The Dale Jr. Download - 145 - Racing Without Junior Is ____

Episode Date: August 8, 2016

We learn a lot about ourselves as we watch racing without Junior; Jim Utter of Motorsport.com joins the show to discuss Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Friday visit to Watkins Glen. Check out Dirty Mo Media on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DirtyMoMedia  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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This is Dale Jr., and you're listening to Dirty Moe Radio. Hey, everybody, it's Jr. Monday after the Glen, pretty low-key week this week. Everybody, I'm sure, is excited about getting a break back the end of the summer here and getting a chance to spend some time with their families and there won't be any racing this weekend on the cup side, but definitely got the Xfinity cars to tune in to, and so we're excited about that.

But I went to the racetrack on Friday, and that was good. A lot of exposure there, which is good for me, really drove my symptoms up. But that's what my doctor wants me to do is go into those kind of situations. So what we've been doing, there's no new, there's no real update on the process. You know, I watched both the races pretty much. I missed a little bit here and there. And, yeah, I don't know.

That Xfinity race was pretty good, I guess. The cup race was pretty good. I don't have a whole lot to add to what I saw. It looked like it was just real tough as far as the combination of the tire and the surface look really slick. As you saw the 2 and 18 struggling on restarts down into term 1. You could see everybody sort of real twitchy and having trouble getting going there, trying to understand the grip level. So that kind of fell into Denny's lap there,

and he did a great job at the end to put together the laps. He needed any little mistake would have put the 78 car right there, and I know Trex was hungry for a win. He always is. And so that was, it was tough to see Jeff get into the trouble he had there early. But they did a great job of fixing his car and getting into where he could compete. You know, the guys were ready and jumped right on it. But they were just having such rough luck.

I know it's going to turn around for them. I'm excited to see how things are going in Bristol. There's some interesting things about the particular, about the, the particular weekend and the racetrack itself that I think fans are going to be excited about. And so that's really got me excited about tuning in and watching. I guess, you know, lastly, we want to remember Brian Clausen and send our thoughts and prayers to his family and his friends. I think that everyone, you know, he was well known before this particular year, but in this last season he was out there racing so often and winning so often and you were hearing his name over and over

how he was competing this year and trying to run the 200 races and I think everyone was pulling for him and he was accomplishing so much I didn't know him very well but I you know reading and understanding the reaction it seems like that he was very well liked very well respected a great well-mannered kind of person. Those are the things that I appreciate the most. Obviously, I can certainly respect his talent and his ability, but it's even more impressive when someone can be so successful, yet be humble and kind at the same time.

He'll be missed by all the motorsports community and all the fans, and it's just really sad when you have to wake up to that kind of news that the sport and his fans have lost such a bright talent. So young, with so much yet to experience, so he will be missed. I hope you enjoy the download, and everyone have a good week. This is the Dale Jr. Download presented by Spy. It's the craziest paint scheme yet. Get the all-new limited edition Spy Rangler-Dega sunglasses online at Spyoptic.com.

With Mike Davis and with first name Davis, I'm Taylor Zarser. We'd like to dedicate this program to the memory of Brian Cawson, tragically passed away due to a crash in a midget national race on Saturday night at the age of 27 and the entire motorsports world is mourning the loss of Brian Cawson, who clearly was admired, respected, and supported by many of the drivers and many of the people associated not only with NASCAR, Mike, but all of motorsports. Yeah, you know, I got text messages this morning as we're coming to work and you hear the news that you just really hoped you wouldn't hear.

I haven't even seen the accident. I don't want to. I know it was probably horrific and I just don't want to even watch it. I don't know a whole lot about Brian, but it's still, you don't have to know much about a person when they are, you know, killed in a racing accident. You just feel it. You feel it in your gut.

You hate it. And I don't, I just, my heart goes out to his family. Just not a whole lot you can really say about that. It just stings so bad. I hate it. It really does. And I know a lot of people are mourning the loss of Brian and certainly we're thinking of his family and all those close to him at this very difficult time.

The greatest thing about motorsports, specifically NASCAR, is how big of a family it is. And certainly we all want to lean on each other as this is taking place. To a much smaller degree, I think we've all been trying to support Dale Earnhardt Jr. As he's gone through a difficult stretch in the last few weeks, Mike, you've been really, really close to him for a number of years, but specifically you've been close to him these last few weeks. And I think all of us appreciated the perspective that he gave us on this, podcast last week that he gives us every single week, but especially last week when he came in

studio and sat down and visited with you. And I think the thing that we admire most about, at least that I do, is it's the same reason why he started that you and him started this podcast. It's that he wanted to give everyone as accurate of a perspective about his life and career as possible. And during a challenging time health-wise, he's doing that right now. And I think that's, there are a number of reasons why we all want him to return and do what he loves and live a healthy life. But I so appreciate how much he wants to give accurate information and give everyone as good a perspective as he possibly can.

Well, you know, of all the stuff he said last week, I would say that the thing that struck me most was it's giving him peace of mind to be this. transparent and I even mentioned he's being way more transparent than we are even comfortable with and I've got my reasons a lot of people would sit there and say why don't you quit holding him back listen this this whole podcast this whole dirty-mo radio exists to give him outlets when he so chooses and he has chosen to use it as an outlet to to inform us but also that it gives him peace of mind that's the number one reason so it's doing him good as much as it's doing us good

Dale Jr. is who he is, and the reason people like him and love him is because of how transparent is. He is the most honest guy I know. I wish more people that were in a position of fame, that were athletes that had the kind of, that could make the kind of impact that he can operate it in a similar fashion. that people I once saw a baseball player say something that really bothered me during batting practice at a game mic

this guy was busting the chops of a, and not in a malicious way, but just busting the chops during batting practice of a really good baseball player who's since retired. And this baseball player turned around and said, do I come to your office and give you a hard time while I'm trying to work?

