“It wasn’t fun” - Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s spotter looks back on Bristol race experience involving the NASCAR legend

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s spotter, TJ Majors reflected on last Saturday's Xfinity race at Bristol Motor Speedway [Source: (L)Getty, (R)Imagn]

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s solid P7 finish at Bristol was just the tip of the iceberg. In a recent episode of the Door Bumper Clear podcast, Earnhardt Jr.'s spotter and show co-host TJ Majors shared the issues the driver and his crew experienced during last Saturday's (September 21) Food City 300.

Last year, a fire in the cockpit ultimately ended Earnhardt Jr.'s day, sidelining him from a possible top-19 finish at the 0.533-mile short track. This time, a broken radio and missing glasses stood in the way.

Nevertheless, the team recovered from the situation and backed the veteran racer on the way to his 96th top-10 finish in 147 Xfinity Series starts. However, Majors claimed it was anything but 'fun' to be involved in the hassle.

"We had problems in practice with the radios and I guess they thought they fixed it," Majors recalled in the podcast. "They definitely didn't fix it. It ended up being multiple things. Ending up being where it connects from the helmet to the harness...honestly, to do everything we did and not lose a lap...I thought the guys did a really good job of being prepared for all that swapping helmets, swapping harnesses, radios, push-to-talk buttons."
"It wasn't fun to be involved in it at the time, but I'm sure it was entertaining as hell for everyone that was watching and listening," he added.

Dale Earnhardt Jr will not drive the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevy next year. Instead, he will focus more on his job as a broadcaster with TNT Sports and Amazon Prime. He could sign a driving deal in 2026, but the details are unknown as of now.

"I loved every lap. It was great" - Dale Earnhardt Jr. reflects on his Bristol outing

Dale Earnhardt Jr. pits during the Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway. (Source: Imagn)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. pits during the Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway. (Source: Imagn)

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who retired in 2017, has been competing in at least one Xfinity Series race since 2001, winning back-to-back championship titles in 1998 and 1999. As he nears his one-year hiatus, Junior said he will miss driving the iconic No. 88 machine.

"I loved every lap. It was great,” Earnhardt Jr. said during a post-race interview (via NASCAR). "I mean, I got everything I wanted out of this, and I’ll miss it next year."
"I’m certain I’ll probably sign up for somewhere else," he continued. "Trying not to already start thinking about, where would I run? Where do I want to run? But I definitely do want to take next year off, focus on my broadcasting and get my boots on and get back to work there, make sure I’m doing a good job for that."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will still oversee the operation of JR Motorsports. He also owns the zMAX CARS Tour series alongside former NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick, Hall of Famer Jeff Burton, and Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks.

Besides, Earnhardt Jr. is the owner of Dirty Mo Media, a creative production company founded in 2013 that features several NASCAR podcasts and shows like Actions Detrimental by Denny Hamlin, Door Bumper Clear, and, of course, the Dale Jr. Download.

Ex-Packers champ not convinced with Jalen Hurts after winning Super Bowl MVP: "He's still not an absolutely elite QB"

Quick Links

Edited by Samya Majumdar
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications