Dale Earnhardt Jr is a name etched deep in the legacy of NASCAR. Holding 26 Cup victories and being a 15-time most popular driver, Dale Jr is held highly within racing circles. However, as it turns out, the veteran racer is interested in more than just motorsports’ high-speed drama.

The two-time Daytona 500 winner is a wrestling fan and follows the sport with utmost interest. Recently, the son of his all-time favorite wrestlers clinched a victory, and Dale Jr was no less than overjoyed.

Dale Earnhardt Jr salutes Rhodes for his win, and fans chime in

NASCAR star Dale Jr and WWE giant Cody Rhodes had met last year. Coming on the podcast ‘Dale Jr Download’, Rhodes narrated many interesting stories. Some involved ultimate crossover plots, like how his father, wrestler Dusty Rhodes, was a diehard fan of Dale Earnhardt. However, another story involved how he completed his family’s intergenerational “story”.

Cody Rhodes had won the men’s Royal Rumble match earlier this year. And now Rhodes relit the bloodline fire by snagging the coveted WrestleMania belt. In doing so, he became the first member of his wrestling family, which includes his late father, to win a top WWE championship. Thus he saw through the end of his family’s redemption arc.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr promptly posted on X after Rhodes’ victory. He tweeted: “He finished the damn story. Badass show @CodyRhodes #WrestleMania”.

Then fans of both worlds flooded the comment section with ecstatic reactions. Some agreed with Dale Jr’s words: “You damn straight he did!” Then, “Yes he did.  Hell of a night”. And then again, “HE DID IT DALE HE DID IT”.

Cody Rhodes, aka The American Nightmare, put up a tough fight in the arena against Roman Reigns. By the end of a nail-biting fight, the former prevailed, putting an end to Reigns’ 1,316-day run as champion. Some fans showcased their excitement: “ROMAN ROBBED”. Another fan commented: “Such an awesome ending! Had me emotional”.

One racing fan significantly pointed out how Dale Earnhardt Jr’s podcast had led them into the wrestling event: “I don’t watch wrestling but listen to your podcast. I enjoyed the podcast with Cody so just knowing about it from that, I’m glad he finished the story.”

Besides Cody Rhodes’ family having Dale Sr’s fans, Dale Jr himself is a fan of Rhodes’ dad, the late Dusty Rhodes.

Dale Jr liked Dusty Rhodes’ down-to-earth nature

The players of NASCAR and WWE are more intimately connected than you can imagine. In 2022, Dale Earnhardt Jr attended the October 24 episode of “WWE RAW” in Charlotte. After that experience, he shared about his favorite wrestlers on his podcast. 

The blue-collar, down-to-earth wrestlers appealed to him the most. “If I can kind of be quite honest about it, the wrestlers that I liked were Dusty Rhodes, Magnum T.A., Stone Cold, I did like The Rock, but not at first. The guys that I like are kind of like blue-collar, t-shirt and jeans, for me I’m still looking. That’s why I went. I got some friends of mine that go all the time. I said, ‘I wanna get back into it. I need to find that Steve Austin, I need to find that Dusty Rhodes character that I wanna connect to’.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr’s love for wrestling is sure an exciting thing, as it connects the best of both worlds of NASCAR and WWE.

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