Dale Earnhardt Jr has started a number of ventures during and after his full-time racing career in NASCAR. From JR Motorsports to The Dale Jr Download podcast, a number of these ventures have been successful. But did you know that the 49-year-old had his own basketball league? Well, it was held in his backyard and it was usually for close friends and fellow drivers, but it was still something. As a matter of fact, it was so successful that the idea was copied by a Cup Series driver as per Junior.
Junior is a man with a lot of interests. He might have been a racer all his life but there are areas outside of motorsports that have often piqued his interest. Not many people perhaps would have figured that basketball would be one of them. But the 49-year-old’s league had one rather unique feature.
Dale Earnhardt Jr reveals his unorthodox sporting league
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On a recent episode of The Dale Jr Download podcast, Dale Earnhardt Jr and Xfinity Series driver Austin Hill sat down for a conversation. The two are on-track rivals at the moment as Hill is competing against two JR Motorsports drivers in the playoffs. But not everything was about racing.
Junior asked Hill whether he played any sports when he was in school. The Richard Childress Racing driver answered in the affirmative, and that his sport of choice was basketball. That was something Junior wasn’t expecting. Hill went on to reveal that he played in his boss’ grandson, Austin Dillion’s league.
That is when Dale Earnhardt Jr spoke about his own basketball league. Dillon was a part of that league but he hadn’t mentioned that to Austin Hill. As per Junior, Richard Childress’ grandson took the idea from him. But Junior’s league was different from the rest.
“He used to play in my league. I got a court in my house and he used to play in my league. But it’s the no hustle league. Mike (Davis) was in it and you weren’t allowed to be good. So if you’re good, you had to play down. You had to play bad. Austin played for 1 year and he didn’t understand the rules. There was no hustle. You couldn’t chase the balls,” Earnhardt Jr said.
While there was a time to talk about light-hearted memories and moments, Dale Earnhardt Jr and Austin Hill did share a number of serious conversations. One of them was Hill’s infamous altercation at the Martinsville Speedway 11 months back.
Read More – Dale Jr’s CARS Tour Penalty Barrage Prompts Heartfelt Apology From 16-YO USAC Star
Austin Hill opens up about the Martinsville brawl last season
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The Martinsville Speedway is the shortest track on the NASCAR calendar. As a result, the venue has seen its fair share of on-track incidents that have often boiled over into the pit lane. One such incident involved Austin Hill and Myatt Snider in 2022 in the Xfinity Series. The two were seen having a heated discussion before Hill landed a hard punch on the fellow driver.
Looking back at the incident, Austin Hill believes that it was Myatt Snider who pushed him to his limit back then. The RCR driver claimed that he wanted to walk away from the altercation but Snider just wouldn’t listen.
“So we’re talking and middle way through the conversation, I’m like Myatt please get out before somebody gets hurt. I don’t want to do this right now. Like I can tell, my blood pressure is getting up. I’m starting to get mad, like my face is red; I’m boiling. There was a third time, and I said it,” he said.
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Incidents like these are never fun to watch. Some fans may claim that physical altercations are what makes NASCAR all the more exciting, but at the end of the day, it brings a bad rap to the sport. One can only hope that the organizers take adequate steps to ensure that these do not happen any longer.
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