And I mean, I'll, wanted to jump over the fence and just strangle the guy. You know what? The guy, whoever was giving him a hard time or just to busting his chops, that's not his job. His job doesn't require fans to come into the stands and pay his salary. He has a different source of employment. And unfortunately, there are too many athletes out there that think, you know what, I don't

need to be bothered by the fans. I don't have time for them. I'm working. I'm concentrating. guess who pays your in salary, pal? Guess who's responsible for the money you make? Dale Jr. gets that as much as anybody in a position of success and fame does. And I so respect and appreciate that.

You know what? These people are literally and figuratively supporting me. In return, I want to give them as much information as I can from the horse's mouth. And I do. I wish more people in all walks of life. operated that way, but I so appreciate that. Davis, first name Davis here, said something after that interview. It was later in the day, and we were sort of kind of, once we get the podcast out,

he said, you know, athletes just don't do that. Right. With, you know, with PR people even. They don't just do that. Am I wrong, Davis, you did say that, right? Yeah. Okay, I'll just make it sure. I don't know.

They don't do that. I've never seen an athlete do something. Well, most people do what the guy at batting practice did. That's what they do. Right. Right. So it's very refreshing and we're very proud to be associated with him. I know I am.

Coming up in just a second, I know you're going to talk to Jim Utter, Mike, but I'd love to get your perspective on the press conference the other day and also what happened late in the week. Because, of course, last time many people listening right now heard from Dale Jr., at least before that press conference, it was on this very podcast, and Dale was talking about a big trip that he had to make. So give us an update. Well, so the thing about Friday, it was decided earlier in the week, maybe even the week before, that it was probably time to appear to the media.

Because up until that point, the last three or four weeks, the only updates from Dale Jr. were on this podcast. And so, you know, it was time for him to appear to the media and be able to answer their questions. Now, I think that a lot of the questions had been answered up into that point. I mean, he was so thorough, as you were saying, and so detailed about what he was feeling. So there was really nothing left unsaid, but it still gives them the courtesy of being able to talk and ask Dell Jr. questions. And we had not done that. And I work very closely with Jesse Essex over at Hendrick Motorsports and saying, hey, you know, it feels right. This feels like it's time.

Now, the other thing is, is that that was also part of the healing process. And Jr. spoke to that on Friday. His doctor wants him to put himself in situations and environments that might trigger symptoms. And there is no better environment to really test that than at the racetrack. And we had not been back to the racetrack since, what was it? Kentucky? Is that, is that right? Yeah, Kentucky was the last race.

So this was also part of the rehab, to be honest with you. Let's go back to the track. let's put yourself in a press conference setting. Let's get into the garage and let's see if you're dealing with some of these symptoms that you have been struggling with. He did experience symptoms, but he was able to manage them and it was a lot of good insight and data for him and his doctor to discuss. And, you know, as they sit there and try to make progress and get him back to the track. And so it was a good day. In fact, I even joke to somebody.

It was our best walkings glint trip over the years. Even though we probably could have, you know, had some good races there, and we would have won it if you're going to race, as we all know, that this was that year. But that's going to be reserved for next year. But it was a good trip. You know, the best part of it, Taylor, was the moment when he walked into the garage and his guys saw him.

It was really special. It was a good moment. That right there made it all worthwhile, just seeing him and his team. They had seen each other up, you know, over the past few weeks, but it was always at Hendrick Motorsports, sometimes just seeing him in that garage. I think it did a lot for everybody involved, the team guys especially. Well, I know that you want to get more perspective from the media, and so we're going to bring in Jim Utter of Motorsports.com here in just a second

to get his perspective on the press conference on Friday and what's going on with Dale Jr. And what races are like to cover without Dale Jr. Or what? Yeah, we're going to get. get to that coming up in just a second. First, let me tell you, Nationwide is proud to sponsor the NASCAR Foundation's Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award given to one NASCAR fan who is making an impact in their

community with children's charities. Visit NASCAR.com slash award to watch the stories of four amazing finalists and vote today and every day for your favorite. The winner will get $100,000 for their charity. Vote today at NASCAR.com slash award. Be dial. On the phone with us is Jim Utter from motorsport.com, our pal, long-time reporter in NASCAR. And Utter, I wanted to get you on here because we go up to Watkins Glen on Friday.

It was Dale Jr.'s first appearance at a racetrack since all this concussion stuff went down. And I really just wanted to get your impressions on how the day went from the media's perspective. I mean, you were there, you asked him questions, you spoke with him afterwards. Just what was your impressions? You and I haven't talked about this. So I'm really just curious. What did you see? Well, I think a person, I'm sure that everybody felt that way, whether it was a race fan watching on television

or even the members of his team or his fellow drivers. And for us, I mean, we're accustomed to seeing him at the track every weekend. You know, being NASCAR's most popular driver and generally very successful. He usually plays some sort of role in everything that takes place over the course of a weekend. And I think it was good, you know, it was good to hear him on the podcast the last several weeks kind of explaining what all was going on with him so people had a better idea. But it's always good to put a face with what you're hearing. And I just think it kind of reassured people that, you know, the same Dale Jr.

that everybody knows is still there, but he has some issues that he's trying very hard to work through and doing a very good job. And personally, in the podcast recently, you know, he had explained how his doctors have been pushing him to kind of put himself into these situations which might actually trigger his symptoms, you know, where there's a lot going on or where he might feel a little uncomfortable or nervous

or he talks about anxiety. And I kind of figured, you know, and I didn't know this ahead of time if this even played a role in it, but I kind of thought, well, there's no better way to test your limits on something like that than throwing yourself in front of the media in a news conference that you know is going to be very well attended and take questions. questions from people, some of which you know, some of which you don't, and have no idea what the questions are going to be. So if there was anything that was going to kind of test his limits, I think that would certainly be a very good test. And then spending much of the day out and about in the garage and so forth, it was just good to see him around.

