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“I Still Struggle With It”- Dale Earnhardt Jr Spills the Beans on the Roadblocks That He Faces as an NBC Analyst

Published 11/10/2023, 6:19 PM EST

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What would have happened if folk musician John Denver was asked to sing Metallica’s ‘Nothing Else Matters’ with its heavy bass riffs and drum renditions? Well, there could be two probabilities; one he could have easily donned the role of a metal singer or he could have failed miserably. Whatever would have been the outcomes, Denver would have surely felt like a fish out of the water. The same thing can be asserted for Dale Earnhardt Jr as well.

The recent media dealings regarding the broadcasting of NASCAR races from all three tiers of the sport are divided between the two media giants FOX and NBC. Both these media booths are braced by chiseled sportscasters as well as the veteran drivers of the sport. Amongst the veteran drivers also lies the name of Dale Earnhardt Jr, who has taken up the role of a NASCAR analyst on behalf of NBC. However, playing the role of a sportscaster is hardly child’s play for the former driver. 

Owing to which the former NASCAR driver stated the roadblocks that he faces as an analyst in the latest episode of Dale Jr Download.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr fails to feel at home as a NASCAR analyst

It has been years since the co-owner of JR Motorsports has raced full-time in the NASCAR series, but such is the bug of racing, the former driver time and again comes back to the asphalt track to shift gears and lead the pack. However, to shed down the garb of a race car driver and take up the role of a broadcaster with a microphone, doing a turn-by-turn relay of the race is surely taxing for a person who has stayed away from the world of ‘lights, camera, and action.’ 

Well, Dale Earnhardt Jr has found himself in a similar predicament, as he shares the NBC studio booth with his fellow and also a former NASCAR driver Jeff Burton. As a result, Junior in the latest episode of his podcast stated the hiccups that he faces as a broadcaster.

Watch this Story: Dale Earnhardt Jr Admits to Mistake as He Looks to Endorse Jeff Gordon’s Plans for NASCAR

Junior stated, “One of the things that I have a problem with is the general regular nuances of doing television. A producer, their job is to tell you what’s happening, so while you are working a producer is talking to you about the roles that we are about to run, they are telling you to send it down to pit road to this particular pit reporter. They are telling you a commercial is coming, they may count you down to a commercial.”

“They are producing, that’s their job. The people who have been on television and radio for the majority of their lives have chosen this profession and really worked and honed their skills can do the job and hear and produce all at the same time. Not me. I can’t do it, and I don’t think that a lot of people doing TV could,” Dale Jr. went on to explain at length. He then pinpointed the specific issue he has while being on the small screen. 

The JR Motorsports co-owner reveals his Achilles Heel as a NASCAR analyst

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Facing the camera as a driver and answering the questions during interviews, differs heavily from facing the camera while delivering a detailed analysis of the sport. Moreover, it takes a lot of nerves to address millions and convince them with words.

Nevertheless, continuing on the same lines. Junior also asserted, I still struggle with it, I don’t think that I will ever be great at sort of trying to complete a thought or voice an opinion with a producer talking to my ear. It’s not the producer’s problem, it’s just I am not wired to be able to do it.”

“More often than not when the action-adventure does not go well, it’s because I get tripped up because there are moving parts happening with the show in my ears. But sometimes, you just s*ck and you don’t do a great job, you mix your words up, forget what you wanted to say, are a little nervous or caught off guard, whatever,” Dale Earnhardt Jr added.

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Read More: Dale Earnhardt Jr Drops 3-Word Verdict on Joey Logano’s Unexciting Playoff Run

With that being said, it is surely a pleasure to listen to Dale Earnhardt Jr as a NASCAR analyst, through his subtle use of humor and proving to the world that he is second to none, not only as a driver but also as a commentator of the sport.

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Written by:

Ayantika Maitra

760Articles

One take at a time

Had you asked an individual from the yesteryears, they would have easily asserted that motorsport is surely not a women’s forte. However, times have changed. And changing the narrative, here I am writing and analyzing the world of NASCAR, with over a corpus of 500 articles to my name.
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Edited by:

Abhishek Ramesh