"I couldn't deal with it like he does": When Tony Stewart weighed in on Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s NASCAR popularity

At the start of the 2017 season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced that he'd be retiring from full-time racing at the end of the year. This decision came as a shock to many, including his loyal fanbase who had voted him as the sport's most popular driver for 15 years in a row.

Earnhardt Jr.'s winning streak of the Most Popular Driver award is the longest in the history of the sport. Moreover, his popularity was something that his rival and one of the sport's most popular names, Tony Stewart, himself weighed in on following the announcement of Junior's retirement in 2017.

Here's what the 3x Cup champion said of Dale Earnhardt Jr.:

"I think obviously being the son of one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport is a kickstart to it. But Dale Jr. has that personality and has that appeal to the fans. Every Sunday after the race he does a Periscope video. And every Sunday after the race, I watch it to see what he's going to say about the day. I just like how he engages with people. To be Dale Jr. and to get people just to run up and bump into him trying to get an autograph or a picture, I couldn't deal with it like he does. But he's just so patient with everyone and so patient with the fans."

Stewart added that Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a 'great perspective' of NASCAR because he's been around it all his life.

The former SHR driver-owner also claimed that Junior is 'a great man' and a great person.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. hoped Tony Stewart doesn't close all his doors on NASCAR with SHR announcement

After months of speculation, it was announced earlier in 2024 that Stewart-Haas Racing, co-owned by Gene Haas and Tony Stewart, would be closing shop at the end of the season. The team came into existence of it's most recent form in 2009 and won 3 driver's championships, which included Tony Stewart's third and Kevin Harvick's first.

However, their recent struggles, on and off the track and one of their owners having a team in F1, and one in the NHRA, the organization announced it'd cease to exist at the end of the 2024 season.

Addressing this subject, Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared his take. The NASCAR Hall of Famer hoped that SHR closing wasn't the last that the sport has seen of Tony Stewart.

"I hope that Tony Stewart doesn’t leave NASCAR entirely. That would suck. I just think he’s an icon. He’s a motorsports icon. Done it all. Even though he physically wants to spend a lot of time with his drag racing, and he’s a performer and drives and he’s still out there actively racing, I still love the idea of him having ownership in anything in our sport, because of his legacy. He’s an icon. He’s like A.J. Foyt," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said.

He emphasized that Tony Stewart leaving NASCAR completely wouldn't happen, because if that were to happen, it would be 'pretty crazy.'

However, that's exactly what transpired. Stewart completely exited the sport with the dissolution of SHR, while his partner, Gene Haas, announced that he would continue his involvement in NASCAR with Haas Factory Team in the Xfinity Series.