And I'm glad that I thought he's done a remarkable job. sharing information to everyone about what's been going on and that's what I said to him afterwards. I just thanked him for being very frank and forthcoming when he didn't really have to be. And I think one of the things that he's done is show people that, you know, this whole idea of, I think, for too long in sports in general, oh, guy, somebody got a concussion, shake it off, they'll be back next week. If anything, Dale has kind of really brought to light that each one of these situations is different,

and they're very complex, and they don't have easy fixes or simple solutions, and we should all be a little bit more aware of that in the future, you know, as fans and as media people, and even as perhaps as his fellow driver. You know, you said a lot of things interesting right there, but, you know, the media is a lot of things. I don't know if you've ever considered yourself symptom triggers. Now you're officially a symptom. I don't know. I think we've set off some symptoms, but they weren't concussion related.

Maybe it felt like concussions. I don't know. I mean, of course, there have been plenty of situations where you, the media have been, probably felt like you just got hit with a concussion dealing with some of these drivers, right? I know we've probably ticked some people off a time or two. No, I thought it was very well done on everybody's part. And to answer your question on you didn't know if it was part of the idea of going up there. It was, that was part of it.

That was one of the reasons why Dale going to the track was necessary to put him back in that environment to see if he felt a lot of the symptoms that he still feels. and so that was necessary. And yeah, not only do you go to a press conference, but it's being carried live on NBC Sports Network, right? I mean, hey, Dale, just so you know, it's going to be live TV. I mean, live TV is its own set of anxiety. I mean, you could probably assume what some of the questions were going to be. You never know, for sure.

There's always one that you'd never even see coming, no matter how well you thought through it. What were your expectations? Be honest, everything you've heard on the podcast and everything that Dale has said, He's been very transparent. Did you have some sort of preconceived expectations on what he would probably look like or act like or do before he got in there? The only – I assume that he would look.

You've seen some pictures. You know, he's tweeted some photos having lunch with Kelly and his knees and stuff. So, I mean, you know, it was clear that, you know, he didn't look any different. Somebody joked with him when he first sat down. and asked him where his glasses were. Right. Because, you know, in some of the pictures, he's been wearing his glasses. But the only thing I wondered was, since he had talked so much about his balance issues

and the gay civilization, I wondered if we would notice that ourselves, like when he was coming into the room or when he was walking around or when he was making eye contact with people. But to be honest, I really didn't notice anything different. Or when I spoke to him briefly personally after it was over. And in fact, I actually later that evening sent you a text message, and I was just curious to find out if the day went as well as he hoped it would and did what he hoped it would accomplish, and I traded a couple of messages with him on Twitter about it,

and I was glad to hear that it did, but it was nothing that, you know, I didn't really, I didn't really have a lot of expectations, and I didn't come away with things that was anything more or less, you know, going on than what I had already heard or thought, and not to teach your own horn, really, but you guys have done a really great job. with the podcast and having him sit down and his willingness to sit down and explain everything that's been going on up until now. Well, that's been all Dale. I couldn't even begin to take credit for that, but that's been Dale and how much he's

been willing to be transparent, which is something that, as you know, as we go through this, I mean, transparency is something, it can be scary. I mean, especially if you're us, let alone Dale. Dale's just naturally transparent and honest. You know that to be true. I mean, he'll wear his emotions on his sleeve. That's when it can get a little. anxious for us, but this is how he so chooses to do it.

And so, and he has that platform to speak his mind. It's interesting, he went out of his way to show appreciation and say the media was part of that group that he was glad to see at the track. And I also found it very interesting when he was wrapping up his press conference and he got up. There ended up being kind of like four, five, six media members that got out of their seat and came and just said nice things to him. And I'm going to tell you something.

It meant the world to him. It meant the world that people would get out of their seat and come and shake his hands and say, hey, it's good to see you back. And, you know, what is your thought on that? I mean, you don't really see that a whole lot. No, it was very nice of them. But, you know, I just figure, you know, here's a guy, clearly the most popular driver in NASCAR, who any other time he comes every week virtually, he goes to a racetrack.

He's basically surrounded and consumed by commitments to sponsors, to charity, to media press conferences, to talking before qualifying and after qualifying and before the race and after the race, and a lot more if you win a poll, and even a lot more than that if you actually win the race. and you probably think that these guys get tired of all that and I get tired of it sometimes from your own job

as far as the monotony, you know. But when you step away and it's suddenly not there, and I'm not just talking for a couple days, but, you know, it's been weeks now since Dale had been to the track. I can't imagine what it's like. I mean, it's nice to have time away, but when that has become a part of her life for some, a long period of time.

