The Dale Jr. Download - Defending Your Title, Engine Problems, and What-Ifs

Episode Date: October 31, 2025

And for more content, check out our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@DirtyMoMediaReal fans wear Dirty Mo. Hit the link and join the crew.👇https://shop.dirtymomedia.com/FanDuel: Must be 21+ and present in select states (for Kansas, in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino) or 18+ and present in D.C. First online real money wager only. $5 first deposit required. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable bonus bets which expire 7 days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG. Call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat in Connecticut, or visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit GamblingHelpLineMA.org or call [phone] for 24/7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8HOPE-NY or text HOPENY in New York. 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.

Hey everybody, I'm Dela Hart Jr. and this is the Dirty 30. The best highlights from all of our podcast this week, 30 minutes every single Friday, the Dirty 30 coming at you. Let's get right to it. Hey, everybody, it's Dale Jr. back again for another episode of the Dale Jr. download. The teams are actively in the shop right now getting primary cars ready. Also, getting backup cars ready. You know, typically we just, you know, load a blank backup car and top of the hauler and hope for the best. that we don't even have to use it. But on this particular weekend,

you better prepare the backup car as well as you prepare the primary. There's a ton of work. You look out in the shop, and I think this is probably the same for RCR, most all these race teams, even on a cup level. Everybody in the shop is spending whatever's left in the tank to make sure that they are as prepared as possible for the one final event. And they're all looking forward to the off season.

They're all looking forward to a break. but whatever they got left in the tank every guy out there every roll they're all you know crossing the T's dot in the eyes and you're doing it for two race cars not just your primary you got to have a backup car

that is as good we saw it last year the seven car got in some you know got some damage in practice had to go to a backup car they win the championship because that backup car was pretty damn spectacular and so that could you know you got to have every all their bases covered yeah like when he leave the crew chief

office lights, they're still on. Oh yeah. They're still, they're logging late hours. They were here Sunday. Yeah. Working. They race Saturday and we're back in the shop Sunday after Martinsville. Justin has the experience. I would say also when you look at Phoenix, Justin performs the best, has the best history there. Even though Conner Zilich has the most wins, you would look at the statistics this year. Say he's having the better year. I think Justin can go and be competitive. I'm not going to be shocked to see. the Jesse Love right in the thick of the battle.

And Carson Quappell goes in with, I think, an underdog mentality. You know, I want to come in there and upset the field, right? And he could absolutely do that with a clutch performance this weekend. I'll be watching the race. I don't, you know, probably from a pit box. I'm not usually, like last year, I was on the seven box. And I feel, you know, I kind of personally, I have, you know, I'm the owner of the car, right?

So I got to go, all right, which box can I sit on? Maybe I'll go sit on the eight-pit box for this one. Last year I sit on Justin's because, man, we've been trying to get Justin that championship, and I felt like I can sit on this box and it not take away from whatever else is going on. He was the only playoff driver too. That's true.

But, you know, with three of them in there, I might sit on the eight box with Sammy and those guys. So we'll see. I don't know. I could move around. What's this week like for you? It's great. I mean, even when we only have one in it, you know, you're thankful. A lot of reflection.

I would agree with some other drivers that would tell you that getting to this point is the hardest part. Like the hardest part is over. Yeah, I agree with that. I mean, this playoff system is just, it's hard. It's a grind. It is. And it's hard emotionally. to be up against elimination, to be up against some things that are kind of out of your control,

to be up against circumstance and fortune, good and bad. So, you know, in the way they stack the races, especially in the final round, you got Talladega, Martinsville, it's pretty chaotic. So you're emotionally spent, I think, once you just get through this Martinsville race, you're kind of Kind of like you got to go refuel. You got to go fill a tank back up and get ready for Phoenix. But you know what the deal is. You go into Phoenix and you know what the deal is. You got to be the best of four.

