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DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – AUGUST 30: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #8 Hellmann’s Chevrolet, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at Darlington Raceway on August 30, 2019 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

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DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – AUGUST 30: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #8 Hellmann’s Chevrolet, stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at Darlington Raceway on August 30, 2019 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Dale Earnhardt Jr is among NASCAR’s most loved and popular drivers of all time. He had the weight of carrying the massive legacy of his father forward on his shoulders. It meant that he had to work extra hard to prove his worth to naysayers. It paid off for the two-time Daytona 500 and two-time Xfinity Series champion. Now that he is semi-retired from racing, he faces other challenges, such as being a team-owner.
Dale Jr is the co-owner of the JR Motorsports team that competes mostly in the Xfinity Series, with Junior sometimes racing the #88 car. The challenges faced as a driver are quite different from the ones faced as a team owner. However, his considerable experience as a race car driver has helped Dale Jr understand the role dynamics better.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr sheds light on the tough part of being a team owner
In a recent conversation on the Dale Jr. Download podcast with Tyler Reddick, Junior shed some light on the challenges that come with being a team owner. He talked about the recent Fontana race, where three JR Motorsports cars put Reddick through the walls. Reddick replied in good humor, “Yes, Yeah. Do you give something like T monitors or something like that? ‘Hey, that #24 car looks too good. We gotta rip the side of it off.'”
Junior responded apologetically, “This is why being an owner…this is the sucky part of being an owner.” Being the good sport that Reddick is, he said, “You have drivers and cars, and they run into friends.”
Junior continued, “There’s things that happen on the race track and you are like, ‘Oh my God!’ Like you want you guys to go out there and race as hard as they can, and then there’s things that happen and you’re like ‘Man, now I gotta talk to this guy or call that guy.”
"Did you give some team orders or something?" – @TylerReddick on 3 of 4 @JRMotorsports cars hitting him in the @XfinityRacing event at Fontana.
Oops.
FULL CLIP: https://t.co/9vHADAlvFK pic.twitter.com/rbPFw9BPk0
— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) March 9, 2023
However, it is good to know that Junior feels the urge to call concerned parties and resolve the issue. At the end of the day, they are all friends and peers.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr gets nostalgic about his other NASCAR role
Dale Jr recently admitted to missing an enjoyable part of his job as a broadcaster among many of his other roles. Dale Jr has been a broadcaster for NASCAR on NBC. He loves to interview people and keep the fans updated. Based on his popularity and time spent in the sport, it was a job well-suited for him. Junior was particularly nostalgic about a feature that allowed him to be a part of garages and practice sessions on Fridays and Saturdays.

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LAS VEGAS, NV – OCTOBER 16: Dale Earnhardt Jr. on camera prior to the start of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff South Point 400, on October 16, 2022, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV.(Photo by Christopher Trim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Dale Jr has proved himself to be a man of exceptional talents who is able to successfully pull off a variety of roles. And if not as a broadcaster, he certainly keeps his fans entertained through his podcast and on social media.
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Watch This Story:“Playing Cool About It” – Dale Earnhardt Jr Teases Jimmie Johnson About His Secretive Nature
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