The Dale Jr. Download - 97 - Michigan: Super Soaker

Episode Date: June 16, 2015

Dale Earnhardt Jr. discusses his near-win in the rain-shortened race at Michigan; Fox pit reporter Matt Yocum calls; champion late model driver Josh Berry visits; Reaction Theatre never disappoints. 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.

This is Dale Jr., and you're listening to Dirtymoe radio. There's lightning in the area, guys, so you know what that means? Hold on to a golf club or something. Get off your steel salt cheese. You're now listening to the Dale Jr. download presented by Spy. Check out Dale Jr.'s signature dirty-moe sunglasses from Spy at Spyoptic.com. Hey, everybody's Jr. Just got home from Michigan.

It's a pretty long day. when I got up on top of the pit box during the last rain shower, I was really surprised to find out it was 6 o'clock or a quarter deal. It just didn't feel like it was that late, but it would drug on and on. So that was a deal there. It was a big old shower, so it just wasn't enough time for them to sort it out. It rained pretty good after that, so I think they made the right call. They had pretty good technology these days where in years past they had to sit around and sort of wait.

You know, to be honest with you, I didn't think our car was that. that good all weekend. We, you know, we were top 15 car, sometimes the top 10 car, every once in a while getting a little close to the top five throughout practicing so forth, go out and make a run that is real happy with, go back out, struggle with some balance issues. So the car wasn't really as consistent as I had seen it in past trips there, and so I was kind of concerned. We'd been so strong for so, you know, the last couple years, we've been pretty strong there. Anyhow, you know, The whole weekend, we worked real hard to try to find that consistency in the car and get the balance of the car. We didn't qualify well again.

We should be qualifying in the top 10. Certainly, we should be making that last round. And on a regular basis, we're struggling just to get into the top 24. So it's been a real frustrating thing because we have the speed in the races. You know, it's obvious to everyone that we've got good fast cars. On Sunday, we just, I'm either just not a hot lapper or we just can't find something that makes me comfortable. We've had a couple races this year where I thought we were turning things around, come out of the gate pretty strong, qualifying well, but it just hasn't, you know,

sort of reverted back to our old standard. Anyhow, Josh won in the late model on Saturday night. I was able to watch that on fanschoice.tv. That's a great way to be able to tune into some of your local short tracks. that sort of thing grows and there's more opportunity across the country to see some of these local racers. You know, there's, there's some negatives in that. I think, you know, the track owners will be worried that people won't come out and watch the races, but I don't know that it doesn't actually get people to see their show and see that it's a good show to come see,

raise a little awareness for the track. And plus, I mean, I'm in Michigan watching the Langley race. I can't go to Langley. So it's just a great way for me to tune in. talk about it on social media, drive some awareness there. So I think it's a win for the local tracks to get that kind of exposure, obviously. And Cole won the truck race, which I tell you that kid is something else. He is a hard little racer. So fun to watch him because he digs so hard on every restart and on every lap of the race. You can see him trying to get everything he can get.

It's fun to watch. And that team's just got a lot to prove. They got a chip on their shoulder to go out there and prove themselves. And I think that that helps that team a lot because the old number double zero and got a young kid and nobody had known or heard about coal. They just got a chip on the shoulder. They race like it and I think it's pretty cool to see. Anyhow, I was looking forward to getting the race started because the track hadn't really rubbered up that much. And I didn't really remember this until about, you know, 50 laps into the race.

But over the last several years, when we've ran at Michigan, our car gets better as the race goes on. As the more rubber gets down, it seems like these other guys start to struggle. They lose a little grip, and we just get better. So that's what was happening today. We took off. I wasn't too excited about the car. We did have to start and stop because of the rain coming and going. But while we were out there running, I wasn't.

really any better than the guy in front of me. I wasn't any better than the guy behind me. I just kind of sitting there stuck. But as the track got darker, more rubber got down, we got on a long run there and heading toward halfway. And the track got real dark and I was able to, you know, we put a lot of rubber down. I was able to move up the groove and turn three and four. I don't know if I'm sure I probably was the only one up there, but I was having real good success running real high right against the edge of the groove and turn three and four. And the, That was a good place to go in turn one and two to pass, but it wasn't the fastest way around in one and two if you were by yourself. So I still ran in the middle of one and two like everyone else pretty much.

But anyways, we had this long run, and I was working on my track bar and making that thing work for me. And I was able to use it to pass people. I was kind of struggling. and then I started working on the handle of the car, and the shoe when we took off, passed about four cars there, five cars, moved into the top five, moved into the top two there, got up there behind the four car, started matching his lap times before we all started cycling through our pit stops.

He had a flat tire. He should have won the race. Probably would have won the race. And that left it up to the 41 or myself, the 78. The 42 stayed out. he took a gamble which almost worked out for him and the 41 had to get short run speed to take off and get the lead there when it counted and that was kind of frustrating but again we weren't we weren't a short run car hadn't been all weekend hadn't had that kind of speed right out of the gate like we had seen there in the past

but after 10 15 laps we're as good as the four which was the best car so we're going to have to take second this time It's a little frustrating, but I don't know if I even want to win those range short and races, because you don't really get no credit for me anyways. At least I never did. So we're going to get on a plane tomorrow. I haven't been on a commercial flight since 9-11, and I'm going to Germany. I started about five years ago to track my genealogy. What started as just a little curiosity about what my great-grandfathers,

name was, what he was, who he was, what he was like. You know, I want to know more about Ralph's dad. What started is just curiosity to know that, turned into chasing the line and the layers and peeling back all this information to find out more and more and get more and more curious, really. And I sought the help of a lot of people to find out more and more over the last five years. I made a promise to myself probably four or five years ago that I would go to Germany where my ancestors are from when I turned 40. So I turned 40 this year and I'm using one of these off weeks to go. We've got some places that we're going to go see. I know the exact town that my family lived in. So I'm going there, go check out the church, drink some of the beer, and just take

it easy. We, you know, we're not really going to go nutty sightseeing. and stuff like that, we're just going to kind of collapse into the culture and environment. That is this very small town that we're from and just spent a few days taking it in. I'm not really one of those kind of people that like to go to the museums or the landmarks, you know, and getting all that. I just kind of want to, I like to go and almost pretend like I'm just one of the people that live there and just, you know, go to the pub and drink a beer and then go eat some food. good food and sit around and do nothing. Anyhow, we'll see how that goes.

I'm sure Amy and Kelly L.W., they got different ideas of what they think this trip's going to be like, and I'll probably have to compromise. But I know I'm going to enjoy it. It's going to be a good time. I hope you guys enjoy the download. Take it easy. I'll tell you what, man. That's some awesome stuff right there.

