Ever heard of the Mandela effect, where you are completely convinced that a certain fact is true? Only for the truth to be completely different from what you believed in? What about that awkward moment where you forget a person’s name, but are too polite to ask them to remind you again? That’s exactly what Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his wife Amy experienced on their trip to Miami.

They weren’t heading there for a relaxing vacation on the beach, sipping pina coladas. Instead, they were there because Formula 1 was in town for the 2025 Miami Grand Prix. Since the couple were VIP guests, they obviously had someone to be their guide around the paddock. However, they were so caught up in the moment, as well as the sights and sounds, that they were not paying attention. Apparently, they neglected to remember the name of their guide, only to realize his name wasn’t Jim.

This was the first time that Dale Jr. was experiencing an F1 race, so it was a big deal for him. And while he shared his experience throughout the day, he couldn’t help but bring up the story where both he and his wife dropped the ball big time. “So we’re going to do our grid walk, and there’s this sweet gentleman that’s in our suite. Going to guide us down there just to make sure we don’t get lost. We know what we’re doing. Really tall man. We think his name is Jim. We didn’t pay attention at the handshake and when he introduced himself. There are four of us and one of him, so all four of us are calling this man Jim. We’re chirping, ‘Jim! Jim!'” He shared this on the Bless Your Hardt.

‘Jim’ was actually doing his best to be a great tour guide and took the Earnhardts for a pit walk. However, Amy then revealed when the penny dropped, “We’re trying to get his attention at one point. Cause he’s like, hung up looking at something and we’re like, ‘Jim!’ Some of us were saying it quietly cause we’re not a 100% sure of his name. At one point, he’s walking right close to him. We’re going back upstairs, going back towards the exit. He’s like, ‘Right behind you, Jim!’ I see Jim chuckle. Jim’s name is not Jim, it’s David.”

Although the glitz and the glamour of the F1 event made an impression on Dale Jr., he confessed that when it comes to on-track racing product, NASCAR still takes the cake.

Dale Jr. is a NASCAR fan through and through

There was a time when Dale Jr. used to root for legends like Mika Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher, but now his favorite is Max Verstappen. “I like to see Max succeed, I love to see him dominate.” But, in Miami, he not only bumped into the Red Bull star driver but also got to experience firsthand what a F1 race is like. And a lot of NASCAR fan were keen to know his thoughts about the racing and how it compared to the premier stock car racing series.

“The racing was pretty good up until Max got passed. Max was kind of holding up the McLarens, and it was exciting to see how they were trying to put the passes together. Once he fell to third, the race was pretty much over, even though there was still half the race left. There were still some things going on for die-hards—Hamilton, some action mid-pack—that were interesting. But it was easy to zone out from the race and just get more food, drinks, and hang around and BS with people.” But, when he had to be upfront about his preference between the two styles of racing, he didn’t think twice: “I’m more entertained by the NASCAR product.”

Let’s be honest, F1 racing isn’t known for side-by-side racing or last-lap thrillers. Only last year, we had Kyle Larson beat Chris Buescher to the line at Kansas Speedway by 0.001 seconds, which is a NASCAR record. Not to forget, the three-wide finish at Atlanta that got the racing world buzzing, these are the kind of moments NASCAR delivers almost every week. F1 might be a more polished, upscale and more popular, but when it comes to racing, nothing beats the oval racing for Dale Jr.