"Come try NASCAR": When Dale Earnhardt Jr. expressed his admiration for 'awesome role model' F1 legend

In a 2010 interview with SB Nation, Dale Earnhardt Jr. revealed the name of the driver he admired outside of NASCAR. Earnhardt Jr., is one of the biggest names from NASCAR, and over the course of his career, he remained the most popular driver in the sport.

Junior won the most popular driver award for 15 years in a row from 2003 until his retirement in 2017. However, someone as popular as Dale Jr. was also in awe of one of the biggest Formula 1 stars in history.

When asked about the driver he admires most outside of NASCAR, Dale Jr. said:

"Damn, that's tough to say. I don't know, man. Shhhhhit! I wish Michael Schumacher would come try NASCAR. That'd be cool. With everything he's done and how professional he's remained through it all, I think he's an awesome role model as far as work ethic and tenacity. He just seems like he knows how to get it done. He's probably that guy for a lot of people, but I don't mind being in that big group."

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. loved to see Max Verstappen dominate his F1 competition in 2023

After Max Verstappen wrapped one of the most dominant years in F1 history in 2023, Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared his thoughts on the subject. The Red Bull driver remarkably won 19 of the 22 races that year, on his way to his third straight F1 title.

In fact, in the 2023 season, Red Bull won all but one race in the entire year. And speaking about Formula 1 and Verstappen, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said on the Drive to Wynn’ podcast last year:

"I’m a big fan of Max, I like to see him succeed, I love to see Max dominate and so I have a rooting interest in F1."

The NASCAR Hall of Famer claimed that there are times when F1 becomes 'incredibly entertaining.' He recalled the time when Michael Schumacher and Mika Haikkenen shared a rivalry.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. further revealed that he tries to 'stay current' on everything that happens in F1 from an economics point of view. He likened NASCAR and F1 on the front of both series trying to create an entertaining product for their fans.

He remarked that F1 is constantly aware of not falling into a rut. This is something Dale Jr. said gets a lot of fans excited about certain teams.

Earnhardt added that his reason to pay attention to F1 or IndyCar is to see what NASCAR can apply to 'be better.' He mentioned that everyone's approach may look different from afar, but at their core they're all fighting the same battle.