That is Dale Earnhardt Jr. This is the Dale Jr. download presented by a spy with Mike Davis and Amanda Wolfmeyer. I'm Taylor Zarser. I have so much respect for that man, Mike. It's so cool that Kelly and Dale and Amy and LW are doing that. That's going to be one of the most rewarding trips of their entire lives, and I think they're doing it the right way, too. We'll get to the race in a second, but I don't know how we don't start there.

That's a pretty cool way to spend an off week. I'm glad he's doing it, and I hope it is rewarding for him as it could be, because that man has spent a lot of time on this genealogy thing. I can't even begin to tell you, and I won't. I'll just say, just trust me on that. He has spent a lot of time. He is passionate about it. So to get to go to an area where your ancestors came from, to a village,

I mean, think about that. That's a remarkable thing, and not a lot of people get that opportunity to do it. I would love to do it for my family, and maybe one day I will. But I'm so happy for him. I hope this next week, I hope he gets relaxed and recharged, but I also hope that it proves to be everything that he thinks it could be and go into this village.

You know, a funny story about that genealogy tracing you're talking about. He's been doing that for years. Yeah. And Auburn was playing Arkansas in college football, and we were racing in Texas, and we were on Junior's bus, and Stevie was on there, and TJ and Junior and, Jr. and, me and the dogs.

And everybody's going crazy about the game. And, I mean, Junior's on his computer. And I was like, what are you doing? He said, man, I'm tracing my genealogy. And LaTartre just, like, throws his hat. He's like, you see what I got to deal with? But he has. He's been doing that for years.

By the way, no one will ever hear that conversation because I didn't record it. That's right. One of the most infamous Dirtymo Radio stories of that first year, the part where Taylor had an interview with Dale Jr. and only five minutes of it got recorded. Thank God, Amanda joined us in your two. She would have shot me. That's right.

All right. Let's talk about this race. It was really tough to get a feel. I mean, there was so many different emotions because you just never knew when it was going to stop and start. I think all of us had mixed feelings about the car going into the race. Clearly, you can hear Junior did. So I don't really know what any of us expected.

Before the chase starts, Dale Jr., has made it very clear that the objective is to win. You know, second is first loser. We're going out there to try to win all these races, get as many bonus points as possible. It's all about winning. And I have to be honest with you, I just really didn't believe that the 88 had a car capable of winning.

I don't know about you, but based off of what we saw over the weekend, I thought, okay, maybe they could slip into the top five or something, but something crazy is going to have to happen for the 88 to win. and I was really, really impressed with the improvement they made from practice qualifying to the actual race on Sunday. And the longer the green flag run, the greater chance junior had of checking off spots and having a real chance of winning that race. But when the last yellow was thrown, you knew it was over, Mike. Yeah, you know what? One of the most captivating things about Dale Jr.'s perspective in the audio that we just heard,

is just how much the track changed and not just the track, but how the corners were different. I mean, like you're talking about having to run one and two in a different line than three and four. And then, oh, by the way, if you're by yourself or if you're making a pass, that matters. Think about all these variables that play out and then just throw the rain on top of it.

And you're right, we are a long green flag type of team. We have been all year. That wasn't exclusive this past weekend. And yet you didn't get many green flag runs or long green flag runs. you got a couple, but they really couldn't get going, which made it very difficult for the 88 team, I felt. It did.

But ultimately, you know, you have to be very proud of the effort. He's right. They're going to say, oh, it was a rain short and deal. But I think that if you watched enough of the race, you knew that those were certainly drivers capable of winning. Kurt Busch was capable of winning. Dale Jr. was capable of winning. Obviously, Kyle Larson did exactly what he should have done.

You kind of feel for him, you know, because he has to pit there for gas. And obviously, if he had five more minutes of gas, then he probably wins the race. But you have to do that when you're in the 42's position. But he's right. He's been in that position before. Your first win that he had was a few mileage win, obviously,

first win at Hendrick Motorsports. But plenty of people try to take something away, I guess, from you if you win a rain short and deal. But I don't think that's something they're going to have to worry about in two weeks, Mike at Sonoma. No, but let me. just set the record straight. I have no problems winning a range short and race. I would take it and I will sleep well that night, I promise you. But that is interesting to hear him say that. And there is some validity

to the fact that you do have to hear those people that chirp at you if you win a range short and race. But let me tell you something, it's so hard to win a race, you take them how you can get them. And Kyle Larson, and who was the other one? Carl Edwards. They almost stole. People don't realize how close they were of stealing that. I was talking to TJ. And TJ said, We could see the rain right behind us, not just the clouds. You could see the rain coming right for us, and when it got to the track, it just kind of scooted around for a little bit. But it could have easily come, and it could have easily,

but Kyle Larson could have been your winner. It could have been that easy. And Kyle Larson would have taken that win in a heartbeat. But, you know, it's just the way it played out. It could have, Carl Edwards could have been the winner, certainly. And Amanda's worst half could have been celebrating in Victory Lane for the second time. Which nobody wants that except Amanda just so you know.

She's the only one that would have been smiling there. You know as well as I do. When your other half is happy, it makes your home life a lot easier. That's true. That's true. But we're kind of your other half too. It work and we wouldn't have been happy. That's true.

I think that Kip's happiness is a little bit more important, or at least it should be. It should be. It was just a crazy, chaotic day. And obviously the radio chatter was something we were all fascinated by if you heard it. If you didn't, let's see. go through some of the highlights here Amanda. Yeah, it looks pretty wet right up here in front of you. The rest of it's good.

It just hit that one part of the track. Oh, in this area you here, it looks pretty wet to me. Yeah, I agree. They'll have to get the dryers on that. That's crazy, man. I haven't got a drop yet. They're going to bring you out of the payroll and stop you. That's your classic summer shower right there, Mike Davis.

It's raining on one side of the building, and it isn't on the other. One side of the track, it's raining, and it isn't. on the other. I mean, if you live in a hot climate this time of year, it's just crazy how those fluke showers pop up. That's the way to describe it. T.J. said it was absolutely crazy. The rain cells, they would just show up

and you wouldn't see it. He said, the wreck with the 18, he goes, nobody even saw that rain shower come, but yet the driver's reporting rain. So he's like, it was weird. Now, another thing that Dale was a little concerned about were if the lugs were tight, let's listen to this. We've got a pull more

lug on the right side at St. Therefore, change yourself. They got all five. All right. Or we just got vibration of something. All right. Anytime you hear the wheelman say that, Mike Davis, it terrifies you, doesn't it? Yeah, and that led to like a green flag pitched on a lap 84.

