Dale Earnhardt Jr

[SLIPPING SIDEWAYS]

Someone asked him about getting a group together to buy North Wilksboro. But he has other ideas.

https://mobile.twitter.com/DaleJr/status/1205182874942689280

[chupp n bloomer fan]

Someone asked him about getting a group together to buy North Wilksboro. But he has other ideas.

https://mobile.twitter.com/DaleJr/status/1205182874942689280First he wants to weedwack NW and have iRacing scan it to use on iRacing. Talked about it in his podcasts.

Away from the track he has come into his own. Big fan of his podcasts.

[Rocky]

First he wants to weedwack NW and have iRacing scan it to use on iRacing. Talked about it in his podcasts.

Away from the track he has come into his own. Big fan of his podcasts.

You know as much as people have asked of Dale and as many times as he’s had to answer questions about his Dad dying and all that. I wouldn’t have blamed the guy if he turned into a real a-hole. But he’s a student of the game and a real historian. I might be as much of a fan of his as I was of his Dad. For totally different reasons though. Either way I never saw that coming. I wasn’t a Jr Nation guy when he was driving. But I am now. I never thought a dude with that much money could have such a relatable TV, radio personality. Comes off very genuine.

[SLIPPING SIDEWAYS]

First he wants to weedwack NW and have iRacing scan it to use on iRacing. Talked about it in his podcasts.

Away from the track he has come into his own. Big fan of his podcasts.

I think it's done. Day 3 was today

[JayD]

JR is dumber than a rock, if his last name wasn’t Earnhardt he’d be working at McDonald’s.

[chupp n bloomer fan]

Lol. That’s about as ignorant a statement as I’ve seen in awhile.

Better to be seen and not heard than to remove all doubt.

[chupp n bloomer fan]

I think it's done. Day 3 was today
Awesome...

[chupp n bloomer fan]

Most definitely man. Genuine, not uppity, honest, relatable, that Podcasts is just awesome. As is his book.

[Rocky]

The show is the spiritual descendant of Wind Tunnel. Those guys do a hell of a job.

[Rocky]

I have the book, saving it for cruise.

[chupp n bloomer fan]

I have the book, saving it for cruise.You’ll like it. Just know it’s not totally about racing. Really a good book.

[kazual]

As an on-air guy he surpassed my expectations. Not meant as a dig at Senior as he had his own appeal to fans. But he generally couldn’t put more than one sentence together at a time, he was a king of one liners. But Junior has a depth and reverence for racing that I hadn’t seen when he was driving.

[Illtsate32]

How about a class where the winner has to let someone who finished in the top 5, or 10, claim their engine, random draw...

[SLIPPING SIDEWAYS]

How about a class where the winner has to let someone who finished in the top 5, or 10, claim their engine, random draw...

There is. I think years ago anyone could claim an engine. Driver from another class or a fan in the stands.

[Rocky]

You got that right. I feel like he loves racing the way we love racing. I think the guy has found his true calling.

[Barbecueboy]

He's normal........and he doesn't have to be.

To me that's what's cool .

[ZERO25]

I don't care much for him as a driver or announcer, but his podcast/tv show is pretty cool and down to earth!

[TS FAN]

Like jR or not, he has always shown class in the way he has handled his new found fame after Dad died. I was a big fan of his Dad, and a neutral fan of his, but he always handled himself with class. I am fine with his role in Nascar too. Nice young man.

[0cents]

I was able to see Jr a few weeks back where he was the speaker at a benefit dinner and wow is all I can say. To see how humble he is and his love for the sports is amazing. Few key notes I took away from him was when they asked what does he want to be remembered for his answer was along the lines of, I want people to say that I loved the sport of racing and did everything I could to better the sport. Another neat comment he made was saying how when he started racing late models on asphalt how terrible he was and following it all up by saying something along of the lines of most of my success was only because of my last name and nothing I truly done myself.

[Stefan2k4]

I think it would be a great idea, if someone bought North Wilksboro and reopemed it as a dirttrack. Keep it a half mile and rebuild the grandstands and facilities. Then youd have a facility that could host really big special events. Nascar outgrew North Wilksboro and it became just too small for them, but for dirt track racing it could be a superbowl of dirt type venue.

As for Dale Earnhardt Jr, I have nothing against him personally, and he seems a likeable enough guy. However, I would suggest that this would be a better role for someone else. I would think someone like Forrest Lucas, or perhaps Bruton Smith, might be better equipped to take on a tasks like this. Also, I'm somewhat weary of the idea of a former Nascar driver managing a significant venue in dirt track racing. The last thing we need is for dirt track racing to become more like Nascar.

[Illtsate32]

It would be way to big of a track for dirt imo...

[SLIDING SIDEWAYS]

Sad to say nothing will be done to n wilkesboro. Its just a bunch of big wheels that keep it from happining thinking of themselves and not the history or fans.

[WisWildManFan]

2021 nascar schedule should be interesting

[thexfactor0210]

2021 nascar schedule should be interesting

I wonder if they will actually do things right and go to some more short tracks or the old historical ones. I read the rumor of a street course in a big city. That is complete opposite of what they need IMO.

[SLIPPING SIDEWAYS]

I wonder if they will actually do things right and go to some more short tracks or the old historical ones. I read the rumor of a street course in a big city. That is complete opposite of what they need IMO.

Problem is from I've heard is that some of these tracks people "wish" they would go to don't have the amenities too hold such an event. At first I believe it was Iowa and Kentucky that could hold a truck race or Xfinity race but couldn't have a cup date until upgrades were made not only to the track but the area as well ie roads, parking, lodging and restaurants

[Dlmfan123]

People are always talking about how small the crowds are, but there are still a sh!t load of people at every race

[Stefan2k4]

It would be way to big of a track for dirt imo...

