Several years ago, former NASCAR driver Matt Kenseth had a pleasant conversation with Sports Illustrated. Over here, he took a few cheeky digs at Dale Earnhardt Jr. regarding his racing number. For over half of his NASCAR career, Dale Jr. raced with the #8, mostly when he drove for Dale Earnhardt Inc.

It was only after he moved to Hendrick Motorsports that he began using the #88 number. Meanwhile, Kenseth is best known for using the #17 for most of his career, especially when he drove for Roush Fenway Racing.

However, he once confessed that if given a choice, he would use the #8. Kenseth said, “Number 8. That has always been my lucky number. While revealing whether he had asked Junior for it, he said, “He knows that. He did an appearance in Green Bay a few years ago, and he saw one of my old cars with the number 8 on it. Everybody gave him a hard time about it.”

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How have Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. performed in their careers?

Matt Kenseth is renowned for being the 2003 NASCAR Cup Series champion. At the time, he raced for Roush Racing and clinched the title despite just one win to his name that year. Meanwhile, Dale Jr does not have any Cup titles to his credit but does boast of 2 Daytona 500 triumphs. Incidentally, Kenseth also won the Daytona 500 twice and has 39 wins to Dale Jr’s 26.

Statistics aside, both former drivers were excellent in their craft in their own way. Dale Jr. has a legion of fans, all calling themselves part of the Jr Nation. However, Matt Kenseth was also well-beloved in his native Wisconsin.

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So when Dale Earnhardt Jr. tried to lay a claim to the #8 number, the locals did not let him forget about who was the boss. The duo has dueled each other in the past, so it is easy to say that they were rivals.