I think that basically this is where I'm at with this at this point of the year. If we put out an end of the year year book that recaps our season, the dang thing should vibrate. Are you with me? Yeah, I'm with you. I mean, it just should vibrate. You could do it in stuffed animals and all these other things. The end of the yearbooks are just vibrating. That really will tell the story.

Yeah, there's no doubt about that. And you're right. So they came in on a green flag. Four Cars Day was ruined during that time as well at a flat tire. So that was big news during that time. And I believe at the next spot in the race, after the debris came out, Greg Yves was looking to get that extra bonus point. Let's listen. Off is out for debris.

We are on Elite Lab. We are on Elite Lab 10th. We should be the leader if everybody in front of us pit. They haven't pitted yet. We are the leader if they all pit. That makes a good sense to me. Pretty cool that Greg has got a little that Latart strategy in him, doesn't he? Yes.

Yes. That was some Latart strategi. Because that's one of the big things that you always talk about Latart, how great he was at calling races and strategy and all that stuff. and that was the one thing while Greg is a brilliant guy and you have no doubt that he can set up a car, you just didn't know how he was going to do calling these races. Well, I thought he called a magnificent race this past week.

We're about to hear Latar's voice calling races in a different way. Yeah. And two races from now. Well, the 19 and the 42 stayed out. 19 has nothing to lose because he's already won a race. 42 has everything to lose, but when you're in a position like the 42 is, you absolutely want to get back into the chase.

You're trying to win your first ever race. you got to stay out and pray for rain here's what happened the 42 maybe a couple others stayed out too hoping praying for rain those guys were on a little bit different fuel strategy we've been out of gas by right now so we're sitting six right now hopefully goes back green and we'll we'll go get them what was your thoughts right there Mike uh when this is all going on did you think that the 42 had a shot to win this thing well I wasn't paying too close attention to what their fuel fuel situation was.

And so I thought we had them better on tires than I thought we had them on fuel. Now the 19 went and pitted, I think the 19 pitted before they even went green. Yeah, like that one lap to go. That was when they came in. So it was then that I realized, wow, if the 42 is anything like

the 19, we got this, right? Yeah. I mean, that's kind of... And then everybody goes crazy on the restart. Right. And you tweet out that you will save your thoughts for this very moment. Right. And what I'll say on the restarts, a lot of people had some valid observations, but they jump to conclusions on why he was doing that. In other words, why is Dale lagging back? He don't want to win? Now, come on, guys. If he's lagging back, probably there's a reason, and there's a strategy involved in that. Now, if the strategy worked or not, that's another whole story. But basically, you lag back, especially if you're on the first row, because you've got to be going faster than the lead car when you take the green. If you're going to pass them, there's a reason why they're picking the outside line.

That's because it was better. Now, I'm not going to spend too much time on the outside versus inside. That was obvious for anybody watching the race. But that being said, if you're on the inside, you've got to figure out a way to get around that outside. If you're not on the least preferable line, you've got to somehow figure out a way to make it work, right? And Dale's strategy there was to lag back a half a car length and actually be going faster than the lead car when they took the green flag. to make the pass. That's the only way you can do it.

If you're side by side, not only can you not really gauge that. You can't see when the leader's starting. You've got to start before the leader. It's easier to do this when you're back in the pack, by the way, because who's really paying attention to back in the pack if you're lagging back and everything? But when you're the leader or when you're on the front row, if you're side by side of that leader and you go and you're trying to be faster than the leader, and the leader doesn't go, you know what?

You just got black flagged. Honestly, anyone that's ever watched a race should be able to understand what you just said. But you know what? I mean, you know, some people can make the argument. He should have been more aggressive. You know what? I'm not even going to dispute that. Being more aggressive would have cost him more spots.

It could have got him a win. It could have got him more spots. I'm going to tell you this. You know what? I think what he did and the way you just described it is absolutely the right way to do it. Here's how I thought our best chance of winning was, is if that race would have gone 20 more laps. Because we're better long flagrant. Question, yeah, because more rubbers down on the track.

Hey, Mike, look, if somebody wants to criticize Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the 88 team, criticize qualifying. Right, right. I can't defend that. I mean, Dale, you just heard Dale Jr. earlier, he can't defend it. That's right. Everybody's frustrated. They're disappointed.

You want to criticize this team right now. Criticize qualifying. There's no point in criticizing the restart. To me, that's just silly. Well, to me, it's like people, if you're a baseball fan and you're a fan of a baseball team and you watch all 162 games and then you lose your mind after a pitcher gives up a walk yeah i mean there's this is such a long season now i know i get it we were close to a victory there we finished second we can you know if we were to beat uh if we'd have beat larson off of that uh that restart

and held on and been able to hold off kurt bush yeah and in kevin harvick not coming whatever uh the the car had plenty of speed he just didn't beat larson on that restart He was at a disadvantage, and he wasn't able to make up that advantage. I don't think it's the reason to sit there and call him like he's not aggressive enough, or he's been killing it on restarts this year. Great stuff on the race. All right, so Sonoma is coming up in two weeks. We hadn't done this in a while.

Let's speed dial. Well, I'm glad we're bringing back speed dial, Amanda. I'd like to reintroduce everybody here on the podcast, just in case you're tuning in for the first time. This is the Dale Jr. download. I'm the host, I'm Taylor Zarser. Mike Davis is the Lord of the podcast, I guess, unofficially. I don't know if that would fit on a business card. We'll try.

It certainly is in control. Now, I'm a little nervous about who we have on Speed Dial Mike because this man has hosted his own sort of podcast radio shows with very popular drivers. Yeah. Matt Yochum is one of the very best broadcasters associated with motorsports. He's been in the pits for years, primarily with five. but I have to ask you, Mike, are you having Matt Yoakamon to replace me?

No, I'm asking Matt to come on to give me advice. I mean, I figure you've got to figure it out. You and you guys have a lot in common. He had to deal with smoke. Right. And that's probably the problems you have with me, you know? And so Matt probably has a lot of pointers for us all. Matt, are you there?

Hey, guys, how you doing? I hope you didn't get bored listening to all that stuff that we were just talking about you. Number one, let me just say this. Yeah. That I do have, even though I'm on the phone, I feel like I've got on my bulletproof vest, because you never know what Mike Davis is going to pull. And what does that even mean? I mean, come on.

I know exactly what that means. I think everybody knows what that means. If you've listened to the podcast one time, you might as well listen to it for, you know, 2,500 times because we all know that nobody is more creative in getting somebody or paying somebody back with out-of-the-box ideas than Mike Davis. Matt, I always come in, you know, it's kind of like a, you know, you're like one of the Walendas without the safety net. You've got to be careful.