And he's been in NASCAR racing in some fashion as long as I've been a reporter. So it's been a part of his life for the better part of 20 years, that routine. And when it's suddenly not there, I can kind of imagine that it might feel a little kind of displacement, you know, like what happened to everything? And those of us who spend a lot of time covering every race are almost, every race. It's not like you become, you know, best buds with everybody's feet, but you certainly develop a relationship of working with them over the course of many years and every... So you certainly don't want to see anything bad happen to them.

And it was good, you know, it was just good to see him back because, in part because you knew how much he wants to be bad, and you could tell that through the way that he was discussing and answering the questions. And, you know, it just, I think a lot of the media, aside from always having a fairly good relationship with Dale, or generally have been genuinely appreciative of how open he's been in discussions of all this, because to be honest, if you look around a lot of sports, you don't see that kind of information or willingness to talk openly about problems as serious in dealing with issues like this.

I hear you. I hear you. I was almost going to ask you if you were surprised by the reaction everybody's had through this whole process. Because I think we have been pleasantly surprised at how receptive people have been to, one, Del Jr's feelings, even though they're not really visible. I guess we almost expected that we'd have to go in and explain a lot more. But I think people really have just generally said, no, we get it.

and he needs to take as much time as possible. Is that your feeling as far as the reception? Yeah, pretty much. And I also think that the process started, we felt as a media member, I think, and there were others, felt like we didn't know a whole lot, you know. But through the podcast and then talking to him in person, we learned that we probably knew not that much less than what Dale knew.

You know what I mean? It's not a situation that has answers and quick fixing. One of the great things that you guys did that I thought was very helpful was when this first started, you know, we were basically told that Dale was sitting out because he was experiencing concussion-like symptoms. Well, one of the questions myself and a lot of other people had was, I wonder, has someone actually told him, did he get a concussion? or is this left over from concussions of the past?

Right. Because it wasn't really answered. And then I think it was in your second podcast. I wasn't sure where Dale actually answered that question. And I'm sure this took time where his doctors finally concluded that he did experience a concussion from the incident at Michigan. Right. But the reason why, and then we learned the reason why it was so difficult to nail that down is because, symptoms were not apparent immediately after that incident.

Right. So it was a difficult thing to nail down. And that, to me, shows how difficult this entire process is and how much goes into it. It wasn't just like, you know, Dale was in a wreck. He got a person. He felt fine after it's the fact that I believe he took his trip to Europe shortly after that wreck. Right. that rat. So, I mean, clearly

he was felt by enough to say. So I didn't all learn a lot during this experience, really. Dude, well said. I couldn't add anything else to that. I mean, you're 100% right on everything. That's exactly how this thing

transpired. It was, he didn't know this was concussion. Even when he started feeling the symptoms, I mean, he went and got examined for everything but concussion. He even said, I thought I had Lyme disease. I'm like, how do you know what Lyme disease feels like, by the way? You know, so it's like, All these things that, you know, we just, it was a process that took a couple weeks, two, three weeks to actually get down to, wait a second. This is probably, we need to go look at, go visit the doctor up in Pittsburgh and see, you know, let's get some scans.

Let's see where we're at. And so that's interesting. You're spot on. Hey, listen, before we let you go, I've got to ask you this. We're driving to work this morning. We are hit with the news about Brian Clausen, and I don't want to put you on the spot. because obviously you're probably learning this as we all are. What is your takeaway?

It feels just, I don't know Brian Claussen. I honestly, I admit I can't even remember when he last competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race. It just takes the win right out of you when, you know, it feels like a loss of the family, even when you don't know them well. You knew them better than, you know them better than I do. Just what is your impressions right now to hear this news on a Monday morning? it just it stinks

it just stinks well yeah it does and it kind of had a cloud over the end of the race weekend because anybody who saw the accident on the video knew it was a serious thing that happened on Saturday night

and this is very said I had met Brian when he was a development driver for Chip Canassie he had worked with some of today's you know Brian Patty worked with him as a crew chief when he was over there, and so did Todd Parr. And so he was known in NASCAR.

He was known in IndyCar. He was known by a lot of the guys like Casey Kane and Kyle Larson and those guys who have raced sprints and midgets, because that's what he also liked to do. He reminded me in a way of a younger version of Tony Stewart. He had experienced all the success in all the different forms of motorsports like Toney Storer had, but he had committed to being that kind of a versatile driver and had done just about everything. I actually saw an interesting fact this morning from day first up in Indiana that Brian Klaus remains the only driver in history to lead, I think it was lead a lap or start in the

Indianapolis 500 and compete in a sprint card race the very same day. Wow. Wow. I mean, that's crazy when you think about it. Yeah. But I always, you know, I haven't seen him personally in a while, but I was always the always the most polite, nicest guy to me was very outgoing and just absolutely, and that was clear.

I mean, I think part of his deal this year was he was trying to run. 200 different races and had already surpassed like 150 or something. But certainly a talented and well-like person. And I think... Well said, my man. I hear you on that. And I appreciate you sharing those thoughts. It's not something that you and I had discussed beforehand.

And so I didn't want to put you on the spot. But obviously, we were all hit with this news this morning. And it was something we had hoped we would not hear over the weekend when we learned of his crash. I've not watched the video, and I probably won't. I don't want to see it. But I know, I just know how horrific it is. And to be honest with you, now I realize that, you know, this Watkins Glen weekend has just by coincidence been a weekend when we've experienced this before with the Kevin Ward incident.

Yeah, we've had a lot of recent, not very good Watkins Glenwood. Right. Right. So that's just a coincidence, obviously. But Utter, I really appreciate you. I hope you have safe travels back. I know you've been in your home state in New York, and so that probably, maybe you have a part of you.

