Over the years, NASCAR fans have grown used to listening to many voices, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. leading the lot. If he’s not in the boot yelling “Slide Job, Slide Job!” he’s on his podcast ‘Dale Jr Download,’ keeping his fans entertained with NASCAR banter, gossip, and developments, the list is long. However, Junior has done the unthinkable. In one recent installment, Dale Jr. was completely out of the picture!

Apparently Junior is sick! And in his massive network of podcasts under ‘Dirty Mo Media’ he’s added a new one: ‘Bless your Hardt.’ It’s got Junior and his wife as hosts talking about their lives. Well, the show’s only recently kicked off and Amy had some bad news to share – “He’s been fighting a pretty bad fever.” We don’t yet know what’s caused it, but the veteran is on bed rest. However, recently Junior gave an update. And the NASCAR fans took a sigh of relief by sending him heartfelt messages for a speedy recovery.

With Junior knocked out sick, Amy invited her best friend Jamie Goddard for an episode on the new podcast. That’s where Amy talked about Junior’s condition. She said, “Yes, he’s still very under the weather. He’s been fighting a pretty bad fever. Off and on for the last two days. So he has been relinquished to our guest bedroom so that I don’t get. I feel like a head cold, but I don’t feel near as bad as he did.” But we know Junior, and he doesn’t let fever get between his witty self and entertaining his fans.

Dale Earnhardt Jr casually shared the update like it was no big deal, thinking it was a blessing in disguise. Lauding Amy’s solo hosting of a podcast, a proud Junior wrote on X, “Felt like I should apologize for being out sick for this episode, but after you listen you may want to thank me. Awesome job by these two, in a pinch. Proud of my Amy. Side note: finally turning the corner and feeling better.”

Apparently it’s some kind of flu and the couple’s daughters Nicole and Isla caught it in school. And while they are better now, it’s Junior’s turn. He’s been isolated from the rest of the family in the guest bedroom, with Amy only making contact with him to give him the vitamins or maybe some medicines. Also, she claims a sick Junior is a crankier Junior. Even more than their daughters.

“You know how most men do that… He’s worse than the children. He even said that yesterday. He’s like, ‘If this is how the girls felt, surely they didn’t feel this bad because they were not acting like they felt this bad.’ I don’t know if that’s a kid thing or if that’s just a you thing,” Amy shared. So maybe he’s better off being well. And that’s one thing common that both Amy and Junior fans feel.

Jokes apart…race weekend is coming up and all the fans want him back in his podcast chair.

Fans send prayers for Junior

He may be lying in bed, but humoring his fans and NASCAR is all that is in his head! Look at his most recent update on X: “Was laying in bed with a fever watching the 1988 Nascar season as one does when they are ill. During the Martinsville broadcast they mentioned that Neil Bonnet was rumored to be going to Hendrick Motorsports the next season. I asked Rick and he didn’t recall that being a thing, and they did keep the same lineup in 1989. But just fun to imagine if that had some true.” 

Now, had Junior been well, he could have done a whole episode on this and it would have been a great watch. And fans miss that. They want him to get well soon, and get back to his energetic self, and fire away a ton of podcasts. One fan wrote, “Feel better man. You’ve been down a few days.” Like Junior is taking vitamins right now, his fans also need a daily dose of Junior. Especially on non-race days.

Another fan echoing the same emotion said, “Why you got a fever? Don’t be getting sick on us dude …” And this one other fan has given Dale Jr an ultimatum, “Feel better for this weekend!” And we agree with him. Well, Junior should take a rest, but it’s a road course race. It’s COTA. And it’s a new layout. A lot of exciting things are coming. Surely, we want Junior’s expert opinion on it all. Everyone wants to hear Junior’s picks for the race. Is he going with the obvious SVG answer or has he got some ringer of his own in mind? Come on Junior, just listen to this fan: “I hope you feel better soon 🙏,” and get well.

What we could gather from Amy’s recent podcast was that Junior is recovering quickly and should be at full strength, at least by the time the Cup race kicks off. One fan even shared some remedies for Junior’s speedy recovery. He wrote, “Feel better soon Dale. I just got over a cold, unfortunately, when I get sick, I get sick so I get that feeling. Drink lots of water!!”

How do you feel when Junior’s down and not in his element? Share your prayers for him in the comments below.