You've got to sense the wind's changing. You just never know what can happen. Matt, with all due respect, when I prank someone, you're usually in it with me. Is that not correct? You were in the biggest prank that we pulled, buddy. you were right there with me. You were involved in that. It's one of those things where you feel like you want to jump on board

because you don't want it to come back around you, but I will say one of if the not best prank I have ever heard and been a part of was, you know, the Hunter Brothers Pizza. That's right. That was a J.M. 360 last year where we got Tyler Overstreet, who at the time was Kevin Harvick's PR rep. He is now largely because of the way he handled himself. I was impressed that through that prank, I was impressed by how he handled himself.

He's now moved on. Wait, wait, wait. So because of the way he handled that prank with Harvick, you promoted him to handling Dale Jr. Well, it definitely impressed me. And Matt, you can back me up. We really tried to make Tyler's life hell. It was an interview that you know. No, no, no, Mike.

Stop right there. We didn't try. We did. We did make his life hell. That's right. And Yolkham was a big part of that. Yeah. And so, but the fact is that we expected Tyler to either quit or get really mad. And he didn't do either one.

He actually kept his composure. Wouldn't you say that, Matt? Well, I think if you take away the incident with the cell phone, where he's through the cell phone, I think besides the cell phone incident, he handled himself pretty well. I think that if it had gone on another week, he probably would have sought out some kind of psychiatric health because he would have needed to debrief his inner self after all of the mess that we put him through. Taylor.

My one question, I know he's been promoted, and now he's working with Dale Jr. On the Cupside every weekend, did you get cell phone insurance? Did Kelly take out cell phone insurance? Just in case there is any kind of issue that, comes up because we know he's got a pass. Yeah. Once you chuck the cell phone, always chuck the cell phone.

That's right. There's a little temper there. I don't think it goes away just depending on what driver you work for. I know that we can tell stories all day long, but I got to hear some stories about this suave men's heritage event that Matt was part of with Dale, with Regan Smith, and of course, this is Dale Senior's barber,

Steve Ellsworth, that was also part of this the other day. And Matt, I believe you get your haircut also by Steve. is that correct? Yes, Steve Delsworth is really more of like the barber to the motorsport stars. Take me out of the mix because I'm not one. But you look at the fact that through the years, you know, Dale, the Big E went there,

Kevin Bono Manion went there, Steve Park went there, you know, on and on. And, you know, the Big E was almost like the welcome wagon. When I first moved to Charlotte, you know, I got my insurance, Steve Cook nationwide. That's right. Went to Ellsworth to get my haircut. And out and on and on, because the Big E pointed out, okay, this is where you go. This is where you go here.

This is where you go there. But it was neat. When you walked into the suite where they had the event, it was like walking back into time. You walked through the doorway and the walls. It looked like in old-time 1930s, 40s barbershop, beautifully laid out, you know, authentic barberies. chairs and they flew Steve Ellsworth up from Canapolis, North Carolina. He trimmed up some of the

JRM boys and took part in the event itself. And it was really fantastic, the length that Swab Men went to. And, you know, everybody was really into it. A great turnout, media-wise, very impressive. It was almost to the point where they were going to have to start turning people away because the room was so packed. But it was a fantastic event. And, you know, it was just one of those events where when you see what people put into it, you know, they've spent three days putting the room together. And I think that says a lot about swab men and their association with JRM and NASCAR, and also the lengths that they go to, you know, because of who they're associated with. And I think it was just a win-win all the way around. Dale Jr., the other day,

claimed that he didn't really ever have a mullet, though some people would question that. Mike Davis, I'm curious if you would. Matt Yocum, did Jr. get some pushback at the event the other day about whether or not he actually wore a mullet? I would say he could go before, watch television, C-SPAN. You've got somebody up there and there before, you know, some kind of House Senate, you know, subcommittee, and they're being interrogated. And they give a great political answer.

Junior could have been perfect in that situation. He talked about the mullet, but not quite admitted that he had one, but he kind of had one. So, you know, it was funny, you know, talking about, you know, he would borrow Kelly's hair care products when they were young. It didn't really matter. You know, whether when you're single, you're young, if it's available, you'll use it. And, you know, Junior pointed out now, it's like now that you're educated, you realize you've got to use products made for men.

A, so it doesn't smell all flowery when you walk into a room. But B, just, you know, all the ingredients in that product made four guys. So I learned a lot by being a part of the whole Swab Men function. and just about, it's kind of like, you know, if you're going to put oil in your car, if you live in Alaska, you're not going to put the same kind of oil in your car as someone that lives in Daytona Beach, Florida. Let's be real clear, though, Matt. Dale Jr. absolutely had a mullet back in the day.

It wasn't exactly like Billy Ray Cyrus mullet, but it was definitely like Kenny Powers' mullet. How would it compare to Ricky Stenhouse's? I would say that Ricky Stenhouse tried to give him a really good run for his money. Yeah. When Stenhouse had his mullet. And I'm not so sure Ricky got there because, I mean, Junior had a mullet. No, I don't think he did.

I think I think Ricky got to the point where he realized that he just could not stand up to the competition. That's right. Because people were going to start pulling out tape measures and templates and just seeing how close he could get to the Dale Jr. Mullet. And he realized, look, I don't have the game. I can't get there. So that's why all of a sudden one day he just went out, got his haircut, came home, Danik was like, whoa, hey, had no idea.

you're going to get your hair cut. So there you go. Well, it's gone. Girlfriend's happy. Junior's mullet inspired a commercial. Junior's mullet, I mean, the Napa commercial from last year, they looked at just photos that Dale Jr. looked like back when he was 16, and that's what they came out with.

The wig that the mullet wig that he wore in that commercial. That wasn't made up. That's what Jeter looked like. It could have been a bit exaggerated. I don't think so. You don't think so? No. No, no.

I've seen pictures. man. And then let's not even talk about the bleach blonde phase. And both you guys, y'all know about that. That was the, you know, when he got into the bus series and he went and bleached his hair. You know, not to throw our man on the bus.

I don't think he could have pulled off the old, I've been lying by the pool quite a bit and it just sunbleached itself out naturally. No. No. I don't think he, yeah. There was a product in there for sure. There's no question about that. I mean, Stewart showed up a polka no one year and he

something similar. I mean, he's got that jet black hair, and he had some stuff working. In fact, I asked him, might have even been on the air. I said, do you have a new helmet this weekend? And he was like, no, why? It's the same one I've had to pass a couple of it. Well, maybe it's the glue inside the helmet or something's leaking into your

hair because your hair looks a little bit lighter. That's good stuff. Before you let Yoakum run, I want to know your thoughts on Michigan, everything that happened with the rain starting and stopping when the weather was coming, and Larson's Gamble, the junior You're obviously and the boys had a great day, finished in second right behind Kurt Busch,

but just your thoughts on that. Everything unfolded. Never really got a good feel for the day. Too many starting and stopping, waiting for the track to dry out, running laps on the track. It just seemed like it was one of those days where you can't get a good feel.

