“He Was Fu**Ing Mad!” Dale Earnhardt Jr. Recalls the Time When Dale Sr. Caught Him Smoking

Dale Earnhardt Jr revealed a hilarious incident when his father Dale Sr. caught him smoking right before a race.

“He Was Fu**Ing Mad!” Dale Earnhardt Jr. Recalls the Time When Dale Sr. Caught Him Smoking

Dale Earnhardt Jr. with his father Dale Earnhardt Sr. (via AP News)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. comes from an iconic racing family. His father, Dale Sr. raced in the Cup Series for decades, making his mark in the world of stock car racing. The NASCAR legend played a pivotal role in Earnhardt Jr’s career. With the latter recalling the time when he was caught smoking.

Dale Earnhardt Sr. served as the mentor his son needed to make it big in NASCAR. The former RCR star was with his son at every step, giving him some much-needed guidance and advice. Unfortunately, Dale Sr. passed away in 2001 after a massive wreck at the Daytona 500. By the time of his father’s death, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had learnt a lot from him, and managed to make his own name in the sport.

Recently, Dale Earnhardt Jr. recalled the time when his father accidentally caught him smoking. The 50-year-old used to be a ‘closet’ smoker back in the day, never having cigarettes with him in public. Dale Jr. would cleverly use the drinks plug on his helmet to fit a cigarette whenever he felt like smoking. But this would not go for long as one time, his father saw him smoking red-handed as they made their way to a pre-race ceremony.

I didn’t smoke around dad [Dale Sr.], didn’t smoke in public… I saw that helmet sitting on the counter and I grabbed that helmet and I put it on. I put one of them cigarettes in that little plug for the drink. The bus I had, had a door in the center and I’m standing right in front of the door and that thing opened up and it was dad and he slammed it shut.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said on Dale Jr. Download.

Dale Sr. was fuming in anger to have seen his son smoke. The rest of the day was scary for Earnhardt Jr. who sheepishly walked out of the bus. Steve Crisp, a former member of Earnhardt’s team tried to talk to the NASCAR legend about the incident. However, Dale Sr. used some profane language and made it clear that there could be no excuses. The pictures from that day were quite awkward with Dale Jr. trying to stay as far from his father as possible.

This is like 15 minutes before we come out and took pictures with y’all. Sheepishly walk out of the bus, dad’s on the cart, climb on the back seat and sit down. I was just sitting there and Steve Crisp starts snickering and dad turns around and goes don’t f***ing encourage him…. And in all the photos, there was one where they’re like, get on up there you know. And I’m like five feet behind him and that was why cuz he was f***ing mad.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. explained

Dale Earnhardt Jr. gives big update on next season of Dale Sr. documentary

It is no surprise that Dale Earnhardt Jr. was inspired by his father to make his way into motorsport. The 50-year-old still fondly remembers his dad’s role in shaping his life. A couple of years ago, he honored Dale Sr with a special docuseries ‘Becoming Earnhardt,’ focusing on the 1979 Cup Series season. Now, Dale Jr. has revealed that a second season is on its way.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Via Newsweek)

On X, Dale Jr. claimed that the second season was now complete. The NASCAR star teased fans with the new storyline, focusing on his father’s first Cup Series title win in 1980. The documentary not only tells the story of Dale Sr. but even provides an insight into the NASCAR community back in those days.

Today I went into the @DirtyMoMedia studios and recorded the full second season of “Becoming Earnhardt” It’s a series focused around the 1980 season, dad’s first Cup Championship.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. wrote on X.

Certainly, Dale Sr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr. had one of the strongest father-son bonds. It is unfortunate that the former could not live to see his son’s success in the new millennium. However, this is the brutal world of racing. Every time a driver gets inside the cockpit, they are aware of the risks, and their families understand that as well.

Read More: Dale Earnhardt Jr. declares Carson Hocevar is a racer with “supernatural knack for just being fast”