.625 mile? That's just barely bigger than a half mile. I think Gaffney was nearly that size, maybe just a smidgen under. What's the size of Knoxville? We're not talking about racing go karts here. Anyway, for a special venue, you'd want it to be a bit bigger and a bit different than all the cookie cutter go kart tracks that we mostly have today.


Sad to say nothing will be done to n wilkesboro. Its just a bunch of big wheels that keep it from happining thinking of themselves and not the history or fans.

That's why I say, you'd probably need someone like Forrest Lucas or Bruton Smith. They could make something like this happen. Of course, that's assuming they'd have any reason to want to.

[Josh Bayko]

.625 mile? That's just barely bigger than a half mile. I think Gaffney was nearly that size, maybe just a smidgen under. What's the size of Knoxville? We're not talking about racing go karts here. Anyway, for a special venue, you'd want it to be a bit bigger and a bit different than all the cookie cutter go kart tracks that we mostly have today.



That's why I say, you'd probably need someone like Forrest Lucas or Bruton Smith. They could make something like this happen. Of course, that's assuming they'd have any reason to want to.


.625 is 5/8. That’s original WVMS or original Golden Isles size, meaning quite a bit bigger than Knoxville.

[thexfactor0210]

Problem is from I've heard is that some of these tracks people "wish" they would go to don't have the amenities too hold such an event. At first I believe it was Iowa and Kentucky that could hold a truck race or Xfinity race but couldn't have a cup date until upgrades were made not only to the track but the area as well ie roads, parking, lodging and restaurants

You are probably right in that aspect, though it would be awesome just to try it again. I wonder what the response would be if they held a race at Rockingham or Wilkesboro. Let fans camp and grill out and buy food there. Dont worry about hotels and fancy restaurants and facilities. It could be a true throwback weekend. I know it is a much smaller scale but it works at Eldora several times a year.

I know lots of people bash nascar but I would support the hell of out of something like that because I wanna see all forms of racing do well.

I read where Dale Junior said he would race Nashville if they brought it back. We know for sure he would race at one of the north carolina tracks. Heck i am sure you could get stewart and a few others out too. The response could be huge.

[SLIDING SIDEWAYS]

I believe the owners of rockingham are going to run some races at least that was there plan when they purchased it. They had a big music shin dig there this yr but the weather stunk up the show. They had severe weather and damaging wind that wknd. It was a 3 day show.

[Stefan2k4]

meaning quite a bit bigger than Knoxville.

An eighth of a mile is not exactly what I would consider "quite a bit bigger". Yes, it would be a little bit bigger than any of the other current dirt tracks out there now, but that's the idea. What I would envision would be a special venue. You'd want to be unique. You'd want to be different than the norm. That's how you create something special. That's how you set your product apart from what everyone else is offering. That's part of the problem with racing today, and why fans are losing interest, too much of the same old same old, and no one willing to think outside the box.

As for the side track discussion here about Nascar going back to places like this, forget it. There's a reason they left. As others have already pointed out, these facilities, simply couldn't support the crowds. It's not a workable scenario, but turning it into a special venue for dirt late models and modifieds might be. With a seating capacity of ~40k, you could have big special events.

[SLIPPING SIDEWAYS]

They couldn't support what the media requires either without major upgrades. Just because ratings are down along with attendance doesn't mean the need for anything is any less.

[racincowboy02]

Before they shortened Cherokee it measured 5/8ths of a mile and I would totally be down to watch the late models and modifieds go wild at north Wilkesboro that would be pretty freaking sweet

[nc mudcat]

PASS ran a big $75,000 to win show there in 2011. 77 cars came, but the fans did not. If it ain't NASCAR, it probably will not be worth doing, financially.

[Josh Bayko]

An eighth of a mile is not exactly what I would consider "quite a bit bigger". Yes, it would be a little bit bigger than any of the other current dirt tracks out there now, but that's the idea. What I would envision would be a special venue. You'd want to be unique. You'd want to be different than the norm. That's how you create something special. That's how you set your product apart from what everyone else is offering. That's part of the problem with racing today, and why fans are losing interest, too much of the same old same old, and no one willing to think outside the box.

As for the side track discussion here about Nascar going back to places like this, forget it. There's a reason they left. As others have already pointed out, these facilities, simply couldn't support the crowds. It's not a workable scenario, but turning it into a special venue for dirt late models and modifieds might be. With a seating capacity of ~40k, you could have big special events.

There's a reason all the 5/8 tracks have downsized and keep downsizing. Car counts and fan interest at all of them dropped off. They require all the motor you can handle and more, and that's very expensive. And most races on tracks that big end up being very fast freight trains with massive amounts of attrition.

And the facilities at NW need massive updating/replacement, regardless of surface. We're talking millions of dollars. There is no scenario in which spending those millions turning it into a dirt track makes even a little bit of sense.

[PRCKartRacer9]

Yeah Josh I agree but nothing compares to watching Francis bounce it off the turn 4 wall at Mineral Wells

[SLIPPING SIDEWAYS]

If my math is correct. It would take $1.65 mil just to put SAFER barrier around the track. That doesn't include any other areas that may be needed also.

[ZERO25]

Dang!...….them black ford drivers are gone again! smh

[chupp n bloomer fan]

And I think he’s harmless. Was nice having him back.

[ZERO25]

Zero
And I think he’s harmless. Was nice having him back.


Yes it was! He kept this place entertaining!