As Cup Series drivers approach the trickiest part of the playoff season, things will get complicated. Already they are scratching their heads about how to tackle the formidable experience looming ahead at Talladega Superspeedway. With points at stake, tensions are rising. However, they can rely on somebody who has tamed this 2.66-mile drafting beast six times in his career – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The veteran racer hung up his firesuit in 2017, but Dale Jr’s sparkle never dims. His years of invaluable experience continue to inspire racers – who need it a lot right now. And Dale Jr has lined up a unique plan to train them for the Yellawood 400 race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr knows the tricks to tame the beast

When Talladega Superspeedway was unveiled in 1969, a group of racers including Richard Petty boycotted the first race. Only one reason for that – the daunting risks involved. The drafting track continues to give drivers goosebumps even today. But the Earnhardt magic might rescue them  – both Dale Sr and Dale Jr have won 16 Cup Series races at the fearsome track. So Dale Earnhardt Jr is ready to dole out his expertise on wheeling around the unpredictable corners of the track.

In an episode of The Dale Jr Download, the Talladega maestro revealed his grand plan to train the youngsters. “They asked me to give some advice on drafting. We will put last year’s race on the TV and will watch the race. If I see if this shouldn’t have happened, or that…I’ll smash the pause button. I’ll say, you see that…I would have done xyz.” He added, “The theory and the idea of how draft works is kind of universal…I can watch a race today and see a car do something and understand exactly why that happened…because the drafting, the beach bubble, the side-draft…are all still there…But it’s just one of those things that you gotta do it to learn it.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr also dropped an ingenious method followed by a Cup Series insider. Brad Keselowski’s spotter TJ Majors is tasked with training Dale’s new Xfinity recruit, Carson Kvapil. And he does a fabulous job: “What TJ does is very smart…He’s taken the spotter role to a whole new level. He recruited a handful of sim racers and he told them, ‘Y’all stay in line and run the bottom…Let Carson (Kvapil) try different things and see how side-drafting and all that (works)’…Then Carson and TJ can talk.” So this might prepare drivers to face the race, amidst NASCAR’s innovation possibly playing spoilsport.

This accurate understanding of how to tackle Talladega comes from hordes of experience. The 2015 victory was a special one as Dale Earnhardt Jr overcame massive hurdles for that.

When difficulty is a mere stepping stone

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True learning comes when you suffer. Dale Earnhardt Jr suffered but emerged with a smiling face on the other side. During the 2015 GEICO 500 race, issues plagued his No. 88 Chevrolet. His engine overheated and spewed water, his front grille was matted with trash, and his radiator was boiling over. 30 cars of hungry rivals raced him during the final 27 laps at Talladega Superspeedway, where he even pushed the speed up to 200 mph. Yet Dale Jr managed to stave off these obstacles and crossed the finish line to the thunderous roar of a sold-out crowd.

The driver’s water temperature was pegged, and his gauges were flashing red. But he gleefully acknowledged the crowd: Just real emotional, man. “Everything is just so good for me now, my personal life, my racing, the team I am with. I don’t know why. I don’t feel like I deserve it. I’m, blessed, man. I’m blessed.” He added, “We had a real strong car. I didn’t know if the engine was going to last. I had faith in it that it would because we build fast cars and they are tough. All those guys in the motor shop and the body shop, they earn their money today.”

No wonder today’s racers are looking up to Dale Earnhardt Jr for advice at Talladega. Let us wait and see how well they can implement the veteran’s pointers during the final race.