In his prime, Dale Earnhardt Jr was a hugely talented driver and pretty much the face of NASCAR. 15 consecutive Most Popular Driver awards, is definitely going to back up that claim. However, even after retiring, he has still been involved in the sport he loves, and that includes building his own media house. On that platform, he kick-started a podcast called the Dale Jr Download, where he talks about the sport.

NASCAR and Dale Earnhardt Jr don’t always see eye to eye

Despite his love for NASCAR, Dale Jr is not the type to be a blind propagandist. On many an occasion, he has criticised the sport, both as an active driver and on his podcast. In light of this, Dale Jr’s right hand man Mike Davis talked about their relationship with NASCAR. Of course, nobody likes being criticised, especially on a public platform like social media or a podcast. Then again, freedom of speech is a basic human right, and Dale Earnhardt Jr is entitled to his opinion.

Davis told the Dale Jr Download, “The relationship with NASCAR. If it was a Facebook profile, it would say ‘it’s complicated’. You said it, we compete, but at the same time when you’re competition, you need them to succeed, for your own success. Well then, that’s where the complicated part comes in. I need NASCAR to be as healthy and as prosperous as they can possibly be. I also think that they need the same thing from us, because we have an audience. We have Dale Jr. Go back to the Dale Jr Download, Dale Jr every single week, is going to say his opinion. He ain’t taking cues from anybody but himself. We don’t even know what he’s going to say about a particular thing. That always doesn’t align with what NASCAR wishes he would say. Listen, Dale Jr is an integral part of the NASCAR community. I think he is the most valuable commodity, even to this day.”

The bottom line is that Davis feels that NASCAR and the Dale Jr Download need each other. The way NASCAR performs and is perceived, reflects on the Dale Jr Download podcast. This is largely because of Dale Jr’s popularity in the NASCAR community and fans trust him as an authoritative voice. With that said, Dale Earnhardt Jr is not about to try and lie to fans about the state of the sport, simply to satisfy their ego. If he does not like something about the sport, he openly calls it out, and then it is up to NASCAR to either fix it or ignore it.

Has the NASCAR Hall of Famer ever triggered a change?

If anyone ever doubted his influence on he sport, they just have to remember the 2026 season. For a long time, the ex NASCAR driver had not been a fan of the Playoff format that ran from 2017 until 2025. Already, many fans did not like the format or the lottery-like results it yielded at the end of the season. Drivers were also divided on the matter, but Dale Earnhardt Jr knew where he firmly stood, on the side of anti-Playoffs.

Then in the buildup to the 2026 season, there were talks of a format change, raising people’s hopes. Finally, the Chase format made its long-awaited return, to everyone’s delight. Dale Jr was one of the main voices spearheading its return, and NASCAR definitely listened. The fact that NASCAR decided to bow down after defending the format for years, just shows the power that Dale Jr wields. It also lends credence to the notion that even after retiring, he is still the face of NASCAR.