Nobody ever could get their arms around the race track because of the huge weather swings. And you're sitting there, and the rain is just jamming on you. Then all of a sudden, Two minutes later, the sun's out and the temperature is spiking up. And, you know, I'll tell you one thing, it was really funny. It reminded me at one point, Davis will remember this.

We were back at Atlanta, probably 2003, 2004, massive rainstorm all afternoon. We're in a huge rainfall on television. And so I went to Junior's bus. We sat down. In fact, Trista Kahnamacki in his column, his weekly column, said, the most interesting interview he had heard in a long time. And it was my interview with Junior. And we talked about everything from, at the time,

he had the boxing ring and how he and Tony Jr. would box. And, you know, when they were kids, one was a lefty, one was a righty, so they only had one pair of boxing gloves. And, of course, Junior said he was a bleeder, so he didn't last long. And it went from there to the fact that he is huge into grilling, and he just bought a George Foreman grill, and the reason why he bought it was because George has a lot of kids, so he was trying to help him out.

I do remember this. On and on from there. So, you know, the things that pop up into your mind, when you're standing there, your feet are soaking wet, and there's about two inches of water rushing through the garage. And as people are on golf cars, it's almost like you're in one of those amphibious cars you can see somebody who will have out on the lake, and it's just got a big weight coming up over the top of the hood and stuff.

There's so much rain. That's good stuff there, man. remember that. I had forgotten about it, but yeah, you're right. I remember that with the George Foreman Grill and everything. But those rain delays actually give you guys good opportunities to really get some good interviews. Do you agree? I think that's one of the great opportunities that we have to showcase that these guys are real people, great personalities, and they're the kind of guys that you want to go out and have a beer with. When you watch other sports and not to knock any other sport, but I never get the sense where, hey, you know what, this is the kind of guy. I'd like to have a

backyard barbecue with or go, you know, do this or do that with. Because there's, the NASCAR driver is so engaged with the fan. So much takes place that people never know about. And I'll tell you, the charity stuff they do, I remember at Texas one year, a friend of mine at the Speedway gave me a letter and said, you're going to love this. So they know I love the human interest type stuff and to bring it out. And it was a letter from a little girl who was a make a wish kid. And Jr. does so much stuff with Make a Wish. And so we were in a rain delay on the air, and Junior and I had talked back with us. You know what, Dale said so many people don't know that before we did the interview this morning,

you're with a Make a Wish kid, and you give back so much, and you never publicize it. You always try to keep it on the download to make it special for that young child that's battling a life-threatening cancer or a life-threatening disease. But I've got a letter here, and I want to read it, and I read it on air. And it was from this little girl who a year and a half earlier had been a make-a-wish kid and met Dale And she wanted him to know that she was doing well She was in remission and that she had sent along a picture of what she looked like that day So that he would know how well she was doing and it meant so much to her at that time and then his days went on

The time that he had spent with her especially during that illness and she just wanted to say thank you and he was just so touched and we got done with the interview and he's like do you think I can have that? I said it's actually mailed to you here at the Speedway it's yours you know

he's like thanks I really want to keep that and I think that's the kind of stuff that a lot of times we get a chance to show America how special these guys, they get behind the wheel and they are common men doing uncommon things but when they get out of the race car they're just like everybody else

and I think that's what really makes them more special than any other athlete and any other sport. Well, you're special too. I mean, to retell that story, we're really grateful for you today to be on but to retell that the way that you did and we're very grateful to you, Matt,

for joining us today and we're glad that your hair looks great and that you had such a great time Friday. Well, I appreciate it, guys. It's always fun to check in And now, Mike, do we have any kind of pranks coming up that I need to be involved in? Because, you know, I mean, it's like Talladega in the draft. You say go to the high side.

I'll follow you. We definitely have one. I'm looking at Amanda right now because we definitely have one that we're thinking about. But I can't go too much into it because, you know, it's hard to pull a prank off when you're known to be a prankster. So you've got to pick and choose. You can't just fire them off once a week. So we definitely have been, we've got an idea, Matt. We'll be in touch.

All right. Sounds great, guys. See you, buddy. Thank you. All right, thanks. There was one place this weekend you didn't need sunglasses, Michigan. You know, it will cheer up a rainy day,

a pair of happy lens glasses, and Dale Jr.'s signature 88 collection, of course, come, a pair of happy lens glasses, and Dale Jr.'s signature 88 collection, of course, comes with a happy lens technology. Visit spyoptic.com to check out all the signature 88 styles. Pick out your style, decide on the color,

and head to check out where you can, can enter code nationwide 88 and get 20% off. Did Mike Davis write this again? No. Try to throw me off? No, we did. I did. All right. Last week, Amanda, I struggled mightily because Davis intentionally tried to write this

so I would, yeah, and he laughed nonstop throughout the whole thing, and I'd read it like 19 times. So I just wanted to see if he was the culprit on this once again. Hey, the happy lens is absolutely something that you got to get. I'm a big fan of it. Again, it's got that little smiley face in the top left corner that'll make you happy and the polarized sunglasses are

very good as well so check out spyoptic.com and make sure you type in that code nationwide 88. Let's go to reaction theater. Junior had the best car today, but they caught a caution because one of the bush boys are up front. That's all you hear from the announcers. It's about a bush, bush, bush, bush, bush. I'm tired of the same announcers bragging on bushes all the time. They ain't neither one of them can drive. So we're talking about them, and that's the only way they can win, it's winning with some costumes and stuff.

Junior is the man. He should have won the race a day. He had the best car. Thank you. Thank you. Well, with all due respect, I think they can drive. I appreciate his opinion, but, and I tell you what, I didn't have nearly as big a problem as Kurt Busch winning as I did Cowbush winning the day before

because Chase Elliott finished second. Well, we finished second a lot this weekend. Now I just realized it. We lost to those bushboys. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, a lot of driving behind the bushes, but, hey, I can say my thoughts on the guy that won the race for another day. I've shared them quite a bit on this podcast.

Who's next? So all day long, you have an awesome car. You run toward the front, but you can't restart for shit. If you had it just restarted like a big driver did, then you would be up front, waiting out the rain to be the winner. But no, you have to let Kurt Busch take it. smart as right around the outside of you. You've got to restart to win this championship. That race was yours.

