Dale Earnhardt Jr. recalls hilarious incident involving "wrong information" in NASCAR

Dale Earnhardt Jr. returned to the pit box at Pocono Raceway last weekend to guide Connor Zilisch to victory as crew chief. But the win stirred up some vintage NASCAR memories.

While recapping the chaos of pit road with Chase Elliott missing his pit box late during the Xfinity Series race - Explore the Pocono Mountains 250, Earnhardt took a moment on his podcast to recall a moment from his own driving days. The pit road error in question was from a Bristol race, where he made what he now calls one of the "dumbest" mistakes of his career.

Speaking in the Dale Jr. Download, Dale Earnhardt Jr. reflected on how even veterans can fumble the basics.

"It can happen in a number of ways..somebody can talk on top of somebody and the information doesn't get to the driver and he doesn't know what to do. The spotter can give you the wrong information and tell you to come down pit road when it's close. I remember one of the dumbest things. I think it's Bristol... I can't believe I did this even today, so dumb. Caution comes out, going down the back straightaway, immediately get on the microphone mash the button and I'm talking to Tony (Eury) Jr and I'm telling him all the things that I want him to fix on the race car," Earnhardt recalled. (1:37:06 onwards)

Intent on helping his crew chief, Tony Eury Jr., Dale Earnhardt Jr. kept relaying details about wedge, balance, and handling, all while completely missing the actual moment to pit.

"I'm giving him all this great information, man. I'm like 'Oh man I'm really helping here, we're going to get this car adjusted and we're going to haul a*s.' And I get off the button and he goes 'Well all that's great, but I needed you to come down pit road with everybody else.' And I had talked on the microphone all the way around the racetrack past the entrance to pit road and missed the opportunity to come and pit," Earnhardt added. (1:37:35 onwards)

Pit road miscues remain a thorny part of racing, and even with digital radios and improved communication, mistakes happen. NASCAR rules mandate pit road timing and entry procedures, with violations like pitting when it's closed or speeding, often leading to restarts at the tail end. That's what derailed Elliott's day at Pocono.

Elliott had been dominant in the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, leading 38 laps. But with 13 laps to go, during a restart, he overshot his box and clipped Justin Allgaier. The contact cost them both track position, and Elliott never recovered. He was later sent to the rear for speeding on pit road and was ultimately disqualified in post-race inspection for an unrelated infraction.

"I was f***king running it": From pit lane blunders to the crew chief's box, Dale Earnhardt Jr. owns it all

Connor Zilisch and JR Motorsports team owner, and fill-in crew chief, Dale Earnhardt Jr., at Pocono Raceway. Source: Getty

The irony wasn't lost on Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was calling strategy from atop the No. 88 pit box that day in place of the suspended crew chief Mardy Lindley. Despite the drama elsewhere, he led 18-year-old Connor Zilisch to his first career oval win and second overall Xfinity triumph in what was his first-ever race as a crew chief.

While Earnhardt has expressed his desire to do it again, given the opportunity, he described the adrenaline rush it gave him in the Dale Jr. Download:

"It was fun as s**t running that deal. And I'm telling you by the third stage I was f***king running it. Sorry for my language. Dude, I was on that, I was on that, I was on it. It was my team by that point. It was awesome." (1:32:11 onwards)

While his energy for being a crew chief is obvious, Dale Earnhardt Jr. ruled out ever being a spotter:

"I spotted for my friend Brad Means, that's Jimmy Mean's son, he was racing a late model at Tri County in 1997 or eight. I spotted for him and drove him right into a wreck. So, I don't want to spot. Spotting is miserable, man. They're up on the roof, you gotta wear long sleeves, it's a 100 degrees, and you get blamed for everything." (1:32:46 onwards)

For Dale Earnhardt Jr., the Pocono weekend was more than just a pit box experiment. It was a family affair, with wife Amy Earnhardt and daughters Isla and Nicole joining him in Victory Lane. And the broader JR Motorsports team delivered in style. All four entries landed in the top 10.

However, a week later, in the Focused Health 250 yesterday (June 27) at EchoPark Speedway, only two entries made it to the top ten. No. 1 driver Carson Kvapil finished P2, just 0.104s behind winner Nick Sanchez, while No. 88 Connor Zilisch finished fourth. The other two, No. 8 Sammy Smith and No. 7 Justin Allgaier, finished outside the top 30 with DNFs.

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Edited by Rupesh