Dale Earnhardt Jr. mingles with young crowds pretty frequently. As the co-owner of JR Motorsports, the veteran mentors young speedsters like Carson Kvapil and Connor Zilisch. Kvapil, a CARS Late Model Tour graduate, clinched three top-five finishes as a part-timer last year. Zilisch, on the other hand, already has two victories as a rookie. But while Dale Jr. shares his passion for racing with both drivers, he does not share their lingo. Well, they are all English-speaking, so where’s the problem?

That is because both Carson Kvapil and Connor Zilisch belong to the Gen-Z demographic. This group refers to people born between 1997 and 2012, who in 2025 are between 13 to 28 years old. And, Dale Jr, on the other hand, is 50 years old, which means he belongs to Gen-X. So he could not make head or tail of some of the new generation’s language tweaks. With new terms and words coming into the Pied Piper’s notice, he and his wife cannot stop themselves from scratching their heads over this.

Dale Jr. dives into the young new world

Remember that quirky video that Joe Gibbs Racing released a few weeks ago? In late February, football coaching legend and big-time Cup Series team owner Joe Gibbs shot a unique video with Interstate Batteries. The long-time JGR sponsor wrote up a unique script peppered with Gen Z lingo, and none other than the NFL Hall of Famer enacted it. The result was Gibbs’s hilarious assimilation into the Gen-Z fold, with fans rolling in laughter. Similarly, Dale Earnhardt Jr and his wife tried something of the same flavor. Amy Reimann, like Dale Jr, belongs to the Gen-X demographic. So even she looked a tad bit surprised to hear of some popular catchphrases.

In a recent episode of ‘Bless Your Hardt’, NASCAR’s power couple sat down to test their Gen-Z knowledge. Their co-host put forward the tricky phrases, the first of which was “Put the fries in the bag, bro.” Amy Earnhardt figured it might be related to sharing spicy talk over a good meal. She asked, “Is that like the same as ‘give me the tea’ on some gossip?” However, Dale Jr. got close to the answer: “Get to the point.” The real meaning of this lip-smacking phrase is: “It’s when a person is addressing something they’re talking for too long. So it is kind of getting to the point…It’s insulting.”

On to the next phrase, and this one was truly mind-boggling. “Ohio,” the co-host said, and Amy Earnhardt suggested, “F— off?” Dale Jr. scratched his head in confusion: “Use it in a sentence.” The co-host could not make up a sentence either, and directly spilled the beans: “Something cringe or awkward.” The couple was shocked as Amy said, “How did we land on that?” Considering that Ohio State hosts two fabulous football and basketball teams, Dale Jr sympathized with them. “That’s not fair to Ohio,” he said.

Amy Earnhardt could guess the next one well: “Snatched.” She said, “Yeah I know snatched, it’s like she’s tight, she’s in shape.” Dale Jr. was again gaping in confusion as the first thing that popped into his mind was related to his beautiful wife sitting next to him. He said, “I thought that meant, I’m married.” For the last one, though, Dale Jr. was lucky. “Ate and left no crumbs, “ the co-host said. Dale Jr. said, “Finished the job exceptionally.” He added how he has used this term, but in a different way. “Well, we do say it, we just don’t use those words…He did a really good job…and did not make mistake.” Clearly, Dale Jr. and Amy Earnhardt got a healthy class in Gen-Z lingo, although they belong to Gen-X. But, there are key differences Junior had previously spotted in the newer generation.

While many veterans like King Petty and Kyle Busch thought the newer generation lacks respect for the sport and equipment, Dale Jr. sees it in a different light. Exemplifying a young driver, Junior said, “I can watch Carson [Kvapil]run that race, and I can go, ‘Man, do this, get that lane, do this, do that,’ but he doesn’t know why he’s doing it. He might do what I tell him, but he doesn’t understand it yet.” And this seems to make complete sense. When Carson Hocevar spun Ryan Blaney out in the final stage at Atlanta, Blaney waited to confront him. However, maybe some dots did not feel connected.

New drivers are more than dependent on their crew chiefs as they are new to the sport. But sometimes, they get the excitement of the field, reach their brain, and force drivers like Hocevar to take impulsive decisions without prior confirmation. “I finished second. We’re here to win races, not be a boy band and love each other and play on the playground together,” Hocevar said after his run at Atlanta. It clearly shows a lack of sportsmanship, being unapologetic about your own mistakes. But it shows us the bigger picture: drivers can only learn on their own. Even Dale Earnhardt Jr. learnt it slow and progressively.

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Avoiding the crux of their fame

Well, which Gearhead is not familiar with The Intimidator’s feats? For the few decades that he showed his skills on racetracks, Dale Earnhardt solidified his place as a legend. From clinching seven Cup Series championships to executing wild last-lap battles with his rivals, Earnhardt holds a reputation few can match. Yet you would be surprised to learn that he did not spend too much time mentoring his son. Dale Earnhardt Jr famously grew up purely on his own grit and talents, not relying on his family fame. He made it through the lower ranks on his own, with no financial help from his dad. In a 2017 interview with Jeff Gluck, Dale Jr revealed: “I was running Late Models for four years never seeing him. I don’t think he ever saw me race Late Models in the mid-90s.”

But what is more mind-boggling is that Dale Sr even avoided broaching the topic of racing. Talking about when Jeremy Mayfield did a bump-and-run on Dale Sr at Pocono in 2000, Dale Jr said his father never uttered a word. “Me and my dad never talked racing. We just didn’t. I wouldn’t go up and ask him about that unless I wanted to upset him. Knowing my dad, it’s nothing I would have brought up in conversation on the rental car ride back to the airport.” On the other hand, Dale Sr thought about his son keeping well overall. “He was more worried about me keeping my head on straight, keeping focused, than how to get into the corner. He was just making sure I wasn’t going to be an idiot outside the car.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. learned a lot of things by himself over his career. Now, he and his wife are grappling with picking up Gen-Z lingo.