"He said 'I got no problem with you'" - When Dale Earnhardt Jr. recalled Tony Stewart extending a hand of friendship after a NASCAR face-off

Dale Earnhardt Jr. talked about his first interaction with Tony Stewart on his podcast five years ago.

Former NASCAR drivers, Dale Jr. and Stewart became friends after a heated race at Pikes Peak International Raceway in 1998. The two drivers were called into the NASCAR hauler after a tough on-track battle in which Stewart bumped Earnhardt Jr. off the track. However, the two reconciled the following week, during the Busch Series race in Milwaukee.

In a conversation with Stewart on a 2019 episode of the Dale Jr. Download podcast, Earnhardt Jr. recalled Tony's gesture of friendship.

"We're in Milwaukee. I'm walking into the pits, and he came up to me on Friday morning before the first practice and said, 'Hey man, we're gonna be racing each other a long time, so let's be friends. Let's not run into each other anymore, and let's not drag this out. So, I got no problem with you. I'm cool. Let's just be cool, and I'll be cool.' And we'll be cool. I would have never done that," Earnhardt Jr. said (01:39).

Earnhardt Jr. also reflected on his initial thoughts about Stewart.

"I thought a lot of Tony because he you know he's a champion in Indy and he's coming over here and he's very good," he added (01:26).

Stewart and Dale Jr. also starred in a music video for 3 Doors Down’s song "The Road I’m On" in 2000.

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"He drives hard" - Dale Earnhardt Jr. after Justin Allgaier wins 2024 Xfinity Series championship

Dale Earnhardt Jr. got his first NASCAR Owner's Championship in the Xfinity Series last weekend. Justin Allgaier, the No. 7 Chevy driver for JR Motorsports, won the NASCAR Xfinity Series title after finishing second in Phoenix.

Earnhardt Jr. praised Allgaier for his hard work and dedication.

"He’s worked so hard. He’s gave so much to our team, he’s just done so much for us. If there’s you know, an image in a dictionary of a model racecar driver, it’s him...He goes above and beyond there. And he drives hard. Sometimes too hard. But I’d rather have a driver like that going for itall the time and pushing as hard as he can. He’s a lot of fun,” Dale Jr. said.

Thw 38-year-old won the championship after 14 full-time seasons and 471 races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Allgaier survived the tough race at Phoenix after facing flat tire issues, penalties, and a double-overtime finish.

JR Motorsports now has four Xfinity driver championships with the previous ones coming in 2014 (Chase Elliott), 2017 (William Byron) and 2018 (Tyler Reddick).