Dale Earnhardt Jr and former NASCAR crew chief Tony Gibson recently talked about an innovation they came up with during the DEI days. The conversation took place on the latest episode of Dale Jr.'s podcast, which was shared on the official X (formerly Twitter) handle on March 22. Gibson and Jr. talked about how the team had discovered an exploit in wing mounts before NASCAR officials cracked down on them.
During the podcast, the two recalled an incident from Darlington, where DEI’s No. 8 team attempted an innovation with the Car of Tomorrow (COT). Earnhardt Jr. started the story with how DEI’s No. 8 team tried to sneak an aerodynamic trick through inspection at Darlington Raceway, only to get busted.
“We got busted because we went to Darlington, and the COT had just come out, and Tony Jr. had figured out something,” Earnhardt Jr. said.
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Tony Gibson then explained what the team discovered — and how they tried to pull it off.
“We made wing mounts. We found out that the distance between the wing and the decklid was where the downforce was,” Gibson said.
The only way to measure that gap was between the decklid and the wing, making the setup hard to detect. The team had already made it through inspection and was pushing the car up the hill when NASCAR officials suddenly stopped them.
“Here comes officials, hold on, stop. They’re like, ‘Take those wing mounts off,’” Gibson recalled.
That’s when Gibson described how a DEI team member, with the nickname "Two Beer," came up with a desperate plan to avoid getting penalized.
“He looks at me and goes, ‘Old man, I’m going to grab those wing mounts right there and I’mma take off running. If they can’t find them, they can’t throw us out,’” Gibson said, laughing.
The violation at Darlington cost Dale Earnhardt Jr. and DEI heavily as NASCAR hit them with a 100-point penalty, dropping Earnhardt from 12th to 14th in the standings. DEI’s official statement admitted to the mistake, explaining that the wing brackets were test pieces and should not have been on the car.
Team owner Teresa Earnhardt also lost 100 owner points. Along with that, crew chief Tony Eury Jr. was fined $100,000, suspended until July 4, and placed on probation through the end of the year.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. couldn’t watch as Josh Berry Took the Win
In another Dale Jr. Download episode, Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared how nervous he felt watching Josh Berry win his first NASCAR Cup Series race in Las Vegas on Friday, March 20. Berry, who started his Cup Series stint with Earnhardt Jr.-owned JR Motorsports, took his first Cup victory in the Pennzoil 400.
Recalling his anxiousness in the closing stages of the race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. admitted to Josh Berry that he chose to distract himself and take out the trash instead.
“I text Amy. You were five laps to go, and Amy texted me something about the kids, and I just text her back, ‘Josh,’” he said. [5:28 onwards]
“I got up and went and took the trash out...I couldn’t watch,” he added.
When Berry won, he immediately called Dale Earnhardt Jr., prompting the latter to admit that receiving the call meant a lot to him. Berry’s win at Vegas was also a historic feat for Wood Brothers Racing, as it was their 101st Cup Series win. For this week’s race at Homestead Miami Speedway, Josh Berry is in the front row with Alex Bowman at the pole.
