“Buddies No Matter What” – Dale Earnhardt Jr. Reveals the Deep Connection He Holds With His Father Look-Alike

Dale Earnhardt Jr. might have lost his father over 20 years ago, but even today, he has kept Dale Earnhardt’s essence humming among his fans. Earnhardt Sr was not one who really enjoyed interacting with people for any length of time. He was an introvert, which was revealed on a recent episode of the Dale Jr Download podcast. As a result, the nature of the man behind the wheel of the #3 was a mystery.

Not much was known about Earnhardt’s life back when he was tearing it up in the Cup Series. The opportunity for racers to interact with fans on a large scale was few and far between, and people barely got an opportunity to gain any insight into the Intimidator’s personal life. On the recent episode of the Dale Jr Download podcast, he welcomed an old friend of his father’s who even looked like him.

Dale Earnhardt Jr demonstrates the “Instant Connection” he felt

This man had been one of Earnhardt’s closest friends for the longest time. Junior knew that his dad only considered a few people outside of his family to be close to him, but this man was one of the closest friends he had. Junior and he share a special bond that goes back quite a number of years.

The man in question is professional sea bass fisherman Hank Parker, one of the few people that Earnhardt could ever open up to about the negative aspects of his life. Be it insecurities about dealing with life off track or troubles he was facing on the asphalt, Parker was one of his closest confidants. Their friendship was so deep that even Junior developed a bond with him and his son, Hank Parker Jr. over the years. 

“I mean I knew y’all were close, I knew y’all were so similar, you know, I mean even just your looks when you stood next to each other, it was interesting how comparable y’all were. Your sons born two days apart and both juniors and I felt a real instant connection to Hank Jr. that we would just be buddies no matter what,” he said.

Hank Parker Jr. is a former motorsports driver, much like Dale Jr. He has raced only once in the Cup Series and spent the majority of his career in the Xfinity Series. Over an 8-year run, Hank Jr. started 137 Xfinity races and won twice, with 31 top-10 finishes.

Read More: “Nobody Was Supposed to Heal That Fast” – The Intimidator’s Darlington Miracle Revealed as Dale Earnhardt Jr Tells the Tale of Broken Collarbones

This bond that Dale Jr. has come to share with Hank Jr. undoubtedly came about because of the bond both their fathers shared, and Junior knew this. Later on in the podcast, the former Cup Series driver spoke about how he knew that Hank Parker was one of the very few people his father ever opened his heart to.

One of the few people the Intimidator would open up to

Trending

NASCAR’s Blatant HMS Favoritism on Display as a Desperate Joey Logano Gets Snubbed for the Poster Boy

$400 Million Worth Dale Jr. Joining Hands With Kyle Busch’s Sponsor Leaves NASCAR Fans Buzzing

NASCAR Seemingly “Throwing Up the White Flag” as Fans Insinuate Michael Jordan’s Victory After Massive Lawsuit Signing

Denny Hamlin Backs Kyle Larson’s Claim, Revealing Drivers’ Misery in NASCAR’s Money-Minded Plan

Kaulig Racing’s Road Course Surgeon Publicly Concedes Inferiority to SVG as He Drops Concerning Roval Declaration

Parker revealed some of the personal conversations he had had with the seven-time Cup Series champion. A lot of those were about Dale Sr.’s insecurities, not just on the race track but about his personal life and his relationship with his children.

It was emotional for Junior to listen to how his father had felt when he was much too young to understand, and it almost brought a tear to the 48-year-old’s eye.

Watch This Story: Dale Earnhardt Jr Criticizes NASCAR’s Rule Change After “Anticlimactic” Sonoma Race

“I knew y’all were close, I knew y’all had had conversations, I knew that you knew dad and had moments with him that not many people would be able to experience. He would open up to you and literally count on the one hand the other people he would ever have those types of conversations with. And so it’s really fun to hear some of those conversations.,” Junior said.

Dale Earnhardt Junior has done a fantastic job win using the power of social media to keep the memory of his father well and truly alive. Conversations like these often pique the interest of fans, both old and new, to know more about the man behind The Intimidator moniker.