“Traffic Is a Nightmare”—Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr “Impressed” With NASCAR, Taking Them Down the Memory Lane

The NASCAR season kicked off with an eventful weekend as masses of fans gathered in Daytona Beach to witness the action underway. The historical Daytona 500 saw a record gathering of fans, which is a great sign for NASCAR and the sponsors. Impressed with the racing league’s success at the 500, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr were left taking a trip down memory lanes.

NASCAR crew chief and NBC Sports commentator Steve Letarte recently appeared on The Dale Jr. Download podcast alongside NASCAR veteran Dale Jr. While commending NASCAR’s success in hosting a record number of crowd, the duo was reminded of their days of glory.

Daytona’s success leaves Letarte & Dale Earnhardt Jr reminiscing about their teens

In a recent episode of The Dale Jr. Download podcast, Steve Letarte was excited about being able to watch the Daytona 500 despite the city being crowded by a lot of fans. Letarte stated, “For the listeners, the 500 is back. And what I mean by that was, I was being a bit lazy in making reservations. I didn’t know I was gonna go. You can’t get a hotel.”

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The NBC NASCAR sportscaster added, “You can’t get dinner reservations, traffic is a nightmare. And those are all a bonus for NASCAR, right? Like, it was sold out and it was packed, it felt like, back when you and I were racing in the teens, it was a major event.”

Moreover, the Hendrick Motorsports crew chief also enjoyed the US Airforce Thunderbirds performing the traditional flyover at the 65th Daytona 500. Meanwhile, Dale Jr also shared his experience of the Great American Race on the NASCAR calendar. The 48-year-old revealed that he was surprised by the “grandstands” filled at maximum capacity.

Further, Junior added, “But over this past weekend, it was full. It reminded me a lot like you know the years past 2004, 2006 when we were really at our peak and when I was watching the race on TV. I took notice of the grandstand being full to the very tippy top.”

Evidently, the two-time NASCAR Busch Series champ was thrilled to see the sport progressing in the right direction. Dale Jr credited NASCAR, TV partners, and all parties responsible for pulling off a memorable event at the Daytona International Speedway.