“Gotta Get Up and Earn Respect”- Dale Earnhardt Jr Refutes Carrying the Industry Burden With Bittersweet NASCAR Revelation

Dale Earnhardt Jr‘s relevance in NASCAR is irrefutable. Despite having retired around half a decade ago, the 49-year-old has had his fair share of time under the spotlight. Given his relevance in the industry, it is common knowledge that his words hold a significant value. And that is something that Dale knows, as the veteran can often be seen chiming in with his opinions about things NASCAR-related, controversial or not.

However, sometimes some opinions may come at a cost. But how does Junior handle that? In an excerpt from an upcoming episode of ‘The Kenny Wallace Show’, the 15-time most popular driver shed light on how he handles the responsibility of being a motorsport bigwig.

Dale Earnhardt Jr reveals he is nothing out of the ordinary

As the short clip dropped on Twitter, Kenny Wallace was seen asking a very pertinent question to the Hall of Famer. He was curious if Dale Earnhardt Jr enjoyed the power that he had in the arena of NASCAR, or if he felt like it was too much for him. Wallace asked, “People admire you. The industry looks up to you. I know that you know that you hold the key. How do you deal with that? Is it a burden? Or do you like it?”

However, Junior didn’t really agree with that theory. According to him, he was just like any other guy.

“I don’t feel that way. I feel like every day I gotta get up and earn respect. Every day I gotta get up and earn my place in the sport,” he said. Junior then went on to admit that though he enjoys a “pretty great relationship” with NASCAR, he often gets into trouble on his podcast. The reason he says? “Maybe running my mouth a little bit too much.”

He further elaborated on his dynamic with NASCAR, revealing what happens whenever he’s dissatisfied with the auto-racing body’s decisions. “Something happens in NASCAR. I get mad about it, I go on my podcast or over to a buddy or whatever and go, ‘It’s BS! Why did they do that? They shouldn’t have done that! I don’t know why they did it that way’.”

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“And then, if I take a minute and go talk to Mike Helton or Steve O’Donnell, they’d go, ‘Let me explain to you why we did it that way’, and by the end of the conversation you are going, ‘Oh! Man, that makes total sense’. Like, I get it. That makes me feel like I always gotta be earning back my space, my place, my role, my job,” he added.

NASCAR is more like a family to Junior

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NASCAR inducted Dale Earnhardt Jr as one of his 75 greatest drivers of all time earlier this year during its 75th anniversary. And on that festive occasion, Dale Earnhardt Jr decided to pen down his thoughts on what NASCAR meant to him. The words that Junior put together beautifully portrayed what NASCAR meant to him.

NASCAR is not just “bent sheet metal or the smell of burnt motor oil” for Junior. It is so much more than that for the veteran. As quoted by AP News, “NASCAR is family.”

According to Junior, NASCAR is all more about the people than about the machines. “The cars are constantly changing. The rules change, as do the facilities. But the constant is that people are the most critical ingredient. You race your entire life with family and friends, and that bond you create during the long days at the track is as durable as the anvil dad used to hammer out a homemade drive shaft hoop in 1984 for his Nova that now sits on the shop floor at JRM(JR Motorsports).”

NASCAR indeed has a special place in Junior’s heart. No matter how many times they lock horns, Junior never forgets his roots.

Read more: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Reveals His Father’s Secret Hobby That Was Posted on the News