Before that, it's just chaos. And so that's, I think getting to this point is the hardest part. And now that's over. And everybody may feel a sense of relief, I think, at this point. Yeah, I mean, before the Saturday night before the cup race, I mean, those guys be some sleepless nights. Oh, man. And I mean, when you, so when you come to Saturday for Xfinity, the nerves come all back. I mean, you're just as nervous as you can be.

And when that race is about to start, you're like, man, I don't know how this is going to turn out. And I hope at the end of the night I'm happy, but I don't know, you know, you just don't know. Yeah. Now, when you take three cars, you're feeling pretty good about it. But, you know, when, you know. It's the most cars you ever had in, right? No, we've had three in before. Did we?

We went to home. Is it a Thai one? We went to homestead with three in it. We were up against, we had three cars in it and I think Hemrick was driving for RCR. And they broke early. I can't remember. Maybe it was two and. Yeah, I don't remember.

I think we had three in it before. But either way, I, yeah, I'm feeling really good right now. But I think, you know, come Saturday, we'll all have the anxiety and the nerves that you traditionally would have. Do you talk to the drivers at all? Yeah. Yeah, I will. I think you've got to tell them like, you know, Justin probably not as much. He's been here, done that.

But I'll sit down with Carson and I'll sit down with Connor. And I think I might all get them collectively together and say, hey, there's a good chance that you're all going to be very good. And good chance you're all going to be battling for the lead together. Let's try to do our best to take care of each other. And that means that they can't hit, don't touch, don't rub, don't get tired. you know, don't give each other donuts, none of that. Like, I don't like them sending it off on the inside underneath them and getting loose up into each other and shit.

We can't have that, right? You got to know how to, if you're going to commit to a move, you've got to wrap the corner and do it right. Can't put your teammate in a precarious situation. So that's something I think I have to say it, just to make a self feel better. and but I think I'll talk to Connor and Carson just a little bit about their you know where their heads at in terms of it's a anything can happen in this race like you

got to remain calm fire off first couple laps the car ain't turning something's not great you're too loose whatever calm down look I'll tell them look at that race that Justin had last year he was out of it multiple mistakes multiple mistakes multiple mistakes multiple problems, look like it was completely over. Just, look, you're sitting there running 8th, 9th, 11th, struggling with the balance thinking, oh, God, we're in trouble. Just sit there, just calm down. Take an opportunity to work on the car.

Things are going to happen, all right? You know, you'll find yourself somehow, some way through the chaos of the back half of the, you know, the third stage with a late yellow and an opportunity inside the top six, you know, on a final restart. If you just stay calm. And you never know what happens there. That's right. Don't take yourself out of it in stage one or two because you're panicking, you know.

That's easy to do. Hey, what's up everybody? Welcome back to Door Bumper Clear. I am Freddie Crafts, spotter for Bubba Wallace, Dean Thompson, Gio Ruggiero. Thomas, how is it having another wheel fall off this week? Yeah, it's just awesome. How many is that this year? That's nine.

But who's counting? Yeah. Yeah, it's been so fun. Carson, how are you today? I'm good. And, of course, joining us again for this show. This is normally Gluck's spot. We fired Gluck out of this spot.

And we've brought his co-host here, Jordan. Welcome back again. Thank you. Appreciate it. All this playoff talk, everything else, the regular season champion goes out, delivers in the moment, needs to win the race. He goes out, wins the race.

I thought the Hendrick cars were kind of the best cars throughout the weekend. The 9 was really strong in practice. The 24 was strong. and they showed that in the race, you know, they, they were Jordan up front, basically the entire race. Yeah, they had a really great weekend.

I mean, Byron goes there, wins the pole, wins the ball, wins both stages, leads 300 plus lap. I mean, his best all around performance of his career in that moment with everything. And that's, this is a two-time Daytona 500 winner, but he rose to the occasion

in a race he absolutely needed to. And it was nice to see after the, how this round unfolded for him. Obviously, the incident with Ty Dillon, and then Talladega, and then he comes here and delivers. Really remarkable. and all that conversation last week about the Penske cars

and how they're going to go to, you know, they're the teams to beat at Martinsville, and if they get to Phoenix lookout, we all overlooked Hendrick Motorsports. But when you look at the numbers, Chase was really good there last year. Byron has won there before, though, and the fall has been a little iffy for them,

and then Kyle Larson is just good there. It doesn't matter. They came to play this weekend, and I think that bodes really well for their chances at Phoenix next weekend. I think the 24 car, they had two or three of these type of races this year and never finished it off.

