“I’m doing this because of my dad”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. reveals advice from random driver who was inspired by his podcast

Before the late model race at Florence Motor Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was on the verge of quitting, following a poor qualifying performance. However, a fellow competitor approached him and advised him to keep his head up.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a former NASCAR Cup Series driver who recently entered a late model race in the returning Budweiser No. 8 car. His 40th starting position left him disappointed but he pulled up his socks after receiving advice from a local driver who claimed he was inspired by the iconic driver's podcast, Dale Jr. Download.

In an X (formerly Twitter) post by Frontstretch, Earnhardt Jr. shared the conversation with a fellow competitor who encouraged him to compete in the race. He stated:

"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]

The 26-time Cup race winner said his fellow competitor admitted he was his inspiration, saying racing makes him feel closer to his late father.

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 driver added:

"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.'"

Dale Earnhardt Jr. entered the race in P40 before charging through the field all the way up to P2. However, his No. 8 car had a mechanical issue related to the fuel pump, forcing him to retire in the second half of the race.

Treyten Lapcevich won the South Carolina 400 from Florence Motor Speedway and went home with the $10,000 prize money.

---

Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares how he contacted Budweiser for a reunion

Dale Earnhardt Jr (L) celebrates with driver Justin Allgaier after winning the 2024 Xfinity Series championship - Source: Imagn

Ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s return to racing, the former NASCAR driver shared how the Budweiser reunion came about. The Kannapolis native said he just contacted the beer company for a collaboration following the expiration of the 8 trademark license previously held by his stepmother, Teresa.

Speaking with FloRacing, Earnhardt Jr said:

"We just called Budweiser and asked them if they wanted to do something. Since the 8 was no longer licensed, we could if we wanted to." [0:19]

He continued by saying:

"We pitched them a deck of an idea and what we've done in the past with some of our partners like Sun Drop and Bass Pro with this car and they were all about it [...] I didn't expect it to get this much excitement. I'm glad the fans are happy...lots of folks are here today, they're wearing old Bud stuff. It's good to see. Car is driving good and hopefully, we'll have some fun to race."

The license expired on June 3, 2024, with Teresa Earnhardt opting not to renew the trademark. She got the license following Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s passing at the 2001 Daytona 500, which caused conflicts with Earnhardt Jr. through the years.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive the returning Budweiser No. 8 car in a limited series of late model stock car races until 2025.