Dale Earnhardt Jr. reveals what he ‘prayed’ for before his Budweiser #8 reunion at Florence

NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. reunited with his former sponsor Budweiser over the weekend after 17 years. He competed in the 32nd Annual South Carolina 400 race in his iconic red and black #8 Budweiser car. During the "Dale Jr. Download" podcast, the 50-year-old spoke about what he prayed before entering the race at Florence.

Earnhardt Jr. mentioned that while he doesn't frequently visits the church, he believes in God, adding that he sometimes says prayers before the race but never asks to win a race like others. Instead, he prayed to be safe and for everyone else around him to be safe.

The 50-year-old also said that he prayed to be happy at the end of the South Carolina 400.

"I don't go to church a lot, alright, but I've always believed in God. So I don't know where I fall on the scale of religion, but I'm on there and and I do say some prayers from time to time, right? When I really need something, I say a prayer and I asked for it. I never asked to win. I don't believe you pray to win, right," revealed Dale Earnhardt Jr. [00:00]

"I prayed that when it was over, that I would be happy. I don't know what that looks like. I don't know; that's not necessarily a result. It's like, Man, when I get out of the car, I just don't want to be sad. I don't want to feel like I felt after I said that little prayer," added Earnhardt Jr. [00:39]

Dale Jr. further highlighted that despite having a poor start and starting from P37, he made steady progress. He got up to third in the first half of the race. He mentioned he was having a good time, as "you can possibly have." Earnhardt Jr. then surpassed Josh Berry and claimed P2 before the end of stage two.

The former NASCAR Cup Series driver had an issue with his fuel pump and retired with just 30 laps to go, finishing in P28. But he focused on the good run he had and concluded that if he had a request in the prayer, he never expected fulfillment every time.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. was close to skipping the Florence late-model race after the setback in the qualifying laps

After a poor performance during the qualifying laps, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was on the verge of quitting the Florence late-model race on November 23, 2024. However, a fellow driver approached him and advised him to continue his race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. qualified for the race in P37, leaving him disappointed. But later in the race, he pulled an exceptional performance, moving from P37 to P2 at one stage. In a post shared by Frontstretch Dale Jr. highlighted how a fellow competitor encouraged him:

"This guy comes up [...] actually he might have been the guy with the 88 car... black 88 [...] so he came up to me and he's like, 'Hey man, I want to say something, you need keep your head up.' I was like, 'Alright'" [0:49]

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said that the competitor told him he was his inspiration.

"He's like, 'I'm doing this because of you, and I lost my dad and listening to your podcast really helped me.' And he's like, 'Don't worry about the qualifying lap," the 50-year-old said.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. added that the competitor gave him words of praise, which he needed at the time.

"He's like, 'The things are good, and you're helping people, you're helping me, and I'm here, and I've got a race car because I feel closer to my dad.' All that. And I was like, 'I really needed to hear that.' I was like, 'I was so mad at myself.'"

20-year-old Treyten Lapcevich, who competes in the NASCAR Canada Series, won the South Carolina 400, thus winning the $10,000 prize money. Doug Bares Jr. came second in the race while Sam Yarbrough finished third.