“I was always amazed”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. confesses his true feelings to Tony Eury Sr. about tall expectations in his DEI days

JR Motorsports co-owner and former NASCAR Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. is excited to return to his iconic #8 Chevy with a red Budweiser paint scheme. The 50-year-old recently sat down with his former crew chief Tony Eury Sr. on his podcast, The Dale Jr. Download, and recalled a moment from his racing days under DEI (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.).

Earnhardt Jr. and Eury Sr. shared their experience working for the DEI under Budweiser's sponsorship. The former highlighted that he was "amazed" by Tony Eury Sr. and Jr.'s confidence in the #8 Chevy.

"I do want to talk about the bud days. I was always amazed by y'all confidence. You and Tony Jr. You and Tony Jr. thought that that car should be at the top of the sheet practice; it should win the pole and win the race. You know, we get into the Cup series, and y'all attitude about it didn't change," stated Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Eury Sr. mentioned that Tony Eury Jr. went to Hendrick Motorsports for an interview and was stunned by the technology and equipment they used to build their cars compared to what they use and still outrun them in the race. He came back and praised Tony Eury Sr. and while tapping Eury Sr.'s back he said:

"He said, I want you to know you won't believe what I just seen what we've been racing against—and we beat him. We don't have nothing here. He said, man we beat him." [00:31]

Junior raced in 291 races and recorded 17 wins from 1999 to 2007 under DEI's banner racing the #8 Chevy with a Budweiser paint scheme before his switch to Hendrick Motorsports in 2008.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. revealed the reason behind the Budweiser paint scheme remaining the same

JR Motorsports co-owner and NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. revealed the reason behind Budweiser's strategy to opt for the iconic red paint scheme on his podcast Dale Jr. Download and how the Bud King of Beers became a synonym for the latter.

Dale Jr. highlighted that Budweiser wanted to build an iconic brand people could easily recognize from a mile away in the pack. They succeeded in the same and opted for the same paint scheme every year to keep things simple and easy to recognize for the fans.

"That makes a whole lot of sense, because now, all these years later, you know, if I had drove 10 or eight different Bud cars throughout the year each year, would this scheme be all that transcending or recognizable, or would it be as iconic today? Likely a little bit less iconic," explained Dale Earnhardt Jr. [00:16].

Earnhardt Jr. added:

"I appreciate their insistence. They knew how to sell beer, right? They knew how to make sure they were easy to spot, easy to find, and they knew what they were doing." [00:31]

Dale Earnhardt Jr. concluded and mentioned that he learned a lot during his time with the beer company. He feels "strongly" about their principles, and he implemented some of them in his own organization, JR Motorsports. Also, NASCAR fans are excited about the return of the beer company.