It just wants to stay there. But you've got to come back, my way. Well, I am going to stay here for a few days. So I'm going to take a little R&R. You can read Jim Utter stuff on motorsport.com. He and Lee Spencer, I'm going to tell you something, Davis. They're the dynamic duo. You can't beat them.

I mean, they're all over it. So I appreciate everything you do for the sport, utter, and your coverage, and especially the way you've treated your coverage of Dale Jr. through this concussion-like symptom stuff, and I just wanted to get your take, and I appreciate you being on the download. Thank you very much, and tell Dale,

they'll look forward to seeing them again soon. This is Natalie Saither. Tune into Motor Mouse every other Wednesday to listen to Katie Carson and I ask drivers off-the-wall questions with even better answers right here on Dirty Moor Radio. So that's Mike and Jim Utter

breaking down the press conference talking about what that was like where Dale Jr. is at, and what races are like to cover without Dale Jr. participating. Mike, can you imagine watching Major League Baseball if the Chicago Cubs weren't allowed to play? Oh, that's a good analogy, to be honest with you. Like if it was the replacement players. No, no, no, just the Cubs have been eliminated and they're not playing baseball anymore.

Well, I'm sort of familiar with that type of scenario, but yeah, yeah, it'd be an eliminated. I guess to a degree you're right, because Jeff Gordon is racing for Dale Jr. So I guess that may be replacement players. But if the Chicago Cubs weren't participating, I don't know that you'd be that interested in Major League Baseball. No, I don't even watch, like if it's in the World Series or the playoffs. No, I don't really, I'm not glued to it. That's where I'm out. I might pay attention in spurts.

That's where I'm at. Now, I will say as a diehard Boston Red Sox fan, there's been times in the last month where I wish the Red Sox weren't playing as bad as they've been. But that's where I'm at right now in NASCAR. And look, I have a whole lot of friends in NASCAR and a lot of great relationships that I've developed through the years. I'm really especially grateful to you and a performance racing network and many people in the media that I've met. I'm especially excited because of my relationship with Performance Racing Network that I'm going to get to call this Virginia Tech Tennessee game at Bristol Motor Speedway. I cannot wait for that. So I want to make this really clear and qualify my remarks by saying there are a lot of people I care about in the sport.

Having said that, I don't have much interest in watching the races if Dale and Art Jr. is not involved in them. A few years ago, I was trying to be as objective as I could at Texas Motor Speedway, and Dale Jr. ran into the grass in the first couple laps and was gone. Oops. I thought, well, this sucks, you know, because he was basically not in the race. and unfortunately for many listening right now that's been the feeling for the last month I don't really care who wins these races I don't really care what happens in the races

it's not that I wish any ill will to the sport I want the sport to grow and to succeed and I know years from now that we're going to have to get used to this and all of us are going to have to find a new driver that becomes our Chicago Cubs or our Boston Red Sox but it's really tough right now, man.

It's really tough to watch these races without him out there. Having said that, I don't want this man to come back unless he's absolutely ready. He has complete peace of mind. I would never want him to get in the car as a fan of his mic unless he was completely at peace of mind and completely healthy. But it does really stink not have him out there. I don't. I can't find, and I know you're this way, too.

There's plenty of guys out on the track that I have a lot of respect for and think the world of and like their personality. Right. But they can't become my driver. Right. They can't replace Dell. Yeah. So it's a very awkward time. So if you're looking for a Watkins Glen breakdown, this is not the place for you.

We tried. It's not that we didn't try, but you know what I've noticed? We're learning a lot about ourselves through this. experience. I've learned that I can't be as interested in races that don't have Dale Jr. Now, let me clarify that. In races that's supposed to have Dell Jr. Like, I can watch an Xfinity Series race and go into it knowing that Dale Jr. is not entered in that race, and I can be completely wired in. But in races that we know Dale Jr. was supposed to be in, I am learning that myself, I can't be as glued to it as I would.

And it's sort of like to me, it's like going to a wedding of people that you know, but you're not really friends with. So, like, you're pulling for them, you know, you hope they have a good marriage. But I don't really want to be here. Like, this is sort of excruciating. It's killing my entire day to watch this ceremony, and I don't really have a connection with them. Does that make sense?

Yes. There's other places that I would rather be. Or maybe it's a wedding of somebody that they were going to marry your buddy, but now they're marrying, you know, just an acquaintance. Like, that's not my pal. Oh, boy. Yeah, not that I've had that situation. I'm just trying to be.

Now we're really going down to the instructions. I thought we were doing well with the Cubs parallel. That was a really good one. You go to all kinds of interesting weddings. I'm just saying, it's just like, what does this feel like? I'm having to learn about myself. And it's just like, I want Jeff Gordon to do well. I do.

Let me tell you something. What else has changed is my whole opinion of Jeff Gordon. Not that I didn't dislike it. Not that I disliked him. No, no, no, no, really. I'm telling you, I appreciate Jeff Gordon more for the past three weeks, and I have his entire well-do-well successful career. He has achieved everything there is achieved.

And yet, when I think of Jeff Gordon, it's this part that makes me really stand out. Like, this is a hell of a guy. But you looked at me like I was crazy at the beginning of the year when I can't. kept telling you, man, I tell you what, this guy's awesome in the broadcast booth. No, I agree with that. You've always kind of had a, as a Dale Jr. fan and coworker, you've always kind of had a rivalry with you. No, no, without a doubt. No, that's true, for sure. For sure. And I think that the Gordon people would say the same thing about Dale, right? I think they're having an awkward time dealing with the fact that he's in their car, even though it's cool to watch him race again.

