As the son of Dale Earnhardt, Junior learned early about which other drivers he could and couldn’t cheer for each week at the track. When you’re a NASCAR driver and a parent, things can be a little weird when your kid starts cheering for one of the other teams.
This week on the Dale Jr Download podcast, Tyler Reddick was a guest. As a young father, Reddick is already learning how to deal with how his son expresses his NASCAR fandom.
While on the topic, Dale Earnhardt Jr. brought up a time his dad didn’t like the driver he was sporting on his hat. The Intimidator let his son support other drivers. And Dale Jr. was careful to not cheer for anyone that was a constant competitor week in and week out.
“If I wore the wrong hat, dad would pull it off my head and set it on fire,” the NASCAR Hall of Famer said, laughing.
“The hat he took off – so my grandfather Robert Gee worked for Rick Hendrick. Geoff Bodine drove his car and dad and Jeff would wreck each other all the time. Dad wrecked Geoff a bunch. I loved it, I loved when dad would wreck Geoff. But I also loved my granddaddy.
“I came home from his house with a Levi Garrett [tobacco] [Bodine] hat on, and that’s the one he yanked off my head and threw it on the ground and set it on fire.”
Bodine and Earnhardt had their fair share of run-ins with one another. On top of that, a young Dale Jr. sporting a chewing tobacco hat probably didn’t entertain his dad too much.
“I had it coming,” the podcast host admitted.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Gets Personal With Tyler Reddick
During the podcast episode, Tyler Reddick really opens up with Dale Earnhardt Jr. They talk about family life, raising kids as a NASCAR driver, the last few weeks of the season, and the upcoming weeks of the year. For the newest 23XI Racing driver, it was a great episode that showed a lot of his personality.
What you will notice with Reddick is that he is a serious dude. He wants to be the best in NASCAR no matter what it takes. Still, he knows how to have a fun time and doesn’t take himself too seriously.
They talk about Reddick getting caught up with the JR Motorsports cars in the Xfinity Series, the new Monster Beast Unleashed, and so much more. We even get a little word on how Reddick is dealing with the team change and seeing Kyle Busch in his old car.
Give it a listen. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is always putting out a great product, always giving fans something that they normally don’t get from the media.