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FORT WORTH, TEXAS – APRIL 08: (EDITOR’S NOTE: Image was processed using digital filters.) Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 8, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)
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FORT WORTH, TEXAS – APRIL 08: (EDITOR’S NOTE: Image was processed using digital filters.) Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 8, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)
Back in 2004, Dale Earnhardt Jr seized victory at the Daytona 500, ahead of Tony Stewart. In a recent podcast, Dale Jr spoke about that race-winning move. Apparently, there were a few things that puzzled him. One of them was about Stewart not defending his position harder in the race.
He said, “I didn’t think that I was going to make the pass. Didn’t think it was possible to make the pass, and I don’t know why Tony didn’t defend it more than he did. I’m side-by-side through to turns 1 and 2, and I kind of backed up. He’s kind of going forward, coming off of Turn 2. We were separating ourselves, and as we’re coming off of Turn 2, he’s going to have momentum. I’m going to try and slow him down and we made contact and the side-draft starts working for me.”
In the end, the #8 driver made short work of the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. However, there was a new concern for Dale Jr, namely looking out for a hard-charging Kurt Busch pushing Stewart. So, he was really confused about why Stewart didn’t put up a bigger fight.
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What else did Dale Earnhardt Jr say about that race?
Dale Jr continued, “As I pull forward and move down, he didn’t come down and side-draft me. It’s the Daytona 500, I don’t know why in the world he didn’t go, I’m almost, I’m going to side-draft you. Slow you down and keep this battle side-by-side.”
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LOUDON, NH – JUNE 27: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet, stands on the grid prior to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on June 27, 2010 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Now, the JR Motorsports driver/owner is looking forward to his talk with Kevin Harvick. In the past, the Stewart-Haas driver has been critical of Earnhardt Jr. So, many were excited to see what would become of that conversation. Meanwhile, Dale Jr will also be excited to see the Next Gen cars in action in 2022. While he will never get a chance to hop in one of the cars, at least he will be able to interview other drivers to gauge their reactions.
READ MORE: Kevin Harvick Explains Why He Needs to Have a Conversation With Chase Elliott Amid Their Bitter Feud
