The Dale Jr. Download

The great Mario Andretti was on the Dale Jr. Download this week, and he was asked about motorsports’ Crown Jewel races. Not NASCAR’s Crown Jewels, but the biggest races in motorsports collectively. That got us wondering, with Kyle Larson’s recent cross-over into IndyCar, who is the single-most versatile, multi-disciplined race car driver in history that competed in the Crown Jewel races? Who shoul...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. sits down for an incredible conversation with motorsports icon Mario Andretti. With a resume that includes wins in the Indy 500 and the Daytona 500, four IndyCar championships, and a Formula One championship, Mario is in rarified air in motorsports history, ranking among the best to ever sit behind the wheel. Mario reflects on his childhood in Italy and how his family migrated f...

As NASCAR returns from wine country, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is back in the studio to react to the chaos and dominance race fans saw this past weekend in Sonoma. With the bump and runs, tire strategies and aggressive restarts, there is plenty to unpack: Sonoma repave was not a problem Ross Chastain dust-ups with Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott Josh Berry has a big moment Too many caution laps? Dale’s chan...

Carla Gebhart is joined by The Athletic's Jordan Bianchi to break down a NASCAR hot topic: SMT data. Why do you keep hearing about it? What is it? Should SMT data be available to drivers and teams during a race? How does that impact competition?  Randall Burnett, crew chief of the No. 8 car at Richard Childress Racing, joins to offer his perspective on SMT data sharing and whether it helps or hurt...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. welcomes NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin back to the Download to discuss his early days in the sport and how he came to be a chassis setup guru. Mark explains that he and his father, Julian, were both mechanical enthusiasts and began attending drag and short track races in Arkansas before traveling to the Daytona 500 in 1973. Eventually, Julian’s interest wandered to the pit ar...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is back behind the microphone to react to the chaotic NASCAR Cup race outcome at Gateway on this edition of Dirty Air. Blown engines and empty gas tanks disrupted Christopher Bell and Ryan Blaney’s clear paths to victory, and Austin Cindric was in the right place at the right time. This episode covers: Missing phone calls from Dale What’s the future for Stewart-Haas Racing’s dri...

Carla Gebhart hosts a packed DJD Reloaded show this week. Rodney Childers, crew chief of the No. 4 car at Stewart-Haas Racing, joins to discuss his team's upcoming closure and how he’ll work to keep his team focused for the remainder of 2024. Plus, Indiana’s own and Speed Street host, Conor Daly, calls in fresh off his top-10 result in the Indy 500. Conor shares the ups and downs of his day and wh...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is joined by country music star and fellow North Carolina native Luke Combs this week on the Dale Jr. Download. On the heels of releasing his latest album “Gettin’ Old” in 2023, Luke connects with Dale via video chat in the midst of a long-running stadium tour. The two chat about Luke growing up in Huntersville, N.C., and realize that they lived about 20 minutes apart for some t...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. checks in remotely from the beach house after a rainy Memorial Day weekend for a new episode of Dirty Air. Mother Nature had other plans for the “Greatest Day in Motorsports.” As a result, there was a lot to debate and unpack: Tip-toeing into sports betting Getting to know the neighbors The 2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame Class Should Kyle Larson get a waiver?  Coca-Cola 600 winner Chr...

Carla Gebhart takes the Lionel Racing stage live at JRM Fan Day to discuss Dirty Mo Media's origin, evolution, and future. Mike Davis, Dirty Mo Media's founder and executive producer, comes out of retirement, and Dale Jr.'s long-time friend and spotter, TJ Majors, shares his perspective on the early days of the Dale Jr. Download. Check out Dirty Mo Media on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DirtyM...

When news breaks, we react. Dale Earnhardt Jr. recorded an emergency bonus episode of The Download to react to Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s record-breaking $75k fine for fighting Kyle Busch after the All-Star race at North Wilkesboro. Dale discusses whether or not the penalties levied on Stenhouse are fair, if Ricky should appeal the fine, and what this means going forward. Plus, Dale compares this fight...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. sits down with Will Compton and Taylor Lewan of Barstool’s Bussin’ With The Boys. Dale and the boys kick things off with Will and Taylor’s early days cutting their teeth on the college football level. Since Dale never went to college, Compton and Lewan walk Dale through what the college experience looks like as a student-athlete. Taylor explains the chaos of the NFL combine and...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is back in the Bojangles Studio to chat about all things North Wilkesboro on this edition of Dirty Air. There were multiple grooves of racing and punches flying as the All-Stars of NASCAR graced the famed short track in Wilkes County, so obviously there was a lot to unpack: Dale talks about his trip to New York City The North Wilkesboro repave was a big success Should NASCAR int...

