“You also need to know how to drive a car”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes a cheeky dig at Phoenix pace car drama

Dale Earnhardt Jr. took a hilarious jibe at the pace car driver at Phoenix last Sunday. There has been a lot of talk about how the official Toyota Camry pace car rammed straight into the sand barriers crossing the then-race leader Chase Elliott’s nose merely by inches. Therefore, the NASCAR Hall of Famer, too, had to touch upon the matter.

The pace car allegedly miscalculated its turn onto the pit road. The field was brought to a halt on lap 69 and the crew rushed to the vicinity to clear the mess. Thankfully, nobody was hurt.

“Was that Michael Phelps?” reigning Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney was heard saying, noting the fact that the decorated Olympian drove the pace car to start the event. But no, Phelps was not driving the car at the time of the crash.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. spoke about the incident in a recent episode of his podcast "Dale Jr. Download". The 50-year-old said that while the pace car's move was deliberate, the driver also needed to know how to drive a car.

“When the pace car is leading the field and is going to go to pit road, one of the great things that I loved about a broadcast, especially with Ken Squier, was they would say the pace car dives onto pit road,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a recent episode of his Dale Jr. Download podcast. “It has to be a deliberate move, but you also need to know how to drive a car. It is also important to understand the laws of gravity.”

The two-time Xfinity Series champion suggested that the pace car drivers from now on should take driving lessons with the car that they were going to lead the field with, stating:

“Take that specific car, though. So you can really understand the lateral grp and the limits that this car has. The guy's no stranger to driving cars, but it was like he was driving that one for the first time. He expected more and the car just didn't deliver. (0:36)”

“There are more exciting race tracks”- Dale Earnhardt Jr. drops verdict on Phoenix Raceway

Dale Earnhardt Jr. loves Phoenix Raceway and the way it races during the championship weekend. However, he also noted that there are tracks that are more exciting than the low-banked, mile-long racetrack in Avondale, Arizona.

"I think the general opinion is there are more exciting racetracks,” explained Dale Earnhardt Jr. (via Newsweek). “Look, you can try your hardest to build 50 racetracks of different types and there's going to be a great one and there's going to be one that's not so good and Phoenix kind of falls right in the middle somewhere. It has some great events. We had a great event in the Xfinity series the night before. That's the thing. It has potential."

Phoenix Raceway has been hosting the Championship 4 since 2020 and it is expected to stay that way at least until 2025. Before that (from 2012 to 2019), the championship race used to be held at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Is it finally time to move things around?

“Should we race somewhere else for the final race of the year? We probably should move it around. I think that Phoenix has had a great run…” Earnhardt Jr. added.

Two Cup Series races took place at the Phoenix Raceway in 2024, with the first of them being the Shriners Children's 500, that was won by Christopher Bell while Chris Buescher and Ty Gibbs came second and third, respectively. Joey Logano won the Championship Race, which was the second to take place at the track.

The 2025 Cup Series schedule has been set already, and the same two races are scheduled to take place at the Phoenix Raceway.