Dale Earnhardt Jr. Declares NASCAR Sees Him as “an Asset” Despite His Passionate Opinions

NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. has shared his thoughts on how he is in a good place with the sport despite being a strong critic.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Declares NASCAR Sees Him as “an Asset” Despite His Passionate Opinions

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Via IMAGO)

NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. is still the biggest name in the sport, despite him retiring almost a decade ago. Since retirement, he has been serving the sport as a team owner and part-time driver with JR Motorsports as well be being a broadcaster/podcaster. His words still carry a weight in the community only a handful can match.

The sport leadership isn’t always the biggest fan of the two times Busch Series champion, as Dale Earnhardt Jr. is someone who doesn’t think twice before going on passionate rants about issues with the sport.  Most often than not, the opinion he shares are criticism of the leadership and this has put them in tough spots.

I care enough about the sport that when I’m really adamant or very passionate about something or a direction or change, I’m going to absolutely give my opinion. I don’t ever want to be a problem, but sometimes you just don’t agree with stuff, or you don’t like the direction we’re headed in, and you think it could and should be better.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said via RACER.com.

Further talking about the point, he asserted that despite all the drama he is in a good and comfortable spot with NASCAR. The leadership knowns he and his podcast is an important part of the sport eco-system, as well as the fact that the passionate opinion/criticism won’t stop. The sport sees him as an asset and someone of value.

The show lets me say that, and my delivery sometimes isn’t the best, but I think I’m getting better at it. And I think I’m in a good spot now with NASCAR, where they are comfortable with my show being part of the ecosystem, and they know I’m always going to tell my opinion and not shy away from maybe saying some things they don’t love. But they feel like I’m an asset, or I’m a value, for the most part.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. added.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares the advantage he has with his podcast

In the same conversation, the champion driver talked about his weekly podcast Dale Jr. Download and highlighted the challenges he faces. His shows come out on Tuesday, unlike most of the podcasts that are released within a day after the race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (via Imago)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (via Imago)

We’re not the first voice you could hear. There are a bunch of different people creating content and we know that. So, I like that we get a couple of days to hear what everybody’s opinions are.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said.

This gives the veteran more time to make informed opinions about certain topics and discuss the comments from different podcasters as well. This is a massive advantage he has and an important part of his success.

It’s a little bit like cheating, because we can come in and already have an idea of what the temperature of the fan base is, or the reaction to whatever happened Sunday. We get an advantage going Tuesday and on the backside of a lot of stuff.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. added.

The schedule also helps the veteran to be less emotional when he talks about certain incident that could get him in trouble. It would be interesting to see how everything is going to playout for the star driver in the coming years.

Also Read: Kenny Wallace Declares NASCAR Needed Steve Phelps’ Resignation to “Repair the Sport”