But anybody but the 88, that would be nice. Any car but the 88. And to your point about pulling for him, I am too, but not that I really wanted this to happen, but we said this a few weeks ago. It's kind of validating the qualifying issues and also some of the struggles, some of the challenges. This team has been through the last few weeks because everybody was so hard on Dale Jr. For some of the challenges that they were having this year,

clearly Jeff Gordon is experiencing a four-time champion. One of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport is at least having as much trouble. or is many challenges. Is that fair to say? Yeah, I mean, I would be lying if I said I didn't think it, but the fact of the matter is, you know, if you go back to last week and some of the comments that Dale Jr. said,

I thought one of the most compelling, if not the most compelling thing, he said, had nothing to do with concussion update, but more to have to do with the Joe Gibbs racing dominance right now. That was very interesting. Now, again, oh, I guess Gibbs did win that race. I was going to say Gibbs didn't win. No, they did, actually. Denny Hamlin, I forgot.

He's a Gibbs drive. But anyways, I thought that his comments on that, I mean, you talk about being candid. Go back and listen to what Junior said about Joe Gibbs racing. That was putting it all out there. So, yeah, there's a lot of work to be done. But yeah, I don't know, man, I try. I watch it. Listen, here's the other thing I'll say, Taylor.

That was an interesting race to watch. No, it was. As road courses are. Road courses are interesting. So I'm not saying it. And don't ever put me in, I'm not talking about you, Taylor. I'm talking about fans. Don't ever put me in that camp with you guys that say, it's boring.

I will never say that. It annoys me when people sit there and label stuff boring. It's not the quality of the product. You don't have a rooting interest. Right. And that stinks. That's what I'm saying. I don't have that rooting interest.

I want Dale. I've tried. Yeah, it would be cool with TrueX-1. It'd be cool. There's drivers out there that it would be cool if they won. But it's not going to feel that void in my heart. I like what you said about the Xfinity because you're prepared for him not being in the race. although my favorite Exfinity race of the year was in Richmond, just whatever it's worth.

Sure. But no, you're prepared for that, and we've had, we were unprepared, certainly, and it still really stinks, because that's his team, that's his car, and you wish he was out there. But you want him to be completely healthy and have peace of mind before that day happens again. It's like watching a cover band. It's like watching a cover band, and not the real thing. There you go. That's much better than your marriage.

Yeah. Yeah, it's not like, you want ACDC, but you've got the cover band ADHD. It's just singing ACDC songs. Davis, no. Davis is shaking his head. He's like, no, no. I'm still laughing at the wedding analogy. All the hell of a.

It's quite a reach. And by the way, if you have not been diagnosed with ADHD, Mike Davis, you need to go to the doctor immediately. Yeah, right. I think you're seeing ADHD. Reaction theater time. Let's hear what some of the guys had to say there. What do you have, Davis? Last car needs a quick kissing that little

bad Kyle Bush's ass and giving him championships and start looking at what's going on with cars and safety Kyle Busch But Kyle Busch didn't win That was like to her from Indy But the

Oh well that's good The Kyle Bush hate is still strong Wait a second Before you play the next one Hey you know one thing I did observe from yesterday And that was Steve O'Donnell Did you check his Twitter feed? Steve O'Donnell

Who, what is his official title of NASCAR? I mean, like, he's one of the higher-ups, right? I mean, like, the chief of the CMO or something? Rulemaker. So he actually retweeted and responded to some of those, some of the tweets that were similar to that guy on reaction theater. So it's like, you know, why don't you just move the 34 off the track? And he's like, yeah, and all down the whole track, that's a great idea.

And I'm like, now this is kind of cool. This is an official response from NASCAR. And then somebody else like, you know, if y'all would just quit cheating and letting those guys Gibbs, He's like, right, we asked the four cars to wreck themselves here in the last few laps just so we could rig this thing up. Gotcha. And I'm like, this is pretty cool. I think Steve O'Donnell won that race yesterday, just on Twitter.

Who's next? Well, good day for Jeff. We'd like to have got a better finish, but he finished up there, even with damage to the car. Not too happy that Ham one won. That's another gives car to victory lane. but I'm sure he did something during that burnout to keep it from passing inspection tomorrow. But, well, it is what it is, and I hope Dale gets better, and can't wait to see him back in the 88.

Dale, yeah. The hate for Joe Kim's racing is. It's real. It's real. It's increasing by the day. Who's next? Hey, I'm my first-time caller, long-time listener, and fan, but I'm also a physical therapist that specializes in dizziness and balance.

disorders. And this week, I had the opportunity to listen to the download and also saw the press conference today. And I have a few observations. The team of professionals at the Ionear Institute at the University of Pittsburgh are one of the top centers in the country at the small handful of clinics. And they're one of the best. So Dale Jr. is getting the best treatment available, absolutely. And I was so impressed with how Dale Jr. described his treatment because part of getting better is being able to understand what's going on because it helps the patients get some control over the symptoms.

And he did such a great job in describing the physiology and the treatment rationale better than any patient I've had in over 15 years of experience. And I think that speaks to him and his medical team. Third, also to describe the physiology and the treatment today in a press conference setting is very stressful and it's really symptom provoking. And for him to tolerate that and do a great job and to comment that he was going to stay in the garage and see his guy is a great sign because that means he's getting better because he wouldn't have been able to tolerate that if he wasn't getting better and he wouldn't have said it. And then lastly, I have to say his transparency about this is so helpful in raising awareness of these kinds of things. There are lots of people out there that struggle with the same things he's struggling with. And he described and articulated his situation from a patient perspective so well that I will probably suggest some of my patients listen to the download from this week.