I think Charlotte, right? And Vegas, obviously. Darlington, they almost threw a perfect game. I mean, they literally let every lap until, you know, three quarters of the way through the race, and then they lost control the race and lost the race. Charlotte this year dominated that race. Ross Justane passed them late. Iowa, they were able to hang on, and that was the race.

But they've had these moments this year where they lead a bunch of laps, and then the race gets away from them. This is an elite team that we often overlook, and we talk so much about Larson and Bell and all of the players, you know. Byron just kind of falls underneath that radar a little bit of a great driver who's really good on all type of tracks. Yep. Yeah, for sure. And then now we end up with, I don't think there's a clear favorite.

No, I don't think so. If Blaney wins that race yesterday, you go into this week going Blaney's the favorite because I have dominant the Pennsky cars have been at Phoenix. But now you've got two Gibbs, two Hendrick. I don't think you have a clear favorite. No, there isn't. I think momentum-wise there is. Sure. Right? I think the 24 going in with what they know now, they finally closed the race, right?

I think they are the favorite just because of that. But yeah, I mean, but you got to remember, man, you know, Gibbs cars have had a history there of having a lot of break issues, right? Have it going into Phoenix, you know, have they fixed them. And I know they've tried doing a lot of different things with the parts and pieces to make them last, but I don't know, man, it's going to be fun. Well, let me throw this at you. We've seen a few mechanical failures. from the Gibbs cars the last few weeks. Now those, now that are engine at Martinsville and there have been some other things, but is that concerning at all? Not just breaks,

but just anything at all. Ours is this just kind of a, it happens, no big deal we move on. Yeah, I'm not sure, man. You've got to be worried about it. Yeah. I mean, it's got to be in the back of your mind.

You see, they've had a, they've had a lot, and we've had as well at Toyota with the 2311 cars, but starters, clutches, there's just been issues there kind of all year long

for across the board. And then you saw it in practice or, qualifying, I think it was with Danny. Danny had to get pushed off for qualifying because his car wouldn't fire up. Obviously, he has an engine issue yesterday. Herps has an issue. Briscoe had an issue.

I talked to Slugger this morning. And Slugger said all three issues were completely different. It wasn't one thing they were trying. It didn't work out. The big thing remember is about Phoenix, these are all motors that they've had to run already. They're sealed engines. You've got to bring a sealed engine to Phoenix that you've had to run at least one time throughout the year. So it's not like anybody's got, you know, got some crazy throwdown motor.

they're bringing this weekend and it's something that's already proven so that you would think that they'll be okay but it's got to be in a back of your mind i think right tom i mean yeah but i think they're again knowing the 11 really probably didn't again the forecast right for the engine the groups with the sealed engines probably going into martin's though it's like they're already forecasting what engine to run where okay the 11 made the race right let's swap maybe not Vegas, but, you know, could we do some stuff different? Maybe it was the most mileage out one. Maybe it was one that ran the road course, right? They did a high rib at once. You don't know, but I can guarantee you all four of those cars that show up have the freshest engines that they can

possibly have for the championship. And when they say, like, let me, I don't know this answer at all, so I'm going to ask you, but, um, so they say this thing's got to run one time. Does it have to run one time in the 11 or can it just run? It's a, it's a group of engines that run with, with all the manufacturers cars, they can change them however they want. Hey guys, welcome to actions detrimental. Your car.

What would you like to say, Travis? I was trying to avoid this. Where are you? It's my obligation to bring it up. Where are you like? We blew up. Okay. Okay.

The engine went boom. And you're still going to tell me that there's no concern. Of course there's concern. My first concern is, will my car start? It was, it's quite funny actually in driver intro, as William and I were talking. And he's like, what happened to qualifying? He's like, they had to push start you? I said, yeah, well, I eventually got it going. He's like, man, that's kind of funny like that it won't start, but once it gets rolling, it's actually pretty

fast. Travis, we can't worry all week about it. We're not going to be able to change it. The parts and the pieces are already in the car. We just, we're going to cross our fingers and hope this thing sees his finish line. All right. But should there be some concern for people like Travis in the world?

I mean, so there's the difference right there, Jared, is. And I'll, right. Denny can't be concerned about this. That'd be stupid if he's concerned about this. But you and every other Denny Ham, one fan, I think, are going to be concerned about this. My concern is that over half the playoff races, I've had mechanical failures. So, like, five of the nine, I've had major mechanical failures.

The ones we haven't, we won. I mean, that's the good news. Right, so DNF for first. They're going to bring their best. I'm confident we're going to be fine. and if we're not we're not i don't know i just i i hope i'm gonna do the best i can i'm gonna drive it as fast as i can uh but i'm confident this week traff i'm i'm not negative in any kind of headspace way it's everything's gonna be fine this championship week did you get any

clarity on any of these situations though's like why not yeah and i think they're i got a text this morning so they'll explain it in the comp meeting so i'll know after that hopefully it's avoidable it's like oh yeah we just forgot about this no i don't think it's going to be that no big deal we won't forget that next week yeah now you get to your champ for jared okay well i got one i got one more question on this in that you won las Vegas right had a great good Las Vegas race but then the last two weeks I mean you were good yesterday up until but the result just aren't there. You know, it just feels like it's like a week off in a way.

I mean, I found myself inside the top four at Talladega with 15 laps to go. And my throttle hung open. No, I've raced these two weeks to win. I will say I put in far less work into these two weeks. You know, if you want a real and honest number, it was 45 minutes at Talladega and about an hour and a half at Martinsville. That's it. That's all the work I put into those weeks, preparing for those races.

Obviously, there's bigger fish to fry, and that's where all the time's been spent. That in the courtroom, that's for sure. Yeah, I think I'm just trying to get a temperature check because it seems like the guys who, you know, you guys get on rolls and, you know, you stay hot and you go into Phoenix hot. I don't know that there's any rhyme or reason to it. I don't know.

I'm trying to think back of like my wins. Are they after good finishes or are they after horrible finishes? I have no idea and I don't think there's any correlation. I truly do believe in my heart of. heart that this sport is week to week. Nothing that happened last week is a direct correlation of what's going to happen this week. I can assure you that I left Martinsville in a pretty good headspace, and then I woke up this morning feeling even better.

So I like where we're at. Where's your confidence level going into this weekend? Pretty high. just generally pretty high. I think it was a benefit to have more time for myself, a person that's pretty analytical as it is, a week to week, to give me a little bit more extra time at that racetrack has been beneficial. Yeah, I think I'm smarter going into that racetrack than what I would have been had,

I just locked myself in yesterday. and some of the things just took time to learn. So I feel good about it. I feel like we'll bring speed. We've been good speed-wise. New Hampshire was a little bit of a, you know, we weren't great at New Hampshire, and that's similar, you know, similar banking, similar tire.

And so that was a little bit of a warning. but I think we'll be good. I do. What about not happen to race Penske? Does that ease the nerves a bit? Well, it certainly psychologically makes you feel better. I don't know that it really matters, but it certainly makes you feel better

just because you have to respect, you're an idiot if you don't respect what they've done at that racetrack. Right? I mean, we, I know Blaney downplayed this weekend quite a bit about people just expect me just because I've won the last two Martinsville races. I'm going to just, it's easy. I'm going to go do it again. He's like, it's not that easy.

