“I was so disappointed in myself”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. reminisces about ‘angering’ Mike Helton with his Bristol race rant

Dale Earnhardt Jr. recalled a heated moment with NASCAR Vice Chairman Mike Helton. On the latest episode of Dale Jr Download, Earnhardt spoke with Helton and shared how the two butted heads over a rant on the radio.

The incident happened at Bristol when a car's brake rotor exploded and littered debris across the racetrack, prompting a caution with 15 laps to go. Earnhardt didn't feel the need for a caution since he didn't notice much debris anyway.

Consequently, the veteran driver unloaded on the radio and criticized NASCAR for bringing out an unnecessary caution. When his remarks got him invited for a sit-down with Helton, the situation went awry.

Per Helton, it was a 'moment to learn' for Earnhardt. The former Cup Series driver noted the same and said,

"When I realized that how mad you were, I was so disappointed in myself for disappointing and angering him, right. And if you know Mike Helton, and if you're lucky enough to be friends with Mike Helton, like, that's your reaction." [3:41 onwards] "And I was thinking, "Oh, man. I realize now what I've done, you know, and so he's from that moment on, I remembered, all right, they're always listening, and don't do anything that's going to piss them off. Don't do anything like you've got a friend up there, you've got a guy that you look up to, a guy that you respect; don't do anything out there or say anything." And I tried," Dale Earnhardt Jr. added.

While Helton acknowledged that NASCAR is bound to make mistakes, he didn't believe any error was commited that day. He also praised Dale Earnhardt Jr. for being a 'good student' who 'absorbs' a lot.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JRM announces return to Daytona 500

JR Motorsports has announced its second consecutive attempt at the Daytona 500. Justin Allgaier is set to reprise the No. 40 Chevy for the 68th running of the crown jewel event.

The team's X handle shared a promo and attached the following caption:

"How about another round in Daytona?"

The 2025 edition was Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s debut run in the Cup Series as a team owner. Allgaier initially failed to qualify and had to race in the duel to grab his spot.

The 39-year-old competed against other open-entry drivers like Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr., but finished ahead of them and broke through. The main event saw him finish tenth, despite slowing down to escape a last-lap wreck.

Country music artist Chris Stapleton's Traveller Whiskey sponsored the outing and is set to reunite with the team for 2026. Allgaier will race Connor Zilisch, who will be driving for Trackhouse Racing. It'll be Zilisch's first Daytona race in Cup Series machinery.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua