Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Clint Bowyer engage in fun social media banter over using space inside a NASCAR racecar

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Clint Bowyer recently found themselves in a social media banter. Earnhardt Jr. and Bowyer are former NASCAR Cup Series drivers who have resorted to the broadcast booth following retirement.

The light-hearted exchange began with Bowyer reflecting on how Brad Keselowski used his gear shifter to hang his hat at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday. According to Bowyer, keeping one's hat on the gear shifter was an old-school practice, which could come in handy if there were to be an interview.

"I love that Brad has his hat over his gear shifter," Bowyer wrote on X, Old school baby! Never know when you’ll have to do an interview at Bristol. Could be sooner than later!"

Earnhardt Jr. responded to Bowyer by saying,

"Doesn't everyone do this?"

Despite retiring in 2017, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been competing in at least one Xfinity race every year. However, that will not happen in 2025. From now on, the veteran racer intends to focus more on his role as a broadcaster.

Per Bowyer, one needs a hat for an interview and a helmet for a race. As Junior won't be racing next year, he will not need a helmet any time soon. Bowyer took a subtle jab at Junior on the note of the latter's NASCAR exit and said,

"You figure out where to hang another helmet?"

Meanwhile, NASCAR prepares for its next race at Kansas Speedway on September 29. Fans can now purchase their tickets to the grandstands from the official website of Kansas Speedway, or watch the 267-mile race live on USA and NBC Sports from 3 PM ET onwards. Radio updates will be available on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. reflects on radio failure amid wild Bristol comeback

Last year's race at Bristol witnessed Dale Earnhardt Jr. lead 47 laps as he battled his fellow racers for a possible top-10 finish. Unfortunately, his car caught fire from a mechanical failure with just 29 laps to go, which ended the day early for the two-time Xfinity Series champion. Earnhardt was left with a disappointing P30 finish and a hole in his firesuit from the mishap.

Although Earnhardt Jr. didn't lead laps like last year, he did manage to deliver a P7 performance at the 0.533-mile short track. However, it didn't come easy. While speaking with the reporters after the race, Junior revealed that he could not communicate with his spotter, TJ Majors, for quite some time during the race.

"We had a radio harness or something went out under the pace laps and didn't have a radio for about 50 laps," Dale Earnhardt Jr. recalled. "Swapped out the earplugs, still didn't work. Swapped out the helmet, still didn't work. So, probably ran about 120 laps without really much communication with TJ."

According to reports, Dale Earnhardt Jr. might sign a driving deal in 2026. Which team will he race for? Which car will he drive? Fans can only speculate for now.