Dale Earnhardt Jr., widely recognized not just for his racing prowess but also as a team owner and a vocal commentator on various NASCAR issues through his podcast, has been associated with the sport since 1998. He stepped back from full-time NASCAR racing in 2017 after several concussions.
However, interestingly, the era in which he raced isn’t his favorite period in the sports’ storied history. In a 2020 interview with Hall of Fame Curatorial Affairs Manager Tom Jensen, Earnhardt opened up about his preferred era of race cars. He reminisced, “My favorite era of race cars is probably going to be the late ‘70s.
I really enjoyed the ‘80s, lived it. The ‘80s were great. The cars were fun – old (Buick) Grand Nationals and (Chevrolet) Monte Carlo SS and all that was really amazing.
” “But the late ‘70s for me, the Chevy Laguna, the 442 – there’s a couple of Oldsmobile 442s in the exhibit – I just love the character and body styles.” In addition to his affinity for the cars of yesteryear, Dale Jr. expressed a deep appreciation for the fashion and the larger-than-life personalities that colored the NASCAR scene during its formative years.
He remarked on the burgeoning popularity of the sport, noting , “It was still a bit of a niche thing ...
It was just starting to really get cool to like NASCAR and go to a NASCAR race or pull for a NASCAR driver. And they were starting to get into mainstream and pop culture.” “So that had to have been a really inte.