Tonight, the lights shine brightest on the hopeful candidates vying for your vote to secure their spot in the 2024 All-Star race at North Wilkesboro. Carson Hocevar, Zane Smith, Kaz Grala, and Noah Gragson each make their pitch to voters and weigh in on hot-button issues like short-track package reform, foreign interference in NASCAR by Shane Van Gisbergen, and their economic plans for how to dist...

Join Kelley Earnhardt Miller in this episode of "Business of Motorsports" as she sits down with Jeff Dickerson, co-owner of Spire Motorsports. Jeff shares insights into his NASCAR journey, revealing how Spire's formation was partly accidental. Delving into the current charter landscape, Jeff discusses the increasing value of charters, the potential for permanent charters, and the implications of a...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. returns from vacationing in London and Scotland for another edition of Dirty Air. Although he was overseas spending time with Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Casey Mears, it didn’t keep him from tuning into all the action at Darlington: Dale details his United Kingdom adventure Ryan Blaney and William Byron have a three-wide dust-up Chris Buescher vs. Tyler Reddick Brad Keselow...

So close, yet so far from victory. With Kansas providing the closest finish in the NASCAR Cup series history at 0.001 seconds, the DJD Reloaded crew decided to revisit iconic photo finishes throughout all eras of the sport. NASCAR historian Buz McKim calls in to look back at memorable finishes – plus tell us of a TIE on the record books – before he gets put to the test with photo-finish trivia. Pl...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. sits down with NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer to discuss the current state of NASCAR officiating, the NextGen car, tires, and more - while also taking a deep dive into Sawyer’s own career as a driver. The conversation begins with Sawyer’s early days behind the wheel and the story behind meeting Elton’s now wife and former race car driver, Patty Moise. T...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is back in the Bojangles Studio to break down the closest finish in NASCAR Cup history. While the finish at Kansas between Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher had viewers on the edge of their seats, it sparked a debate on how photo finishes are governed and more: Which start/finish line is the real one? Transponders vs. the line vs. the camera Mile-and-a-half tracks have been great;...

Who is the best trash talker in NASCAR today? That’s a question Dale Jr. asked on The Dale Jr. Download this week. Well, we’re taking it one step further. We wonder if today’s NASCAR drivers can even hold a candle to the previous generations of smack-talkers – guys like Tony Stewart, Darrell Waltrip, Donnie Allison, Cale Yarborough – the list goes on and on. We’ve got the perfect people to debate...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. sits down with Chocolate Myers and Kirk Shelmerdine, both of whom were members of Dale Earnhardt’s legendary pit crew ‘The Flying Aces,’ to swap stories and discuss the current state of NASCAR. The group reflects on the early years working on Dale Earnhardt’s team. They share stories of Chocolate’s persona on the team, the time the pit crew saved a stranded #3 car stuck on the r...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. checks in to the Bojangles Studio for this week’s episode of Dirty Air. In a weekend that saw a near-rookie upset in the Xfinity race, aero blocking and Denny Hamlin’s return to Victory Lane in the Cup race, there was a lot to unpack: Carson Kvapil continues to impress The next generation of young talent is exciting  Best trash-talking drivers Should NASCAR take the digital rear...

On this week's DJD Reloaded, Carla Gebhart is joined by T.J. Majors, Brad Keselowski's spotter and co-host of DBC, to talk all about the art of blocking. We call up Michael McDowell to get his thoughts on how the final lap at Talladega played out and what, if anything, he could have done differently to hang on and secure the win. Plus, Jamie McMurray calls in and shares his perspective on McDowell...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. sits down with a driver from NASCAR’s past, Tennessee’s own Casey Atwood. After rapidly making a name for himself in the late model stock division at Nashville Fairgrounds, Atwood made a big splash in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, becoming one of the youngest winners in history. Casey explains that while his family grew up watching racing, he would become the first driver in his li...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. returns to the Bojangles Studio after a thrilling Talladega Cup race for a new edition of Dirty Air. From scoring pylons to saving fuel, there was a lot to unpack in this episode: A new “grumpy old man” moment What does Dale think about the scoring pylons? How can NASCAR solve the fuel-saving dilemma on drafting tracks? Shorter races vs. more stages: “don’t take chips out of my...