“We need to embrace it”: Dale Jr. reacts to Austin Hill 'flipping off' a select bunch of fans after Talladega victory

Dale Jr. has shared his thoughts on Austin Hill’s viral post-race moment at Talladega. After winning the United Rentals 250, Hill was photographed flipping off a few fans in the grandstands.

On his Dirty Mo Media show, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Hill’s reaction should not be punished and instead seen as part of racing emotion. Dale Jr. made it clear that he supports Hill’s reaction, saying,

"Now, let's be clear. Austin Hill did not drive, this is Austin Hill driving by the grandstands, driver's side toward the grandstand. He did not drive down the front straightaway with his middle finger in the air the whole way. He's flipping a guy off and he's looking directly at the camera and he's responding to some fans who probably, four, two or three dudes with their, you know, in the grandstands are probably sitting there double burden him, probably." [1:38:00 onwards] "And he's just giving it back and I agree. We need to embrace this to an extent, right?"

Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes NASCAR should allow drivers to show emotion when it’s genuine and harmless. He compared it to what makes sports fun, the tension, the reactions, and the rivalries between drivers and fans.

“We call it out for what it is,” he said.

Hill’s Talladega win added to his record on drafting-style tracks, giving him 10 career wins on that type of circuit, more than Dale Earnhardt and Tony Stewart, who each had eight. Despite being out of the driver’s title race, Hill’s win locked his team into the 2025 owner’s championship.

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Dale Jr. weighs in on Jim Pohlman’s move to RCR for the 2026 season

On a new episode of the Dale Jr. Download, Dale Jr. discussed another major change in the NASCAR world, crew chief Jim Pohlman’s upcoming move from JR Motorsports to Richard Childress Racing. Pohlman will replace Randall Burnett as Kyle Busch’s crew chief in the 2026 Cup Series season.

Dale Jr. said it would be hard to replace someone like Pohlman but also admitted that the opportunity was too good for him to pass up.

“It is hard to replace a guy like Jim,” Dale Jr. said. “I told Jim I wanted him to stay, but I knew that he had this opportunity and that it was great for him to go and hear it out.”

The 51-year-old added that Pohlman has worked with RCR before, so he understands that environment and made a well-informed choice. Before joining JRM, Jim Pohlman had a stint at RCR in 2022, where he took on multiple roles for the team. When he moved to JR Motorsports, he became crew chief for Justin Allgaier in the Xfinity Series. Under his guidance, the No. 7 Chevy got multiple wins and captured the 2024 championship title.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua