The Dale Jr. Download

It’s February of 1980, and Dale Earnhardt is hungry to return to victory lane. The Osterlund-2 car hasn't brought home a win since David Pearson filled in for Dale at the Southern 500 the previous year. Plus, with a new contract and sponsorship comes expectations, so needless to say, he’s eager to hold up his end of the bargain. Thankfully, he won’t have to wait long, as he overcomes adversity at...

With the scene set, it’s off to the races in 1980. The NASCAR Cup Series heads out to Riverside, California, to begin the season, and sophomore Dale Earnhardt is hoping to improve his road course performance. He will, in fact, finish runner-up to Darrell Waltrip, who, after a narrow loss in the 1979 points race, is regarded as a championship favorite for this year. Dale caps his successful West Co...

Another year, another scrapbook. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is back on his quest to learn the origins of his father’s legendary NASCAR career, and in this season of Becoming Earnhardt, he is unpacking the 1980 season. With the help of some family scrapbooks and his personal collection of racing artifacts, Dale Jr. is seeking to gain a deeper understanding of who Dale Earnhardt was before his seven champio...

The dust has settled on the greatest NASCAR Cup season in history, and it’s time to recap all that we’ve learned about 1979. Dale Earnhardt Jr. invites some of the guests from BECOMING EARNHARDT for a roundtable discussion to recount all that we’ve learned and conclude some of our favorite characters ’ stories. Dale’s aunts, Cathy Watkins and Kaye Snipes, as well as Osterlund Racing crew member Do...

After 27 grueling weeks, it comes down to the final four races. Somehow, after all the roster changes, crashes, fights and calamity, there are two tight points races to be decided. As the NASCAR Cup contingent prepares for the last stretch, the season points championship and the Rookie of the Year battles have never been closer.  Dale Earnhardt surely had the rookie crown locked up after his stunn...

As we roll into the CRC Chemicals 500 at Dover Downs International Speedway, our hero Dale Earnhardt has settled back into his role as driver of the Osterlund Racing number 2. However, six weeks out of the action has compromised his stamina, and his first race back the prior week in Richmond saw him seeking out assistance from fellow racer Lennie Pond. 500 miles at the challenging, high-banked one...

It was a rookie season of the ages, until it wasn’t. A cut tire and Pocono’s unforgiving steel boiler-plate walls left Dale Earnhardt with two broken collarbones and an open-ended timeframe for recovery. The NASCAR Cup circuit would then roll on as he began to mend in an East Stroudsburg, PA hospital. The progress he made in the stock car ranks and his grip on the 1979 Rookie of the Year award wou...

It’s June of 1979 and 28-year-old Dale Earnhardt is feeling as confident as ever. With a notch in the win column and top five finishes in the last three races, the rookie seems to have found his place amongst the stock car racing elite. As episode five of Becoming Earnhardt opens, the NASCAR Cup circuit travels to the Lone Star State to take on the daunting Texas World Speedway. Dale would once ag...

Basking in the glory of his first NASCAR Cup victory, rookie Dale Earnhardt finds himself in the conversation of the top talents in the garage area. Not only has he put the heat on the rest of the rookie class with his triumph, but he’s put stock car racing’s veterans on notice: the kid from Kannapolis is the real deal. But following up his win would be no easy task, as the next event on the Cup s...

In the aftermath of the 1979 Daytona 500, NASCAR found itself on an unimaginable trajectory to becoming the biggest form of motorsport in the country. Some 16-million viewers tuned in to watch the flag-to-flag coverage on CBS, and having witnessed the fight, the King and the rest of the action, they were hungry for more. The result was speedway box offices being flooded with ticket requests, and t...

It’s January of 1979, and 28-year-old Dale Earnhardt is ready to embark on the greatest challenge he’s faced in his young career to date: a full season in the NASCAR Cup Series. As the teams and haulers head west to California to kick things off, we zero in on the blue-and-yellow Osterlund Racing No. 2, which Dale will chauffeur for the first time on a road course. After a promising afternoon, his...

In 1979, Dale Earnhardt scored the biggest opportunity of his budding career to run in the NASCAR Cup Series full-time for upcoming car owner Rod Osterlund. While there are remnants of that season’s events preserved through television and radio broadcasts, as well as other memorabilia, Dale’s older sister Kaye did what any supportive sibling in the 70s would do: she started scrapbooking. Within th...

Welcome to the last Bless Your 'Hardt of 2025! This week, Dale and Amy cover all the chaos, laughs, and life updates that come with the holidays. From gift prep to family shenanigans, nothing is off limits. They talk about why Christmas feels like the Super Bowl for moms, with gift chaos, wrapping stations, and the planning it takes to make sure every niece, nephew, and cousin gets the right thing...

