The Palmetto State is all set to experience the thrill of the prestigious Southern California 400 at the Florence Motor Speedway. Among the 44 entries, Dale Earnhardt Jr will be holding the reins of the #3 Chevy, sponsored by Bass Pro Shops, for the second year in a row in this feature. However, he is not the only one from NASCAR to take part in this race.
Junior’s longtime Late Model and Xfinity Series driver, Josh Berry, will make his first start in a Ford car under the banner of Kevin Harvick, Inc. However, Berry is not someone that Junior is worried about.
Dale Earnhardt Jr reveals who he would like to move out of his way
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All 44 cars will run at their limits to grab that coveted ride down the victory lane. Hence, it’s not out of the ordinary if there are instances of rubbing while the 400-mile race rolls out. Hours before the final race of the day, a young fan posed a serious question to the JR Motorsports owner. The kid said, “If you have one person to give the bumper to, who would you give it to?” Everyone laughed at the question and so did Dale Earnhardt Jr. However, the answer that he gave was rather interesting.
Dale Earnhardt Jr pointed at the driver standing right behind him and said, “Probably, I would like to move Carson (Kpavil) out of the way.” Many would wonder if that was just an innocent answer to the kid’s questions or perhaps a subtle warning to his own driver.
.@DaleJr answering a few questions in pre-race.
The two time Xfinity series champ had an unexpected answer when asked who he’d give the bumper to tonight if he absolutely had to.
📹@soundlink_trent pic.twitter.com/NMKkulwO12
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) November 18, 2023
The defending CARS Tour champion Carson Kvapil will drive for JR Motorsports this weekend in Florence. Kvapil was runner-up behind Brenden Queen last year but bagged the win when the CARS Tour made its venture to Florence earlier this year. This time, the tables were turned as Queen finished a spot behind Kvapil. Does that mean, Dale Earnhardt Jr is somewhat intimidated by the line-up of the SC 400?
Watch this story: Dale Earnhardt Jr.: A Tale of Unseen Battles
Junior’s 2022 nightmare might come back to haunt him
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Last year, in what was the 30th version of the race, Junior drove his Chevy during the qualifying and could only manage a 26th starting place. However, he hurried through the traffic and gained positions ahead of the final 50 laps. But unfortunately, with just 13 to go, Earnhardt and Matt Cox made contact as the two were battling for the third position.
As Cox spun out into the inside wall, the officials penalized Junior for wrecking Cox and sent him to the end of the field on the following restart. Capitalizing on his natural driving prowess, Junior marched up the field again, but an incident with Landon Pemberton with less than 5 laps left slammed him with a second penalty, forcing him to settle for a 9th-place finish.
Read more: NASCAR Hints at Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s “Surprise” Entry Amid Top-10 Glory
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Due to the absence of an outside wall except for the front stretch on this unique, progressively banked racetrack, door-to-door racing is bound to happen. And that would place Dale Earnhardt Jr in an unfavorable position, as he has a history of contacts at this racetrack.
Is it because of that he wants to remove his own driver out of the way? Nobody knows. However, we’re as excited as you are to watch it all unfold live on FloRacing.