NASCAR drivers have always been a tight-knit bunch, and their bonds often extend to their four-legged family members, who tag along for the ride and offer a steadying paw amid the chaos. Shane van Gisbergen, the Aussie Supercars champ now tearing up NASCAR, hauls his 130-pound Rhodesian Ridgeback, Ronald, everywhere, even flying him 21 hours from Australia with a custom crate. It’s that kind of loyalty that keeps SVG grounded.

Ryan Blaney’s no different, with his Shepherd/Lab mix, Sturgill, rescued in 2018, as his constant trackside buddy. Blaney calls him his “guy,” especially when the kids aren’t around, a furry anchor in the whirlwind of race weeks. Losing a pet hits like a lap 1 wreck, sudden, shattering, and leaving you spinning for weeks. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his wife Amy know that pain all too well.

Amy’s tearful goodbye to Junebug

On the latest Bless Your ‘Hardt episode, Dale and Amy Earnhardt got raw about their pet Junebug’s passing. Dale Jr started, “Amy, we lost Junebug. He was 14 years old. A teacup Pomeranian, you could hold him in your hands. He was so tiny and perfect.” Junebug joined the family during their early years, a pocket-sized bundle of joy who fit right into their nomadic life. Amy and Dale Jr often shared stories of his playful antics, a little spark of normalcy amid racing’s roar.

Amy’s voice cracked as she recalled, “Junebug was so tiny he could sit on the corner of my laptop while I worked. He didn’t have any manners and would run off into the woods thinking he was funny, and we’d have to close the door and wait for him to come back.” Those quirky escapes were classic Junebug, mischievous and independent, always turning heads. The family’s grief is a shared wave, with Amy holding him as he slipped away.

“I’m going to miss him. I was holding him when he passed away, which I’m grateful for because choosing to put him down would have been harder. He was sleeping next to me, and as soon as I picked him up to go outside, he passed away. I feel like he waited for me to wake up,” she said. That quiet grace, waiting for her touch, makes the loss even more poignant.

The ripple hit the kids, too. “Isla was sad yesterday again, so I think she’s going to go in and out of it with me.” Daughters Isla Rose and Nicole Lorraine are navigating the waves of grief right alongside their parents, a family united in missing their little shadow. Junebug’s health had been fading since a 2025 stroke that messed with his balance, but his spirit stayed bright. Amy’s tears on the podcast hit fans hard, a reminder that even NASCAR royalty feels the ache of everyday loss.

Amy’s emotional tribute to Junebug echoes the deeper bonds in NASCAR, where family, furry or otherwise, grounds the high-speed life. It’s that same heart that drives Dale Jr.’s passion for the sport’s soul, like his recent plea for a return to the full-season points system.

Dale Jr. pushes for full-season playoff

On Actions Detrimental, Dale Jr. laid it out: “What I am missing right now is the heavy drama that would play out in the regular season.” The playoffs, with their resets and eliminations, have fans tuning out once their driver clinches a spot, killing the year-long tension.

He reminisced about his dad, Dale Earnhardt Sr., in a tight 1980s battle with Rusty Wallace at Charlotte, where a cam failure dropped him 80 points back. “We don’t go to a race track in the summer and leave with pure elation because our favorite driver just extended his points lead from 25 to 80, or he crawled himself out of a hole,” Dale Jr. said.

The highs aren’t as high, the lows aren’t as low, and the playoffs’ chaos neuters that emotional rollercoaster. The final call comes after 2025’s Phoenix finale on November 2, with the playoff committee’s mid-September meeting narrowing options like a top 10/12 plus winners or a four-race championship.

Until then, Dale Jr.’s words, wrapped in the family warmth of Amy’s Junebug story, remind us NASCAR is at its best when every race feels like it matters, win or wreck.