Over his long and illustrious career in NASCAR, the late great Dale Earnhardt had made a few close friends. The Intimidator was not known for having a big friends circle and there were only a few who were lucky to really know the man behind seven Cup titles. But who was Dale Earnhardt’s best friend? The one he trusted and loved more than anyone? On a recent episode of The Dale Jr. Download podcast, Dale Earnhardt Jr answered that very question.

The Intimidator’s personal life is a matter of intrigue, especially for fans who are relatively new to NASCAR. Everyone knows about his on-track achievements. But Dale Earnhardt never indulged in the details of his personal life much to the public. Thankfully for fans, his son has taken the responsibility of bringing the motorsports legend closer to his adoring supporters.

Dale Earnhardt Jr sheds light on his father’s early life and names his closest friend

It’s not easy to make friends in a sport as competitive as NASCAR. Some drivers are good at making people like them enough to be their friends, others, not so much. During his time in NASCAR, Dale Earnhardt Sr made his acquaintance with a lot of people. Teammates, crew chiefs, team bosses, and even fans. But what about close friends?

Close friends were but a few for the Intimidator, as is the case with most people. On a recent episode of The ‘Dale Jr. Download’ podcast, Dale Earnhardt Jr was asked who he thought was his father’s closest friend. There were a few names thrown into contention, like Richard Childress, Hank Parker, and Ned Yost.

Kelley Earnhardt Miller believed that her dad was closest to Richard Childress. However, her brother, Dale Earnhardt Jr believes that there was someone a lot closer to The Intimidator.

That person is Tony Eury Sr. He said, “Dad and Tony Sr. would ride around in their trucks being idiots when they were 18, 19, 20, 21 years old. At least that was the story. They married sisters. They continued to hang and be pals all through the 90s as Tony Sr. became the crew chief for the Busch car that dad was driving and eventually, I would drive.”

“I mean they were tight. So there’s a long list that are right there. Dad would maybe disagree with this, he might say somebody else but Richard (Childress) was on that list… Donnie Reeves, a lot of people don’t know who Donnie Reeves is. Owned some dirt cars that dad drove back in the 70s and 80s,” he added.

Dale Earnhardt Jr will have his hands full over the weekend as he is set to race in the Xfinity Series. However, his weekend did not have the start that he would have hoped for.

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Junior disappointed after below-par qualifying effort

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The former Cup Series driver is the owner and part-time driver of JR Motorsports. The 49-year-old might have retired from full-time NASCAR competition, but his addiction to racing sometimes sees him on track.

He will be in action in the #88 car at Homestead-Miami on Saturday. But his starting position won’t be all that great. Junior could only qualify in P23 on Friday and he wasn’t best pleased with his effort.

“Had top 10 speed in practice. Disappointed with my Q effort but I ain’t sure what I needed to do to be better there. Excited to be in the show though. Take nothing for granted. Tomorrow will be fun. 😀 @BassProShops,” the former Cup Series driver tweeted.

The last time Junior stepped into an Xfinity Series race, he was one of the contenders for the win. At Bristol earlier this year, Dale Earnhardt Jr led a number of laps but had to retire as a part of his car caught on fire. The 49-year-old will hope that things will be better this time around.

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