Currently, Carson Hocevar is the hot topic of the NASCAR Cup Series. The Spire Motorsports sophomore driver is providing ample fodder to media partners. He is also keeping veterans like Dale Earnhardt Jr occupied with rolling out fresh opinions. After all, wrecking Ricky Stenhouse Jr at Nashville was a shocking incident. And all while debating the controversy, Dale Jr is also honing his own skills.

The Cup Series veteran picked up 26 race trophies across a long career that ended in 2017. After that, he embarked on a broadcasting role. He spent 6 years with NBC Sports, yet Dale Earnhardt Jr had more to learn, and he picked up a lesson under Amazon Prime.

Dale Earnhardt Jr reflects on his learning path

We all know the iconic broadcasting moments that Junior has brought to us. The most memorable one came in July 2018 at Chicagoland Speedway, where Kyle Larson made a daring move on Turn 1 to pass Kyle Busch. Dale Jr roared in his loud and twangy voice, “Slide job!” Despite how exhilaratingly popular that phrase was, Dale Jr was still new to the broadcasting scene. He grew his skills at NBC until 2024, when he cut ties with the media partner. Dale Jr spent the last year taking a break from NASCAR broadcasting. Even during his time off, he spent time contemplating what he could do better in his upcoming stint for Amazon Prime. That resulted in his bold statements about Carson Hocevar in the post-race coverage after the Cracker Barrel 400: “I just don’t like it when he wrecks the good guy.”

According to a recent episode of ‘The Dale Jr Download,’ it took a long time for Dale Earnhardt Jr to get there. He called up Carson Hocevar later on and regretted targeting him directly, citing that it was his job. But at the same time, Dale Jr traced his own path of progress: “I decided in this go-round with broadcasting to be decisive, even if I feel like I’m taking a risk of being wrong… say, ‘I think this, I think that’, instead of dancing around the bush. When I was working with NBC, that was one of the consistent critiques from our bosses – everybody needs to be more decisive and choose what they believe is happening.”

Now, Dale Earnhardt Jr is two races into Amazon Prime’s 5-race schedule in the NASCAR Cup Series. He reflected on how confidently he needs to use the microphone. He needs to make do with the limited data available: “In that booth, during the broadcast, we only get one or two looks at it. We’ve got to take a decision – who’s at fault? … What should have happened or could have happened? Then you go home, you read all the s— that everybody else says about it… Then you get a chance to look at the replay several more times, and you might change or soften up your stance a little bit.”

Besides meticulously honing his live commentating skills, Dale Earnhardt Jr is also having fun on Amazon Prime. After all, he got to call his favorite race!

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Presenting Dale Earnhardt Jr. with a sweet opportunity

Dale Earnhardt Jr has covered eclectic events with NBC Sports. These include the Indianapolis 500, the Kentucky Derby, the Super Bowl, and the Olympics. Junior, however, has never called the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR’s Cup Series crown jewel. That is because it was part of the FOX Sports package when he was with NBC. The Coca-Cola 600 is special for the veteran as he made his Cup Series debut there in 1999, finishing 16th. In 2015, he won the race and had five other top-five finishes at Charlotte. But after missing his favorite race under NBC for so long, he finally got a chance to call it under Amazon Prime. What is more, the race itself was an iconic one, as Ross Chastain toppled William Byron’s dominance to win in the end.

A week before this spectacular race, Dale Earnhardt Jr professed his excitement for the broadcast. He said, “I’ve always wanted to do the 600. I think we all can kind of agree that the 600 has been one of the best races over the past couple of years. The Next Gen car has been incredible on the mile-and-a-halfs. So that has me really excited.

So when his Amazon bosses asked for his feedback after a practice rehearsal, Dale Jr made his buoyant emotions clear. He said, “My bosses were texting me when we got done, ‘What did you think?’ I said, ‘I’ve got one problem. We only get to do this five weeks.’ I had a lot of fun and it’s going to be here and gone in a snap of a finger. I am all about doing 600 miles.”

Clearly, Dale Earnhardt Jr is enjoying his new broadcasting role. As the veteran gathers more experience, his popularity also soars among fans.