Could Dale Earnhardt Jr Have Survived Rick Hendricks’ Current Oppression at Hendrick Motorsports?

14 Cup Series titles, one Xfinity title, and three Camping World Truck titles to date: Hendrick Motorsports has surely got a glittering cabinet of achievements! The team prides itself on being one of the most successful motorsport ventures of all time. But a team is nothing without its players, and talking about the current culture at the outfit, HMS encourages their drivers to do their talking on the track. Off-track, they aren’t really supposed to give away that much! But is that self-restraint really sustainable for the long term? And what about racers who have been popularized because of their opinionated and outspoken personalities?

These two adjectives have often been associated with the racing legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. Would he fit in with Rick Hendrick if he were to be a part of HMS right now? Or would things turn out for the worse? One of Earnhardt Jr’s closest friends, Mike Davis, explained this point well on an episode of Dirty Mo Media’s Dirty Air!

The conversation came to the forefront while the podcast hosts were discussing another outspoken driver, Denny Hamlin, and his recent comments. Hamlin had, on his own podcast, made some stirring remarks about teams holding their drivers back from expressing themselves. The seasoned veteran also opined that such round-the-clock moderation has actually stunted NASCAR’s growth. His retort came after HMS vice chairman Jeff Gordon said Denny Hamlin was too controversial for his team.

Dale Earnhardt Jr was never what Hendrick Motorsports would want in a driver in 2023

Being controversial doesn’t mean that a driver cannot be successful. But in today’s day and age, maintaining a public image is everything. If you observe the HMS drivers in 2023, they all seem to be very good at what they do and enjoy a rather large fanbase. But individual personality? Fans would agree that there’s almost no semblance of anything like that.

Over the years, NASCAR has seen outspoken drivers be quite successful and become legends of the sport. One such man is former Cup Series racer Dale Earnhardt Jr. But how would he have fit into the current HMS setup? Junior was a part of Rick Hendrick’s team for almost a decade, from 2008 to 2017. Back then, it was not that big a deal at HMS, if a driver spoke his mind when unhappy. But things have drastically changed since then.

Dale Earnhardt Jr may look like a cool, calm, and collected individual today, but that was definitely not the case during his younger years. The former Cup Series champion never shied away from expressing his opinions even if they were not exactly civil. That is part of what made Junior so popular among fans.

One of his most infamous interviews came at Talladega in 2012. Junior was caught in a crash and reportedly suffered a concussion as a result. After the race, the then-HMS driver said in the post-race interview that people who liked restrictor-plate racing were “bloodthirsty.”

“If this is what we did every week, I wouldn’t be doing it. I’ll just put it to you like that. If this is how we raced every week, I’d find another job. It’s bloodthirsty if that’s what people want, I mean it’s ridiculous. I don’t even want to go to Daytona and Talladega next year, but I ain’t got much choice,” Junior had said at the time.

Can you even imagine a Hendrick Motorsports driver saying this in 2023? Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon probably would have had his head for it, concussion or otherwise. If Junior was born in the current era and if he was just as outspoken, it is unlikely that Hendrick and Gordon would have offered him a seat. Even if they did, either Junior would have had to subdue his personality, or their partnership would have seen a nasty end.

That infamous Talladega interview is exactly what Mike Davis referenced on Dirt Air. His argument was a good one, as it left Andrew Kurland, Travis Rockhold, and Dalton Greco scratching their heads for a bit.

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Mike Davis recalls his close friend’s infamous moment

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The four had initially been talking about the Denny Hamlin-Jeff Gordon controversy that has been going on of late. Mike Davis iterated that some might think Dale Earnhardt Jr and Denny Hamlin were not the same type of outspoken and that Hamlin is more controversial than Junior. But, he also mentioned that there have been instances when the former HMS driver has let it out.

“Dale Jr is going to be completely transparent, he cannot hide feelings, he wears it on his sleeve. So, you know, Dale Jr would get out of a race car in those post-race interviews, just sort of let it fly sometimes. Everybody remembers the Talladega post-race interview when he was in the crash,” Davis said.

Dale Earnhardt Jr had a fairly successful run with Hendrick Motorsports. He left the team as a legend and will undoubtedly be welcomed back with open arms whenever he visits the garage. But would he have gotten into the team in 2023? What are your thoughts?

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