Dale Earnhardt Jr. Breaks Silence on NASCAR’s Iconic Trophy Maker Going out of Business

The grandfather clock at Martinsville might become history and Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares his views on it.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Breaks Silence on NASCAR’s Iconic Trophy Maker Going out of Business

Dale Earnhardt Jr. with Martinsville Speedway trophy in 2017 (via LAT Photography), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (via Newsweek)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

The Martinsville Speedway is one of fan-favorites on the NASCAR calendar. Apart from exciting on-track action, the race was known for its iconic trophies, made by clock manufacturer, Howard Miller. Unfortunately, the clock maker has shut shop. This raised concerns over the trophy for the face from next year. NASCAR veteran Dale Earnhardt Jr. commented on the future of the Martinsville silverware.

Howard Miller has provided trophies in NASCAR since 1964. As part of the tradition, drivers are given seven-feet tall grandfather’s clocks, one was even won by Earnhardt Jr. in 2017. The clock company has decided to close it’s operations due to the tariff hikes brought in by the Trump administration.

On X, Dale Earnhardt Jr. replied to a post over Howard Miller’s closure. The NASCAR veteran was adamant that the clock tradition should continue at the Martinsville Speedway. Dale Jr. asserted that the next trophy manufacturer must replicate the exact same trophies for the race next season. The 50-year-old used some profane language in case the next Martinsville trophy was designed to be cute.

Whomever makes the next version better make them exactly like the previous versions. Don’t get cute and *** this up.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. wrote on X.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. recalls Martinsville battles with Jimmie Johnson

Dale Earnhardt Jr. co-owns the Xfinity Series team JR Motorsports. The team has some top talent including Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch. At last weekend’s race in Chicago, the two went head-to-head in a thrilling on-track battle. Gisbergen ended up pushing his teammate off-track before taking the victory.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson (Via IMAGO)

While this was certainly a controversial incident, watching it made Dale Earnhardt Jr. remember his own racing days. Back when he was teammates with Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson at Hendrick Motorsports, the trio would often be involved in such situations. Dale Jr. recalled that there were often times when the three would lash out at one another over aggressive racing moves. He claimed that his drivers at JRM will also have more such days in the future.

It’ll be a lot like (Jeff) Gordon and (Jimmie) Johnson. When they were at HMS, they had those races at Martinsville where they get out and go, ‘Man, you f**king run me over a little dirty.’ They’re gonna have those because they’re both good, and they’re both gonna be up front.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said on Dale Jr. Download

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a keen eye for talent. The NASCAR veteran has spotted some exciting drivers in the field, with his predictions often coming true. While Shane van Gisbergen has already made his mark in the Cup Series, Zilish is yet to get a shot at the top tier of NASCAR.

Read More: Kyle Busch Declared Bubba Wallace and Alex Bowman “Doesn’t Really Like Each Other All That Well”