“Just Like Tony Stewart”- NASCAR Veteran Ken Schrader Drops Surprising Verdict on Dale Earnhardt

Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt hail from different chapters in the racing history book. Yet, drawing parallels between these two isn’t a fresh idea. Whether we talk about their prowess on the track or their shared “couldn’t care less” attitude, they’ve often been mentioned in the same breath. Recently, Ken Schrader, who’s rubbed shoulders with both legends, chimed in with his two cents about working alongside them.

Reminiscing about the tragic day Dale Earnhardt Sr left us, Schrader shared a post that didn’t just reflect on Tony Stewart but also brought AJ Foyt into the mix. It was abundantly clear that Schrader’s experiences racing alongside Stewart, most recently in the SRX series, seemed to echo the intense competitiveness he saw in Earnhardt Sr. that read, “I loved him but his wasn’t much fun to race with! He was just like Tony Stewart of AJ Foyt. Very sweet A*****es! I love them all!!!”

Clearly, Earnhardt Sr. was known as a competitor to be not messed with on the track, famously racing tooth and nail against even his own son for a win at Michigan in 1999. Tony Stewart, too, shares that unyielding competitive spirit. He once openly said, “I’d wreck my mom to win a championship, I’d wreck your mom to win a championship. I respect him as a driver but this isn’t about friendships this weekend, this is a war, this is a battle, this is a national championship. So, it’s no-holds-barred this weekend.” 

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But what Ken Schrader witnessed that day is something that he never had the strength to discuss in detail. And this is something Dale Earnhardt Jr. is forever grateful for.

Schrader may have reservations but Junior once insisted on talking about the “elephant in the room”

Ken had refused to discuss the events of that day at the Daytona 500, even after 19 years. The only exceptions? Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister, Kelley Earnhardt Miller. A few years ago, on the ‘Dale Jr. Download’ podcast, Junior expressed what Kenny’s reservations about not talking about the unfortunate day meant to him and his family.

Junior revealed he had a self-written letter he wanted to read to Schrader. Choking back tears, he read, “I’ve known you a long time and a lot of time has passed since that happened. And you’ve been a great friend to me. You’re one of only a few to see the darkest moment for my dad. That you have intimate knowledge of those moments, you are a keeper of that delicate information. It makes me feel close to you, Kenny.”

Dale Jr’s voice started to shiver as he continued, “I feel pain for you to have to carry that memory, but you carry it for me, you carry it for (sister) Kelley, for dad’s family, you carry it for anyone who’s ever cheered for him. It’s a secret that you’ll keep ’til your last breath. Kenny, I know you might sometimes wish you weren’t the one, but I’m glad it was you.”

When Dale Jr. was done reading the letter, Schrader tried to fight back his tears. It must have been a relief for them to address the silence of all those years.

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