In the high-speed world of NASCAR, Dale Earnhardt Jr revealed a side that few knew existed – his secret battle with anxiety. But as Dale spills the beans, we discover that a turbulent storm of anxiety often rages behind the wheel. It’s a paradox that makes you wonder: How does a racing legend cope with something as human as anxiety?

In a recent episode of the ‘Dale Jr Download’ podcast, Dale Earnhardt Jr and his co-host, Mike Davis, engaged in a candid conversation about Dale’s approach to handling stressful situations. The discussion revolved around Dale’s tendency to experience anxiety when faced with last-minute decisions or unexpected challenges.

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During the conversation, Mike inquired about Dale’s family’s involvement in his racing endeavors, particularly referencing a conversation between Dale and his wife, Amy Earnhardt.

Dale admitted that discussing such matters with Amy wasn’t easy. The 2 time Daytona 500 winner stated, “Basically, I was telling her I was like, man I like to you know, for me if I’m gonna do anything, I want to way out in front so I can I got a wrap my brain around this right. I cannot learn about something last minute because I freak out.”

“I don’t care what it is, right? I don’t care if it’s who’s taking what kid to school in the morning; it’s you know, the last minute sort of okay frantically making sure you’re not gonna leave something behind or do something wrong or …”

Mike chimed in, affirming that Dale indeed worries about such situations, further validating Dale’s statement. Dale explained that when initially asked to drive a car, how his immediate reaction was to decline, citing his inability to handle the pressure.

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This answer from Dale Earnhardt Jr prompted others to inquire why he felt that way.

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Dale acknowledged that it was normal to experience some level of nervousness, but he was troubled by the intense anxiety that would consume him in high-pressure moments. The JR Motorsports owner shared an example from an incident in Atlanta when fellow racer Michael Annett faced an issue right before a race.

“I believe I get nervous about it, but naturally nervous, which is fine. I don’t really bother me too much. But you know, if we were sitting here and somebody said. You know, here’s a great example: we were in Atlanta a couple like a year or two ago. Michael Annett had an issue in the morning, like right before the race he’s like I can’t race, he had a fracture or something yeah it was bothering him is knee or something and so they come I’m in the booth.” 

“With a total, we’re 20 minutes from getting ready to start to show and do this race, and they’re scrambling for a driver. They’re like Can you do it and I was like hell no I can’t do it I’m up in the booth I can’t do that. Of course I could have and part of me now even today goes I should have why didn’t I go down there and just drive the car.” Dale Earnhardt Jr further added.

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To wrap up this high-speed journey into Dale’s anxiety-ridden world, he draws a parallel between the level of anxiety he’d have felt in that crucial moment and what we all experience in our everyday lives, something like making plans for lunch at the very last moment.