3 times Dale Earnhardt Jr. lost his temper on track

Former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. is now a team owner and TV broadcaster. He is the son of racing legend Dale Earnhardt who passed away in 2001. Dale Jr. won 26 races in the NASCAR Cup Series and two championships in the Xfinity Series. He retired from full-time racing in 2017.

Earnhardt Jr. was one of the most liked drivers in the sport and won the Most Popular Driver Award 15 consecutive times during his 19-year career in the Cup Series.

Here are three times Earnhardt Jr. got angry during a race:

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#1 Spring Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway (2002)

In 2002, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Robby Gordon had an on-track incident that led to a confrontation in the pit area after the race.

During the 2002 Food City 500, Dale Jr. led 184 laps and finished in fourth place. However, he blamed Gordon for ruining his chance to win and slammed his car in anger after the race.

Gordon got back at him and hit Dale Jr.'s car on the pit road. The two got out of their cars and had to be separated by their crews. Earnhardt Jr. called Gordon a 'moving chicane', while Gordon mocked Junior’s career and said:

"That’s why it takes three or four times for him to finally get into the Winston Cup Series, cause he don’t pay attention and doesn’t know what he’s doing."

Earnhardt Jr. was later fined $5,000 for banging into Gordon's car on the cool-down lap.

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#2 Bristol Motor Speedway (2002)

During the 2002 Sharpie 500 at Bristol, Dale Earnhardt Jr. spun out Ward Burton and finished eighth. Earnhardt Jr. was upset but Burton, who ended up in 22nd place was even angrier and later said to reporters:

"I wish I had something I could have shot threw the windows."

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#3 Dale Earnhardt Jr. vs Kyle Busch at Richmond Raceway (2008)

During the spring race at Richmond Raceway in 2008, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was racing for his first win since 2006. With only a few laps to go, Kyle Busch bumped Dale Jr. into the wall, allowing Clint Bowyer to pass and win. Busch even received serious threats to his life. However, Earnhardt Jr. spun Busch while trying to take the lead at the fall race in Richmond.

Earnhardt Jr.’s rivalry with Kyle Busch started in 2007 at Texas when after a crash caused by Tony Stewart, both drivers were out of the race. Busch left quickly but Dale Jr.’s team worked hard to fix his car and he finished the race. Dale Jr. replaced Busch at Hendrick Motorsports in the next season.