On today’s episode, we’re reliving the best moments from the inaugural season of Bless Your ‘Hardt. Throughout the year, Amy and Dale retold old stories, relived embarrassing moments, and brought up bar-room-type debates that had us rolling on the floor laughing. From discussing if time travel is real to stretching the boundaries of doctor-patient confidentiality and everything in between, this ep...

The Dale Jr. Download had some awesome guests this past year. Here are some highlights from the 2025 season   00:20 Dale Jr., Justin Allgaier, and Chris Stapleton announce their plans to race in the Daytona 500 4:58 Cleetus McFarland and Dale discuss the slogan, “do it for Dale” 6:35 Kasey Kahne opens up about leaving the sport and concussions 17:22 Carl Edwards on coming so close to a championshi...

Amy and Dale’s favorite segment on Bless Your ‘Hardt has always been #AskAmy because they get to hear from you, the listeners! You never know where the questions or conversations will lead. We had a lot of hilarious moments during #AskAmy, so we compiled some of the best questions, funniest responses, and silliest debates to create The Best of Ask Amy. From naming the Dale and Amy rom-com movie to...

In this DJD Classic, which originally aired on 9/13/23, bass fishing legend Hank Parker shares his best Dale Sr. stories and how he got involved with stock car racing. While Dale and Hank share plenty of laughs, the duo also dives deep into the emotional side of losing Dale Sr. and how Hank has handled it over the years. Close friends prior to their rise in their respective disciplines, Hank descr...

Before 2025 ends, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and TJ Majors decided to have one more Ask Jr., and listeners sent in questions regarding:  Christmas shopping for Isla and Nicole How big should your Christmas tree be? Favorite Christmas movies Unappreciated drivers of the past Ranking favorite cereals Building a dream race track And for more content check out our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@DirtyM...

The 2025 racing season might be over and done with, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. still has plenty to unpack in the studio. He joins co-host TJ Majors and his sister Kelley for a brand-new episode of Dirty Air: Remembering Michael Annett and Rick Hodges Chris Gabehart no longer at Joe Gibbs Racing Nick Sanchez is out at Big Machine The controversial finish of the Snowball Derby Dale and Kelley dive into...

Nobody in NASCAR has quite the reputation for being a true bada** like Ricky Rudd. One of the toughest drivers in the sport's storied history, hear Ricky recount his harrowing crash during the 1984 Busch Clash race, and why he chose to race with his eyelids taped open during the Daytona 500 just days later. Ricky also shares why he gave Rusty Wallace his "Rubberhead" nickname, and how he settled h...

When Dale Earnhardt Jr. had his longtime friend and crew member Kevin “Two Beers” Pennell on the Download last time, their conversation was so engrossing that he had to come back for more. They pick up where they left off, in Dale Jr.’s rookie season in the famed Bud 8 car. They recall some choice encounters with Dale Sr., including a wreck at Bristol and their Cup debut at Martinsville, where Dal...

Whenever the famed Larry Mac stops by, you know there'll always be a legendary story about Dale Earnhardt. Relive Dale's iconic 1998 Daytona 500 win through the eyes of 'America's Crew Chief', as he recounts his experience from that day. Larry provides perspective on his decision to leave Robert Yates Racing and join Richard Childress Racing for the 1997 season, and how he dealt with the drastic c...

Few people in motorsports have achieved the same level of accomplishments and notoriety as Tony Stewart. Hear the NASCAR Hall of Famer recount his iconic career, including all the ups and downs along the way. On today's DJD Classics, Tony shares his perspective on the internal clock every racer has to deal with as they age, and how he's enjoyed learning and competing in NHRA. Plus, hear how Tony m...

After a couple of weeks off, Amy Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are back for a brand-new episode of Bless Your ‘Hardt. Today’s episode starts off hot when Dale gets caught sending his truck away after denting it. Amy accuses Dale of regifting something that was just sitting in their garage, and it sparked the debate: When is it okay to regift something? Then, Dale and Amy recall a hilarious VHS...

Perhaps no other driver in NASCAR history earned a similar off-track relationship with Dale Earnhardt as Rusty Wallace.  Unsurprisingly, it was Rusty's gritty racing style that garnered that admiration, and while Dale Sr. and Rusty stayed fierce racing rivals, they also spent many years vacationing together. In this episode of DJD Classics, which originally aired 3/25/2019, hear all about Rusty's...