And he's right. But he nearly did again. And so when we all talk about and the media talks about mostly keeping Penske out, it's just because you have to respect what they've done. And you would think that going into that racetrack, if they were part of the final four, they would. would be a favorite to winner, which would be rightfully so. I have a question for you. As a fan when like Ohio State getting ready to play for National Championship, I'm thinking about what it's like to win or whatever all that week.

How do you as a driver keep yourself focused on the task at hand and not what it would be like to win? Or do you think about that? You know, I find myself, I think about it. I do. It was last night at about 9.30. And I asked Jordan, I was like, I wonder what it's going to be like seven days from now. Like, you know what I mean? I just, I can't help but wonder.

Like, oh my gosh, we're seven days from knowing the result. I don't know. I'd love to think about it, but I also, those thoughts only creep in between all the work and stuff that I have to do. You know, it's, it's, it's, it's when you wake up first in the morning and I'm not thinking about how I'm going to approach turn one, you know, first lap of practice. It's, I'm just thinking about, okay, the moment, what day is it? Getting closer.

It's just, I think it's natural that you have thoughts about what if, but the, you know, that's not going to drive the result. I'm old enough and wise enough now. in my years doing this to know that the what-ifs is not going to dictate the result. It's what you do now, what you do tomorrow, and how you react when things don't go as planned. Yeah, but in contrast to that, you've also probably thought about those things for the last 20 years, right? This isn't your first chance at a championship for it, right? 2019, 2020. You've been there. You've been there, time before where you thought oh i wonder what it's going to be like in seven days from now yeah and

and i've i can lean on that experience i certainly have have been there before i know the mentality i know you know typically where my headspace is at you know in the days leading up i know what my head space is typically at during practice um and i'm just going to use all those results and to you know refine how i approach this time around um and so Listen, nothing is a given, but I'm confident that, you know, if I don't have any negative unlucky breaks, like, I'll be there. I'm going to be there and in contention. It's just a matter whether, you know, we got the speed and we got the execution. If we got those two things, I like our chances.

All right, so on the Dale Jr. download here, we got a lot of guests at the table. Carson, Cople, Conner's Dill. It's Jesse Love, Justin. All the four drivers that are going for the championship this weekend in Phoenix, talk about how winning that championship changed the quest and the relief. Honestly, the way the race went changed it more than the actual winning it. Right? I mean, just the nightmare of a race that we had.

We were out of it. We were out of it. I mean, I'm almost two laps down. I remember after the race, though, feeling so bad. because I cheered as soon as the caution come out, not knowing that Anthony Alfredo blew right front tire and, like, I mean, should have hurt himself, right? I mean, as hard as he crashed, you know,

but you're rolling on a pace laps, you don't know what happened, and there's no car on the track, right? He was still rolling. And then I watched a replay back, and I'm like, oh, man. But just the whole scenario, it actually is funny. So, Jesse and I had had conversations,

and I'm open to helping anybody, right? Like, I feel like I help guys here at Jummo Sports, if they ask for it, but I'm, anybody that's in the garage if they come up and ask. Jesse, I had a few conversations. So, anyways, long story short, come down to the end of the race and there's a restart with, I don't know how many to go. Overtime. Was it overtime?

Okay. And so we're like, hey, can we have the top? Right? Because at the same, like, at this point, like, I was expecting to get a dive bomb on the inside, and I'm like, I don't care if we don't win the race to turn one. I just want the top so we don't get cleaned out. and they were like, no, we're racing for a win. I'm like, all right, now my goal is.

First I heard of it. Huh? First I heard of that. Really? Yeah, we asked for the top, and you guys were like, absolutely not. We're racing for the win. Wow. So we take the green, and I'm like, now I'm like, all right, like.

