr’s son. During the newest episode of the Dirty Mo Media Network podcast, “Dirty Air with Dale Jr.,” McGee, filling in for our favorite racing legend on “spring break,” shared his perspective on the growing number of unsubstantiated claims regarding personal connections with the Man in Black.

The Dilemma of Dale Earnhardt Sr’s ‘Fake Fishing Buddies’

The veteran sports writer, who has been covering NASCAR for almost three decades, expressed his observations on the evolving nature of press conferences and hyper-journalism. He reminisced about a conversation with a late colleague named Marcy Scott, years ago at the Daytona media center.

Paying tribute to his deceased workmate, McGee said, “Every year now, I used to do this thing with a late friend, Marcy Scott. Her name is over the door at the media center in Atlanta Motor Speedway. We lost Marcy to cancer several years ago, but Marcy and I were having a conversation…” 

Dale Jr’s co-writer continued, elaborating on the specific situation involving Marcy Scott, raising the all-important question, “We’re standing in the back of the media center at Daytona the morning of the race, and you know, like John Cena or Chris Evans or… Charlize Theron, somebody’s doing their press conference like they do in the morning on race day, and she leaned over to me and she goes, ‘How many people in this room were ever just in the room with Dale Earnhardt Sr?’ “

McGee went on to observe, “The number gets smaller and smaller every year. I’m not talking about being friends with him, but just knowing him a little bit. It drives me crazy how, after Dale Sr’s passing in 2001, so many people came out and said, ‘Oh yeah, we went fishing one time.’ No, you didn’t.“

Ryan McGee separates fact from Fiction

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McGee is a true NASCAR veteran, through and through. This year’s Daytona 500 marked his ’29th Speedweek’ in a legendary sports journalism career that has spanned three generations of the Earnhardt name, gracing the iconic 2.5-mile superspeedway in Daytona Beach, FL.

The ESPN columnist’s comments resonate with a broader issue in sports journalism, where the lines between genuine connections and fabricated narratives can sometimes blur inexplicably. While acknowledging the growing number of embellished stories, McGee also emphasized the significance of his own genuine connections with Dale Sr.

Read More: Dale Jr’s Best-Selling “With Guy” Claims the Two-Time Daytona 500 Champ Saved NASCAR in 2001

He shared, “I was around him a lot, and he knew my name. I know that was cool. I didn’t know that he knew my name, but he was the ultimate compliment from Dale Sr. was, if he gave you a hard time.” This anecdote highlighted the value Dale Sr placed on genuine interactions and the well-known respect McGee earned through authentic networking.

Nevertheless, having worked closely with the very next generation of Earnhardt, Ryan McGee brings a unique and real perspective to the ongoing discussions. The deep trust forged during the creation of Dale Jr’s autobiography became evident as McGee navigated the challenging terrain of discussing his father’s impact on Dale Jr as proof of his timeless journalistic integrity.