Hey, what about this? What if Dale Jr. had restarted third and not second, and he would restarted behind Larson? He would have taken the lead. Yeah, I agree. Who's next? It's all Chris Heero's fault. If he wouldn't have left Kyle Larson out,

trying to get a win when he thought the rain was coming, and Junior would have been the first, Junior would have won the damn run. Boop and Proof He Roy. Was Chris Heard not hilarious on that pit box? He was. We call him Sunshine. That's his nickname, Sunshine, for the character and remember the Titans.

The quarterback, you know what I'm talking about? Absolutely. He couldn't make that pitch. Yeah, so he was wanting that rain so bad. But you know what? He had to do what he did. I mean, I don't disagree with what they did, you know. 100% did the right thing.

Who's next? Give me some more cold custer, baby. You need to get a second truck team. running so we can have some cup regulars in one truck and just gave Cole his own truck. I mean, that's he just, he's good. That kid is good. Now, PJ, you're the world's best spotter, and I've heard you say a bunch of times you and Jr. got this, got this whole restart thing in the bag. Well, what was up, man? If we had a good restart, we could have took first. We could have been first with the rain delay. We could have had to win. Overall, good run, though. A second place.

can't complain much about that. Hell, yeah, six beers. You know, I will blame T.J., though. If we need to blame T.J. for a restart, I'm fine with that, even if it doesn't make any sense, and it's totally irrational. We can blame T. Well, he certainly takes credit from when they go well, doesn't he? Right.

That's a good point. Yeah. Man, huge weekend. Josh Barry, Cole Custer. And, look, if that guy, Mike, that called in, wants to pay completely for a second truck team, I'm sure Junior Motorsports might consider that. It goes a long way.

Yeah, that reaction theater caller, he's going to have to be on the hook for all that money. Well, I tell you what, he is right. That Colcuster is something special. I mean, he gets after it. He has that. You know what we like to say in the industry is that he hasn't hit the wall yet because, you know, he drives it like he's fearless, right? Well, I'm going to tell you something. I think he's got a huge future ahead of him.

Who's next? Hey, Hill, Jr., and I'm one of the biggest fan you have. I'm from Israel, and I love your driving. And I tell everybody you're my cousin and in the restaurant and make everybody watch your age. When you come to Daytona, it's called Little Italy. And you welcome to come in and have features. Ask for your cousin Mario, a guy from Israel. So wait, wait, Mario is from Israel.

He claims he's Dale Jr.'s cousin and he owns an Italian spot. In Daytona. In Daytona. In Daytona. I just want to make sure I understand all this. So the Israeli has an Italian restaurant in Daytona, and he's junior's cousin. Got it. And Junior, who's German.

That's right. Got it. Okay. That's great stuff, man. Junior gets free pizza from his cousin. Who's next? I am going to do my best, not to swear, and to remain calm. I am beyond extremely disappointed in NASCAR.

Today, this has been a long day, and I get that, but junior, about had this race and could have won this, and we have seen plenty, plenty of rain-delayed races, and they've never been called that quick. There was a good few hours left to try to get this last 60 laps in, and they waited a whole 10 minutes to call this race. People pay to go there. People sit home and wait all day to watch this,

and I just think it's wrong that NASCAR calls it so quickly, and I know a lot of other people feel the same way all over Twitter and Facebook. Mike, it's so tough. I mean, I just don't know that Steve, even all those guys at NASCAR could have made a different decision because they lost the track in 10 minutes. So it's going to take a long time to get it back ready to go, and it's going to be 8 o'clock or so by that point.

And I think they made the right call. Look, they don't ever want to have a range short and race. Right. You know, they don't ever. But I think that after numerous starts and stops, I think they did the right thing. It's so difficult. I thought our buddy Mike Bagley said it best on Twitter,

he said contrary to what some will have you believe there's more calling a race than the sun coming back out. And I think he's 100% right. There's a lot of factors. And we don't even know all of them. But there are. I mean, there was also lightning in the area. So just that's another whole thing.

You know, so I'm, listen, I think NASCAR gave that race every opportunity, multiple times to get that thing in. And it just didn't cooperate. So there's also, a lot of people don't realize this. There's a number of hours, too, that you can have your voluntary. volunteer, like the track workers there. Of course. And they're there probably at like 4 or 5 a.m. getting stuff going.

And then, you know, you hit a day like that, you just hit a wall. And to be honest with you, fans are the number one consideration in all the decisions, I think. You know, I think at least the ones that affect the fans. And so, you know, there's a lot of people. There's a no, it's a no-win situation. That's a fact. It's a no-in situation. One thing I do want to credit is Fox Sports 1, like during Green Flag Racing, they were

showing radar, like, just because that was a huge part of the race. Like, okay, here comes the rain. Can Larson make it? You know, and so they're showing the radar coming while Larson, you know, has the lead there before the last caution came out and he pitted for gas. I appreciate that. You know, all these people forever in the sport, oh, don't talk about the rain. Don't talk about the rain.

That's a big, it's a story. Yeah. I like the way that FS1 did that on Sunday. All right, who's next? I'm not necessarily very smart, and I don't know much, but why is it on so many of these large tracks with the sweeping turns? It's punitive to be running second. Kurt Busch was running fourth on that last restart,

and if the 88 had been starting fourth as opposed to second or third, he probably wins that rate. How do you fix that? Like, you know, it's not sour grapes, it makes the race more exciting, but it just seems like so often if you restart on the inside of some of these tracks, it just killed you. Go 88, no beers.

I think it's a great point. It's a tough deal. Let me add one more point to that, though. Again, I was talking to TJ about this. He goes, if you go back and watch, we didn't have a whole lot of help. The only time we got a push from somebody, it was Kurt Bush, and he went around and took a three wide and passed us. So we didn't really have a push. If you remember, I know we didn't play it in this podcast, but right before that last restart,

he was, TJ was down there with True Exist Spotter saying, hey, we want to, want Truex to push us. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, Truex never could get enough speed. Junior had a better restart than Truex behind him. So all those things factored into him not being able to pass, but we never really got pushes like we got. And I think that probably had to do with the fact that the guys on the inside road just couldn't get the run and carry the speed into the turn that the outside line was. But it was also something to consider. The one time we got pushed down there on a restart, we also got passed. Let's go to the next one. So, Mother Nature sucks .

I just want to throw that out there. Here I am down here in South Louisiana. My day outside got ruined because of rain. Like, it's a freaking lake in my spring yard. So I'm like, hey, I'll watch the race. Then the cable goes out because lightning struck the pole somewhere. So I like, I'll watch it on the Internet, and then guess what? The Internet goes down because, again, Lightning struck the fucking pole somewhere.

So apparently I wasn't supposed to see the race anyway. But hey, you finish second junior, that's awesome. And, you know, Mother Nature is a bitch. What are you going to do, right? I forgot how many f*** years I've had it because the case is empty. The case has had a lot of issues. Well, look at the number on the case. And that'll give you an idea of how many beers you drank.