So just wanted to say thank you, Dale Jr. Hang in there, fans, keep supporting him. Let his brain get better and recover even better than it was before. And try to be patient. Dale, yeah. Dale, yeah. Dale, yeah. Dale, yeah.

Great call. That's really reassuring. Yeah. How about the part where the Dale Jr. download is advancing medicine and wellness. That's Dale Jr. you're by himself. Lord knows we're not doing any of that. But she's going to let it listen to the podcast, though. Yeah, no. And that's definitely something that Dale will hear, and I'm sure very much appreciate.

Good stuff. Listen, one of the things she said, I want to make sure I don't, I want to reiterate this. She said so many positive, great things on that. And she's 100% right on everything. The small handful of clinics is the best description yet of where Dale's going. Because I've had a hard time describing what this place is like. like. It is like this small town of just concussion experts. And so what happens is Dale Jr. goes, it's not seeing one doctor. He's seeing a team of people and he has like multiple appointments

back to back to back to back. And he doesn't have to leave the facility to go see all those different specialists. It's fascinating. And so she's right. It's a small handful of clinics that each have their special area that they can really get into and help Dale. And it's fabulous. So that was a really good call right there. Sure was. Tough to beat that one. Who's next? Hey, I just got this number in hopes of trying to let Dale Jr. know what it meant for me. It would also suffer from concussion like symptoms for a long time now. Somebody else feels is experiencing the same thing I am and can describe it so much better. And trying to explain to other people, like he said, is impossible unless they've

are experiencing it too and I haven't met anybody yet that could understand what I've been going through except for what I heard Dale Jr. on the radio and talking about his symptoms and I just want to say thank you really.

Thanks for sharing and thanks for making me feel like I'm not normal but I'm normal. Does that make sense? I don't know. Anyway, good luck to you, Dale Jr. I really appreciate your openness and your candidness

and just it's helped a lot. back to back that's powerful stuff i'm i'm not used to having reaction theater be so reasonable and awesome you know this is really good and and by the way just so let's clear things up if you listen to this podcast you're not normal okay let's get that out of the way but everything else about you you are absolutely normal and it's awesome that uh that that that that you know you can find some similarities in what dale's experiencing and yourself and especially coming from the mouth of of yours who is far from normal which

just why we love you. ADHD, the cover band for ACDC. Now we're about to go to the other end of the sector. Davis is giving us a heads up. All right, let's hear this. Ladies and gentlemen of Junior Nation, Submarine. Members of Junior Nation in these trying times with enemy forces in our camp, a leader must step forward.

I am that leader. I am President of Junior Nation. As President, I will make these two. promises. I promise to build a wall around Joe Gibb's racing shop to stop their cars from getting the track, and I will make Toyota pay for it. It'll be huge. I will place a temporary ban on all former NFL coaches from coming to the track. A great president needs an equally great vice president. I am looking to you, Junior Nation, to fill that position. I am looking for an original caller, not copying what I do, to be my vice president.

Datto is automatically disqualified since that uppity SOB couldn't get off Periscope long enough to take my phone call. And Taylor for always kissing Datto's ass. Oh. I do love Datto. We will make Junior Nation great again. I am submarine Mike, and I am. approved this message. Hashtag Taylor Zars are sucks. Mike Davis rocks. Oh. Hashtag anyone but Datto.

He just got my vote. I'm on Datto's side. I'm sorry. I'm voting for Datto. He got my vote though. I'm down with Mike. Okay. You can be his running mate. I'm on. I mean, anybody that can get the crowd to silence that quick when they're in this Ross's cheer? Yeah, that's impressive. I just like how Datto sends out a tweet. Oh, man, I haven't done a periscope today. Just give me five minutes. He's got nothing to say or nothing, you know, but he just hasn't done one, so he's got to do one. Wow, I think did Mike just throw the gauntlet down to Dado?

He completely did. Is there a spirited battle going on between them that I didn't know about? Then listen, I can be on board with this. This is good. I like this. We'll see if Submarine Mike stays in the race. Wow. Datto is going to have to have a response for this, though.

Yes, he is. I'm not saying he has to do it on here, but, I mean, there's definitely a periscope in his future. that's going to have to respond. We want a response from Dato. I want to be part of that, Periscope, since I don't know how to do it myself. Be happy with the all-new Spideale Jr. Paint Schemeed sunglasses.

It's called the livery series. They're available in the popular dirty mode, General Daga McCoy and Admiral Frames. The craziest paint scheme yet was recently released. Get the all-new limited edition Spy Rangler Daga sunglasses online at spyoptic.com. And again, that is spyoptic.com. Anything you'd like to say for white flag?

this week, Mike Davis. I mean, a couple, I guess. I don't know, we'll see what we got here. All right, throw it. Let's throw it. White flag right there, white flag. Exalta is where it's at. Go to exaltor racing.com for all your news on the 88 team.

You can also follow Exaltor Racing on Twitter and Facebook. By the way, did you notice that even the black bondo couldn't diminish the vibrancy of Jeff Gordon's Exaltza paint scheme yesterday? Did you notice that, Davis? You know, he got in a wreck on lap four, or he, you know, knocked Austin Dillard. out of the way, so they had to bondo the entire front of that car, and it's yet, was still the most colorful car on the track, right? So anyways, yeah, exalted.