Something to prove. I got to go, right? I get the best restart I've ever gotten, and we go down, and we're like side by side. How the 98 even got to the outside of him, I have no idea. but the angle of it from the spotters at Phoenix is always weird and so I like I expect just to go all over the wall so I like hang her right up off the apron and we I don't know how we all didn't wreck I mean it was it was ugly we got smoke rolling off the cars and the last restart yeah and I was I had to get down and stare at the ground for the last two laps I couldn't

watch it was terrible it was terrible and I got I had no intention of running into him I just wanted a really good restart and I wanted to make sure that I beat him to turn one on. And so then I created an enemy, right? And, uh, you think so? Yeah, you were mad at me. You were mad at me. And then, uh, but then over time, it's been fun because I, I really do enjoy the drivers right now in the Xfinity series. Um, we have a great, I mean, there's always outliers, right? But we really do have a great group of people in the sport right now. And, and, um, it's fun every week. I mean, we, we all have our challenges, but, um, I want to win this year just because I'm, I'm, I've enjoyed the racing, right?

Like, I've enjoyed how much, how competitive it's been this year. I've enjoyed the battles that we've all had. And I don't know. We're going to have fun. I mean, like, I look at this table. Last year was so different. When I look at the table we sat here at last year in the group that was in it, and it's so different than what it is this year.

And it's just, I don't know, it's going to be fun. What do you mean? Those guys, I would feel scared at the table with AJ and Austin. It was, I don't know, it was just a different. AJ was fun. Remember, he was great on the show. He had a good time with it. Austin's always going to be Austin.

AJ, though, was funny because he's like, Austin can't be anybody's running. He's got to be, he's like, fuck all y'all. It was funny, though, because AJ was like, I got no shot, I don't know why I'm here, I'm just hanging out and having a good time. And I don't know, it was, but it was,

it was cool. It really was a lot of fun. So I would not, I would not, I don't wish my experience last year in how the race went on anybody at this table. I would much rather us all come across the line four wide for the win at the end of the race. When I was watching that race back yesterday,

I was like, I cannot imagine the thought. Like after Riley's side drafted you, whatever, put a donut on your tire. Oh, no, it blew the Lentera out. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, the Lefer. Yeah. And then to come down, or whatever,

the restart violation, and then I was like, oh, my gosh, I cannot imagine the thoughts that were going through your head. In a backup car. Yeah. Yeah. Destroyed the primary.

Yeah, what a weekend. You guys know how much time. and effort they put into these cars for this race, right? They're like massaging on everything. So, yeah, the primary gets wrecked out. I mean, I think when, I don't know how you guys feel about it, but like, I know you're all watching all the tape and you're watching last year's races and you're watching everything you can watch in car and all that stuff trying to get ready for this race.

But like his race last year is a great example for anybody to like know that, you know, it's never over. Like you thought, we thought it was over. It was fucking over. Hey, listen, I'm telling you right now, if it wasn't such a far walk to the Infil Care Center. He was ready to quit. Yeah, I was going to come down pit road, pull on my pit stall and just get out. But I knew I had to walk all the way to turn one and two, and I didn't want to walk that far.

It's just, yeah, so you just never know. You just never, never know. And NASCAR is going to keep it interesting, you know, so they'll present some opportunities if you find yourself behind a little bit. I expect... Jesse. Because he said that. Well, I just, it's, I have to feel that way, right? If I, as an owner, like, I'm trying to wear my media hat today,

but as an owner standing there without any control, I can't drive a car, I can't steer, I can't do anything, can't tell y'all what to do, I just have to know that in that there's going to be a late restart, and all four of you are going to be right up there in the top three rows. And it's just going to come down to, like, who's willing to do what it takes to make it happen. I mean, think about Sunday Martinsville, right?

the race is going to green out. William's going to win the race. It's done. Like there is, like there's no way that it doesn't work out. Yeah. And then, like,

it never fails when you're like, hey, this is going to be the easiest thing ever. I just, I just poke my head in his, in their office, and they're watching last year's race. The 19 spins down on the pit road in pit road.

And the fission comes out. It's like, hell, he's on pit road. Like, why does the caution need to come out? So, I mean, the yellow flag will fly. If there's,

if the wind blows the road. wrong way. So just be ready. Check out Dirtymo Media on Instagram, Facebook, X, and TikTok.