The case is empty. Oh, there's 12 of these in here. Yeah. Reaction theaters open 24-7. All you have to do is call toll-free 1-855-740-1902 and leave us your voicemail message. And we'll play the best each week right here on Dirtymo Radio. Time now for It Takes the Nation, presented by...

nationwide. We are joined by late model driver Josh Barry, who won at Langley Speedway. The first of the twin race is at Langley Speedway this past weekend. Now, I know you haven't heard this, Josh, but at the beginning of this program, Dale Jr. specifically brought up your name and was raving and beaming about your performance. So how big was this win at Langley? It was pretty cool. And being on that Fans Choice TV helped, obviously, because he could watch. and that's a really cool deal for us because it gets some exposure for our cars and races. It was a track we had never been to, a track that J.R.M. had never been to. I'd never been to. So, they just went and won the first race. So it's pretty impressive.

I mean, do you know that he's watching on fans' choice.tv? Or do you assume it? I had an idea. I had text them to let them know that it was on there because we didn't know until we got there that it was a track that was covered by that. So I let him know, so I had an idea he would probably tune in. Has he ever come to you and talk to you about the race based off what he saw on his computer? Not really. Really?

That's only happened a couple of times. It happened once last year, and I actually won, and then, you know, this past weekend. You've been winning a lot lately. Yeah. I mean, you went a lot anyways. Yeah. But, you know, you had South Boston a couple weeks ago. You won that twin.

William won the other one. I heard your move. I didn't see it, but I heard your move to win was sick. I mean, is that an adequate way to put it? Yeah. It was a pretty good way. It was probably one of my better moves to wins. What did you do?

Sometimes you make those moves than you crash, but this time it worked out. Tell us about the move. The two leaders bumped together pretty good off of four and kind of washed up, and it gave me enough room to go three wide on the bottom. And that's just a narrow track, so it made it look a lot better than it was. really we were just three wide and I kind of booted them out of the way, but they track being so narrow and everything. I think it made it look a little bit better.

How many laps to go when you do that? Four, I think. Four laps to go and held on to it. Did they get back to you? No. He was gone. You got to hit him hard enough that they don't. There you go.

Drivers, the up-and-coming drivers that need some advice, there you go. Hit them hard enough they can't get back to you. Cole Custer could have used that advice in Martinsville several weeks ago, right? But of course, he's done all right, too. when like a proven successful and in our case an extremely popular driver takes another driver like an understudy or a protege under their wings it's a blessing that no doubt about it's a blessing but it also can create challenges uh maybe even in the form of extended notoriety uh you know everything's under a microscope so what have been challenges understanding that it is a blessing and you are grateful i get that we all get that what are some challenges it might propose to people race you do differently? Do you ever get the sense that people race you differently because you run for Dale Jr.? I don't know if they necessarily race different. You know, they definitely form more of an opinion. You know, having way better equipment than other people and being rich or something like that, you know,

but really it hasn't too bad. I mean, the pluses are way more than that stuff. You know, you run into the occasional people that are bitter about it or fans that aren't happy about it. but for the most part, you get a lot more support out of them, too. So I don't think it's really, you don't really notice it too much. I think a lot of people in the late model community that we race with respect Dale Jr. a lot for what he does. I mean, just the other night tweeting about that race being on Langley Speedway and promoting it for them, it benefits them just as much as it benefits us.

Right. So him promoting and supporting short track racing, I think people respect that. and I think that, you know, they appreciate what he does for it. Do you ever tell people that? Like, hey, look, you're getting some of the plus side of this, too, you know. I mean, if somebody really come at me, I would tell him. But nobody's really saying. Nobody comes at you.

Not with them guns. No. You had been in some mix-ups this year, though. Yeah, a couple. Yeah, a couple. I'd say that's probably one of the negatives, too, because when you do something bad, they want to publish about you just as much as when you do something good. That's a good point.

So that would be a challenge. Like the notoriety part of, yeah, if you mess up, because you're going to mess up here and there, you're learning as you're a young driver. I mean, you're not perfect, but you've got so many wins. I mean, I would almost think that with running for Dale Jr. comes a certain expectation that other people don't have, a certain standard. You can be booted out just as quickly as you can be brought in. Is that not right?

Yeah. You've been able to sustain a sponsor. Speedco has been a supportive of yours now for four years. Four or five years, I was going to say. You know, you've won more races as a late-mar. driver than anybody else that's ever been you've really taken our late model program to the next level but with that comes pressure too would you say that yeah I think after last year as much as we won you know there's definitely definitely pressure to continue to do that you know and and it's even

harder this year because we're running different tracks every week and stuff like you're talking about so it's definitely been a challenge and but honestly I feel like we've been better this year than we have last year and we still won five times but we I mean I honestly think think we could have won 10 times. I mean, we've had several that we've been right there and had stuff happen at the end or dismissed it by a little bit. So, I mean, we've been good. But I think the pressure, I don't know necessarily within, you know, the company or not is just within our team. You know, when you perform like that, you don't want to, you know, take a step backwards the next year. Right. Not counting Dale Jr. What is another driver in any series, in any racing series that you

look at their style, their approach, their mentality, and say, that's what I'm. want to be. I'd say Kevin Harvick. I never really had an appreciate, you know, I didn't appreciate what he did until he come over here and, you know, moved to Stuart Haas and J.R.M. And it started changing, I've fallen in more closely. And I really think a lot of him, he helped me a good bit before I ran Iowa and Homestead last year. And I mean, I remember for Homestead, I text him and I'm like, hey, I know you got a lot going on. But, and if you don't want it to, you know, if you don't text me back, I'm not going to take it personal or nothing, but he wrote me back about three-page long text about Homestead and stuff, and stuff like that,

you know, I think that stuff means more to me than, you know, watching what you see on TV. You know, that's something that, you know, he didn't have to do that, and I didn't expect him to do it, but the fact they did shows that, you know, he's a good guy. That's a great point. I'm glad you even said that because the thing about Kevin Harvick that I don't think people understand is how much he wants the program to succeed, things that he doesn't even directly influence or touch, like the late model program. He's not running late models for us.

And he honestly could do so. He didn't even have reply to that text. But Kevin Harvard, the Kevin Harvard we've come to know the past two years, is somebody that wants everything to flourish, regardless if he's directly involved in it. And that's a great example. I mean, he is up here. When it comes to sponsorships, he is more involved than anybody I've ever seen,

and he doesn't have to be. You know what I mean? That's a great point. And plus, he does pretty good on the track, too. Yeah, he can definitely drive. Well, listen, how can people follow you and keep up with all of the stuff you got going on? JRMRacing.R.M.R.R.R.R.R.R.R.R.R.S.com is a good place. What is your Twitter account. What is Josh Berry. And we'll, we post a good bit from there.