We really appreciate them for all they do in making Dirty Moe Radio a possibility. So on Dell Jr. Slate, I don't know, another week of healing. By the way, Taylor, I went to Dells last week, and he had me try one of his therapy drills, okay? Let me tell you something. That ain't no joke, those drills. that what they got him doing, it is very difficult, very, very difficult. So I expect him to be able to, I don't know, unicycle to a victory by the time he comes back. I mean, it's very difficult.

And Tyler actually took the video. I'll show that to you, Dave, so I'm not putting that on. It's quite clear we don't need to put you in the car, that's for sure. No. I'm going to tell you something. It's a good thing they don't diagnose concussions based off the way you perform on these drills because I would be the most concussed person in the room, I promise you. Let's see.

What else is going on? I got a doctor's appointment tomorrow. Good. Thank goodness for that. I mean, why? Is there anything particular you want them to examine? I'll just put it in the notes. Yes.

What? Your inability to know what you're going to say or do next. You're just how crazy your mind works. That's what I want them to diagnose. Am I scatterbrained? You are, and it's one of the things that all of us love about you. You know, we do. It does.

It makes you very creative. Well, okay. But I do. I'd like to understand more of how your mind works. I think we all would. Do you want me to donate my brain after I've died? Yes, yes, absolutely. God, there's no telling what cartoons will come out of that.

They're like, okay, this is not normal. By the way, I don't look forward to doctors' appointments right now because, like, I went to the dentist a few weeks ago, and all they want to talk about is Dale Jr. That's all they want to talk about. It's like, I'm there to take care of me. I'm doing, like, I don't have to. to be this doctor. I'm doing it to take care of me and all you want to talk about is somebody else.

Yes. Let's talk about me for just a second, you know, but that's not what happens. They all care. The doctors are Redskins fan. That's the other thing. God Almighty. You've got to talk about the Redskins with it. Is there anything pertinent going on? Oh, yeah, yeah. There's a new Dell Jr. Foundation raffle.

This one is Weekend with the 88s. It's a VIP experience that involves both Dale Jr. and Carolina Panthers tied in Greg Olson. The package includes, listen to this, okay. Behind the scenes tour of Junior Motorsports, behind the scenes tour of Bank of America Stadium. That's where the Panthers play. NASCAR swag bag.

Garage passes and tickets to the Charlotte Xfinity Series race. Meet and greets with both Greg Olson and Dale Jr. Carolina Panthers gear. Garage passes and tickets to the Charlotte Cup race. Two tickets to the Hall of Fame. VIP booth at Dell Jr.'s Whiskey River Restaurant and Bar. $100 whiskey river gift card. Tickets to the Panthers Monday Night Game versus Tampa Bay.

Right? parking pass for that game, pregame sideline passes. Also, on top of all that, a double occupancy room at the Ritz Carlton for four nights. All of that is on the, you can get with an $18.88. Raffle ticket. I mean, listen to that again. I'm going to repeat that part. That's pretty awesome.

It's all in one weekend. That experience, $18.88 raffle ticket. You might as well just go for it, right? I mean, that's a lot. Go to weekend with the 88s.com. That's where it's at. weekend with the 88s.com. The only NASCAR race this weekend is the Xfinity Series event at Mid-Ohio.

That's on Saturday. Elliot Sadler, Justin Algar, and Kenny Hibul will be driving for junior motorsports. Don't know the time of that race. Do you, Davis? It doesn't matter. Everybody's in different time zones. So let's just check your local listings. And that's the Mid-Ohio.

It's another road course. It's a great excuse when you don't know that time of races. When you haven't prepared. Everybody's in a different time zone. I love that. It's fantastic. The race this weekend starts at 3.48 Eastern Time on August the 13th. 348.

Now that's awkward. That's what time they dropped the flag. I got you. Okay. So 3.30 is probably what time to broadcast or 3 o'clock maybe. Greg Olson's a very good dude, by the way. He is. He's a phenomenal guy.

I've had a chance to meet him a couple times. I set at the table at the Dale Jr. Driven to Give event. And what is just a fantastic individual. His whole family is. Have you ever done radio shows with him? I have, and so is Davis. I think he loves.

I think he has a man crush on Taylor. Does he? Maybe. So take that. Man, all the people that have man crushes on Taylor. I mean, can you even list them all? A first name, do you know who knows less about the Carolina Panthers than anyone in the world? Who?

Mike Davis. No, that's not true. Give me a quiz me. Try me. I'll pass. A few years ago when Jordan Gross said, hey, can I have Mike Davis's phone number one, ask him some questions about podcasts? And Mike Davis's response was, who's Jordan Gross? That's fantastic.

back. Okay, so I didn't pass that exam. Davis, try me. You are an encyclopedia on the Carolina Panthers. Give me one question that I should know. Let me see if I know it. Who's the Panthers starting running back? Hold on.

Hold on, hold on. He has no idea. No, no. Jonathan Stewart. Jonathan Stewart. In fairness, that's pretty good. In fairness, if he wasn't able to answer that, it's because Jay Stu is rarely on the field.

Yeah. Right. It's like kind of a committee. question. Jay Stu's a pretty good bowler. Bowler. Oh, yeah. All right, good stuff this week on the Dale Jr.

Download. All pulling hard for Dale. And, man, it's really, really cool to just hear and receive all the support that he's getting right now. I know it means the world to him. Yep. Thanks to Jim Utter. Thanks to first name. Thanks to Mike.

I'm Taylor for Dale Jr. You've been listening to the Dale Jr. Download presented by Spy. Thanks for listening to Dirty Mo Radio.