Dale Earnhardt Jr. began racing at 17 in Concord Speedway’s Street Stock division, co-owning a 1979 Chevrolet Monte Carlo with his brother, Kerry. And what better than this car! It was the stock car the Intimidator drove in his ‘1979 Rookie of the Year’ run, winning his first NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. This modest start on a North Carolina short track, racing against locals, built Junior’s skills through hands-on experience. These skills came in handy at the starting point of his career in 1997, when he filled in for Ed Whitaker for a few races in the Xfinity Series (then known as the Busch Series). And then, there was no looking back.

In 1998, Junior won his first Xfinity Cup Series Championship, and followed it with another in 1999. He debuted in NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 8 Budweiser-sponsored Chevrolet at the Coca-Cola 600 for Dale Earnhardt Inc. It was all grit, no hype. Today, young NASCAR drivers like Carson Hocevar, Ty Gibbs, and Noah Gragson hit milestones early, often celebrating on social media. These young racers, starting Cup careers in their teens or early 20s, chase longevity. But Dale Jr.’s consistent grind reminds us true milestones come from wins and endurance, not early numbers. And, this is something he recently imparted to young Carson Hocevar.

Dale Earnhardt puts Carson Hocevar in his place

Hocevar, driving the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, had posted earlier that day at 17:38 PDT, marking his 50th Cup Series start with a night-time trackside image. It’s a notable moment for the 21-year-old, who’s in his second full-time Cup season after a successful run in the Truck Series, including four wins like his recent triumph at Homestead-Miami Speedway. But for Dale Jr., 50 starts barely register as a milestone worth fanfare.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t one to let milestones pass without a playful jab. He took aim at Carson Hocevar’s 50th career NASCAR start with a cheeky X post. Responding to Hocevar’s announcement, he shared a popular GIF of Larry David from Curb Your Enthusiasm, looking unimpressed and implying “Eh, I need more than that.” Junior’s well-known for his skepticism about overhyping career start milestones.

In a September 2023 episode of The Dale Jr Download, he had questioned the hype around numbers like 100 or 300 starts. But, he had a valid ground of argument. Numbers are overblown unless they hit marks like 500 or 700, numbers that land drivers in the top ranks of NASCAR history, like Richard Petty’s 1,184 starts or Bobby Allison’s 718. “It does nothing for me,” Dale said of lower milestones, suggesting teams use them as PR filler for drivers without wins.

Hocevar’s milestone, while significant for his career trajectory, sits in stark contrast to Dale’s perspective. At 50 starts, Hocevar is still early in his Cup journey, with potential for many more if he maintains his competitive edge. It signals progress. He would be now looking to build his legacy, potentially chasing 500 or 700 starts down the line.

It’s a reminder that in NASCAR, true milestones are earned through longevity and wins, not just showing up. The ‘Pied Piper’ also took a dig at Katherine Legge post-debut, talking about the reasons why she messed up.

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Junior slams Katherine Legge’s tough cup debut blaming poor car

Katherine Legge’s NASCAR Cup Series debut at the Shriners Children’s 500 in Phoenix was a disaster. On his Dirty Mo Media podcast, Junior pointed to her underperforming car as the main reason for her struggles. “It does not help that she’s in such a poor car, it’s a poor car,” Earnhardt Jr. said, noting the No. 78 Chevrolet for Live Fast Motorsports didn’t give her a fair shot. Legge, 44, became the first woman to race in the Cup Series since Danica Patrick in 2018 but crashed late with Daniel Suárez, finishing 28th before her exit.

Earnhardt Jr. also criticized NASCAR’s lack of practice, which he says hits drivers like Legge harder. “The lack of practice and the problems that that creates is glaring and it’s in our face every other week,” he explained. He noted top drivers in fast cars skip practice without issue, but those in slower equipment, like Legge, miss a chance to improve. “They’ve got great cars that are probably gonna hit the racetrack and handle well and be fast. Practice doesn’t do anything but tighten the field up and give the rest of the field an opportunity to improve.”

Despite the rough outing, Legge stayed positive. “I think there’s a lot of positives to take from it. Obviously, there were mistakes made, but I learned so much and hopefully I get to come back and do it again,” she told Fox Sports. With experience in IndyCar and sports cars, she hopes this debut will pave the way for future Cup races.

Earnhardt Jr. also weighed in on Joey Logano’s penalty during the same race, calling it too harsh. “That would have been a moment to say, ‘Look, man. We’re not going to torpedo Joey’s day over about 12 inches of asphalt. He didn’t gain anything from it,’” he said, defending Logano’s restart violation.