“We raced all night long; drink beer”: When Dale Earnhardt Jr. described his bachelor days with former ‘roomie’ Martin Truex Jr.

Former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Martin Truex Jr. have been good friends for a long time. Dale Jr. once nostalgically reflected on their early days when he and Truex Jr. had fun when the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion used to live with Earnhardt.

In the early 2000s, when the young Martin Truex Jr. was in the initial stage of his racing journey, he moved to North Carolina and shifted to Dale Jr.’s house. He followed his father Truex Sr.’s footsteps, beginning his career in the ARCA Series. He competed in three full-time seasons in the series from 2000 to 2002.

Five years ago, Dale Earnhardt Jr. called his old friend Martin Truex Jr. on his “Dale Jr. Download” podcast, where they discussed their friendship and living together during their bachelor days. Dale Jr. described one of their personal stories of how they turned their set computer-based racing simulators into a lively, all-night experience filled with gaming, junk food, beer, and Captain Morgan rum.

“I bought four identical computers, and a year goes down the road; all that crap is obsolete. Four brand-new computers come back in the house; we're in there upgrading, updating, installing; everybody's got a wheel. I mean, we had it set up. We had a lot of fun; we raced all night long, slept all day, ate junk, drank beer, and he drank Captain; that's his drink; he's a Captain Morgan guy,” Dale Jr. said.

Martin Truex Jr. had worked with Dale Earnhardt Jr. when he won the two back-to-back NASCAR Xfinity Series championships in 2004 and 2005 with Chance 2 Motorsports, the team co-owned by Dale Jr. However, they also raced against each other for years, fighting for the win at the Cup level.

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“I cheered him on his entire career” - Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Martin Truex Jr.

Last month, during an episode of the Dale Jr. Download podcast, the NASCAR Hall of Famer shared what he told Truex Jr. ahead of the NASCAR retirement race at the season-finale Phoenix weekend. Dale Jr. texted him before meeting him in person.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said:

“I just told him… so I sent him a text message […] and I saw him in person, and I think my overriding opinion is, you know, I have been a fan of his, I cheered him on his entire career.”

“I just was like, ‘Yeah, man. Have some fun.’ It doesn’t seem like it’s an emotional thing for him,” Dale Jr. said to #19 JGR driver ahead of his final race as a full-time racing career.

Truex Jr. wrapped his final season with a 17th place finish at Phoenix last month.