“No you can’t”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. has heartbreaking reaction to Kyle Petty’s “full circle” comment

On the recent episode of the Dale Jr. Download, host Dale Earnhardt Jr. was joined by the father and son duo of Richard Petty and Kyle Petty as guests. And it was during their conversation that a heartbreaking moment ensued, one which was related to Dale Earnhardt Sr.

During their conversation, Earnhardt Jr. asked Kyle Petty if he and his father had made up for the disconnect they experienced due to professional obligations and situations.

In response, the 7x NASCAR Cup champion said that he and his son are closer now than they've ever been, with his son, Kyle, stating that professional contexts shaped their relationship dynamic in the past, when he went from being Richard Petty's son to working under him and then eventually becoming teammates, and then parting ways with his father to drive for different teams.

"And then I gave that up, and I came back and I was his business partner. We went in and had a team together in the early 2000s. And then when all that changed and went away, I became a son again. So it's a full circle."

Kyle Petty also added that he will never get to experience such a thing with his son Adam, who tragically died in the year 2000, just as Dale Earnhardt Jr. won't get to experience this with his father, who also tragically died in 2001.

For Kyle, this was something that he claimed he misses, something which is "a hole" that cannot be filled, to which Earnhardt Jr. replied with a simple yet heartbreaking statement,

"No, you can't."

Having said that, Kyle Petty added how that absence wasn't the end of the world and that one can try other ways to cope, something with which Junior seemed to agree.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. would've loved to hear his father's thoughts on his 2004 milestone

Dale Earnhardt Jr. winning the 2004 Daytona 500 is easily one of the biggest and most emotional moments in the history of NASCAR. But it was a win that Junior earned with all his talent, skills, and race craft.

And that's why Junior wished, as quoted per The Athletic, that his father could see him winning the race.

“That was a masterclass, and I feel like (Dad) would have loved everything about what I did and what I was doing there at the end of that race. I badly would love to sit down with him and watch what was going on.”

For Earnhardt Jr., winning that race was all about a sense of relief. He insisted that it wasn't elation that one feels after a win; it was relief that took over him as he crossed the checkered flag in first place in that race.