Mainly that is probably the best way to do it. And we post where we're racing and what we got going on. And Williams is William Byron, I believe. So those two would be two good follows. Two good follows. Well, Josh, thank you for being on Takes a Nation here. you've like I said I won't go into all that I won't kiss your butt too much here but the fact is is that you're the most successful late model driver that's ever been in this shop

and this program has grown exponentially in fact I would even say that William Byron has a lot to be grateful for just in what you've established for him to step up in this late model program it's a pride of Dale juniors if you haven't noticed that just on his Twitter feed he he beams about you guys and so do we so we're grateful for all you've done and I'm really appreciative that you by here, Dirty Moe Radio, and we're on this segment. So thank you, buddy. Thank you. All right, folks, listen, today Nationwide is launching a new video series that features Dale Jr. Kelly, our man, J.R. Rhodes, Greg Ives, Amy, each of these influential people in Dale's life will give you an insider view in all these things, Dale Jr. You'll get to hear

about Victory Lane celebrations, fantasy football, how Dale got into racing. You'll get to hear from Junior Nation. Yes, there's even some fans involved. And that, I'm going to just tell you, is a really good video. And you'll also get to see some classic pictures of Dale growing up. So you can check these videos out every week for the next 12 weeks every Tuesday at Nationwide 88 on Facebook and Twitter. Again, Nationwide 88 is your follow. This video series they're about to launch. I'm telling you, it is awesome. It's a playoff of the commercial that you see every week. Follow Nationwide 88. Check out these videos for the next 12 weeks. You'll be glad you did. And remember Nationwide is on your side. This is Tip Daniels with a look at what's coming up this week on Dirty

Mow Radio. Wednesday I'll be filling in for Kelly again on Fastlane family presented by Wella Professionals and I'll be joined by driver and triathlete Landon Castle. On Thursday, Regan Smith and Heath White will be back with another episode of Junior Motorsports Upfront presented by Dale's Pale Ale. Dale Jr. is in Germany this week and Cup has an off weekend, but this gives you a chance to get caught up on his recent press conferences on said Jr. presented by Nationwide. Dirty Moe Radio podcasts are available free of charge 24-7 on dale junior dot com iTunes and all major podcasting outlets let's throw the white flag white flag right there white flag well dale junior is in germany so that means we're all on vacation amanda let's leave you ready actually that's not true we've got uh truck race at iowa

speedway friday night and the expedite series race at chicagoland speedway saturday night so last week's truck series winner cole custer will be back in the double zero host automation chevi Silverado. That race Friday at Iowa is 8.30 p.m. Eastern, 7.30 p.m. Central on Fox Sports 1. I get it. It's Silverado. I just like to call it Silverado. I know somebody out there is sitting there correcting me already.

And they're writing their tweet. The Xfinity Series is at Chicagoland Speedway. It'll feature Ben Rhodes return to the seat of the number 88 Alpha Chevrolet. He'll join teammates Regan Smith and Chase Elliott for the Saturday race at 9.30 p.m. Eastern, 8.30 p.m. Central. Is that right? 9.30 p.m. Easter. It's an evening race.

I remember that Chicago because you got the Central Times Zone you're working with. Still, 930 Saturday night. How about that, Taylor? Be ready. I'll be in Seattle, so that's a... Man, I am all messed up. Come out to the West Coast and you don't ever know what time it is. Right, right.

I'll quit my complaining right there. That race will be televised on Fox Sports 1. Now, a couple of sponsor promotions I'd like to invite you to be a part of. First, Helman. has launched a summer social media campaign yesterday, and it ends tomorrow. It's a summer social media campaign, but it ain't a long one. All right, so go to Twitter at Helmonds and Facebook. It's just Facebook.com backslash Helmins to vote hashtag Team Dell or hashtag Team Regan.

Now, not even bother telling you what they're arguing over. You just go there and find out, and then you can vote. America's Power is wanting to send you to Homestead Miami Speedway for the championship weekend and an all-expenses paid trip. It includes a meet and greet with Dale Jr. Go to Americaspower.org backslash meet Dell to learn more and enter or follow them on Twitter at America's Power.

All right. And lastly, Taylor, we already talked about and takes a nation about the video series that's coming out. You definitely want to see that. It's incredible. But I'll also say this about Nationwide. They're giving you a chance to ride shotgun

with Dale Jr. at his foundation write-a-long day in October. All you have to do is visit Omaze. dot com backslash dale junior that's o m a z e dot com backslash del junior to make a ten dollar donation benefiting nationwide children's hospital increase the levels of donations and that gives you more chances to win while unlocking exclusive rewards like t-shirts autographed items etc again go to omaze dot com backslash dale junior taylor that is it great stuff this week for ral fale earnhardt junior uh whose families originally from germany

For Amanda. And Israel. For Amanda Troutman Wolfmeier, for Michael Saban Davis. I'm Robert Taylor-Zarzer. You've been listening to the Dale Jr. Download, presented by Spy. Thanks for listening to Dirty Mo Radio. Amanda, let me tell you what's been going on at my house lately. This is something that me and my little two-year-old daughter do.

She has gotten into this kick. She thinks it's hilarious, where she gives me her sunglasses, and she takes mine and we put them on. So I put on these little bitty sunglasses. Yeah. And I look really funny in them. And she laughs because I do look funny in them. And then she puts on my spy sunglasses, my favorites.

We've said. We know the saga. Yes. The favorite spies. Right. So we're laughing and we're cutting up. But then I all of a sudden don't enjoy the moment as much because I'm worried that she's going to do something to my sunglasses.

And that's going to be a big problem. And I don't think I can mask that. I don't think I can bite the bullet or bite my tongue and say, say, hey, everything's great when I know that it's not. Is that a problem? Am I a bad dad at that point, or should I just enjoy the moment? Sharing is caring, Mike. Okay.

I think that you should let her have the sunglasses. I don't mind wearing her sunglasses, these little things. She thinks I look like Mr. Potato Head, and I do because they're really small. And I don't mind doing that. I'm goofy. I like to have fun. We laugh. But I do have a problem with her putting on mine.

You know you can get another pair. I know, but I really like this pair. Like these are my babies now. Like I got two daughters and my sunglasses. Those are my kids. Oh my gosh. I know. It's weird.

Oh my gosh. Well, if you ever need another pair, you can go to spyoptit.com and you'll get 20% off if you enter discount code nationwide 88. That's true. I can't do that. You can redeem yourself. I can't do that.