With little to do during the Olympic break, even NASCAR is reminiscing over the golden days and talking about the 2000s era of NASCAR, where the feud between Dale Jr and Kyle Busch first began. We are talking about 2008, of course, where things started to heat up between the two as Hendrick Motorsports picked Busch to be replaced by Dale Earnhardt Jr.

In 2007, Casey Mears was the driver of Hendrick’s No. 25 car, and when it came to promoting Dale Earnhardt Jr. to the Cup series, it was either him or Kyle Busch to get replaced. Ultimately, the team decided it was better to keep Mears around despite Dale Earnhardt Jr. rooting for Kyle Busch, but this took him time to believe. However, that was not all, as some disputes on the tracks were left unresolved, which even led to a series of death threats directed at Kyle Busch.

The Canon event between Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

In the heat of a NASCAR race, anything can happen. While there have been some serious disasters on the track, the incident from Richmond between Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch was not a major crash. But it was enough to start a rivalry that transcended the sport as fans started to get involved in their spat. Not to mention Dale Jr. still hasn’t forgotten it, as he replied to NASCAR’s post on X with a GIF that had the “The pain will never stop,” text on it.

But what exactly happened?

Back in 2008, Kyle Busch was driving door to door with Dale Jr. in Richmond, and when he realized that there was a threat to him winning the race, he decided to nudge the NASCAR icon, putting him out of contention. Although Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished the race, he came in at P15, while Busch finished second. It was obvious that Dale Jr. would be mad, as this sabotaged his race, and things took a negative turn. Not to mention, this was one of the first times it escalated to a point of physical altercation.

After the race, Kyle Busch was approached by the media, where he stated, “You know if I was just going to lay back and let a guy win a race because he hasn’t won in 71 starts or whatever, it wouldn’t be me; that wouldn’t be racing.” While it is up for debate if what Rowdy did was right or wrong, it’s clear that Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his fans were not happy at all.

When the media spoke to Junior about the incident, he stated, “Whether it’s fair or not, he’s going to need security from all of us.” This not only aggravated fans but also led them to take matters into their own hands. Busch explained his mentality during the race, saying, “When it happened, everybody told me I was number 1 for some reason, but Clint Bowyer was in front for some reason.”

Overall, this was a result that impacted both their careers, and although Dale Earnhardt Jr. did not win that race, it was soon after that at the Lifelock 400 that he got to claim a win. However, over a decade later, the two drivers have buried the hatchet, as Dale Jr. invited Kyle Busch to his podcast to clear things up. Although the two drivers are now friends, it seems like their fandoms still hold this incident in their hearts.

Kyle Busch and Dale Jr.’s fans continue the decade-old rivalry

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In 16 years, the two drivers have sorted out their differences, but their fans still remember. Although on the Dale Jr. Download, the two spoke about the incident, and things are much better now, the passionate fans who crossed the line by issuing death threats to Busch have still not forgotten.

On an episode of Youth Inc., host Greg Olsen brought the two drivers together as they shared where they stand in 2024. The podcast breaks down the Richmond incident as the two drivers sort out their differences. It was when their fans came up that things started to get real, as although many have forgiven Busch for sabotaging Dale Jr.’s race, forgetting about it is another story.

Starting the podcast off, Dale Jr. explained, “Me and Kyle have had a bit of a history on the racetrack but have since, you know, become pretty good buds. But our fan bases are still having a hard time understanding us being in the same room. “

After Dale Jr. explained that the feud was over, the clip concluded with him explaining where his fans stand as of today. Jr. explained, “The fans? Hard to say. Some of mine are now Kyle fans—some of them. We call them unicorns. Some of them still hold grudges, though. You know, your fans are passionate, and they don’t forget anything. Some of them don’t get over it.”

With that, the old feud between the drivers has been cleared out, and some fans are coming around. Have you ever picked sides when it came to these two drivers? Share your thoughts in the comments below.