As NASCAR gears up for the 2026 season, with the Daytona 500 kicking things off on February 15, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is taking center stage in many ways. But here, let’s talk about his marketing-savvy mind, which is suggesting to NASCAR ways to make the upcoming Daytona 500 as big an event as possible.

And Dale Jr. isn’t pointing far to look for ways; he spotted a gem of a word in Kevin Harvick’s recent podcast talks, and that word cuts straight to why teams and fans keep showing up despite the costs. It’s a nod to the raw drive that defines stock car racing, setting the stage for Daytona hype that feels real.

Dale Jr. revives Harvick’s rally cry for NASCAR’s big show

Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn’t hold back on his Dirty Mo Media podcast, echoing Kevin Harvick’s simple yet powerful line from a recent episode: “Speaking of we race, so Kevin Harvick was, I don’t know if he’s talking on his podcast or something, but a couple of weeks ago, but he said that. He goes: ‘We race.'”

Harvick dropped those words in response to Mamba Smith’s comment about a driver’s tough season finale, where Smith noted, “They raced all year to put themselves in that position and have dominated their series and could not be the champion.” Harvick fired back with, “We race. We’re racing.”

A nod that NASCAR is not just any sport; it’s a sport where passions run deep, where drivers don’t race to earn money or deals, they race just to experience the thrill of high speed and even put their own life and money into doing so.

Harvick’s two words were seen as a perfect slogan for the upcoming Daytona 500, and that’s why Dale Jr. latched onto it as the perfect tagline, especially after the “Hell Yeah” campaign fell flat amid conservative outcry from groups like One Million Moms, who slammed it as profane for family viewers.

This isn’t just random praise from Dale Jr.; he sees “We race” as NASCAR’s antidote to fading sponsor money and team struggles. He recalled his dad’s passion projects, where Dale Earnhardt Sr. poured $80,000 of his own money into bush cars for $20,000 prize purses, just to hit the track. Today, with corporations pulling back their money, which results in a deficit for a driver, Dale Jr. stressed that the Daytona 500 lets teams make some profit if they get in the top ten.

“And Kelly says that, you know, why do we do what we do? We race; we’re racers. We wanna race,” he said, tying it to Kelly’s racer mindset. It’s a build on Harvick’s infamous edge, like his past shots at NASCAR’s priorities, urging NASCAR to return to its roots that excite without offending any conservatives.

Slogans stick because they fuel the fire. Think back to the “Winston Cup” era when its logo was present almost everywhere, from apparel (like hats and jackets) to merchandise and sometimes automotive parts (like license plates) that bear the NASCAR Winston Cup Series logo. And Dale Jr. wants “We race” to hype the 2026 opener in the same way, drawing crowds who crave that unfiltered rush over polished ads.

By echoing Harvick before Daytona, he’s making NASCAR embrace and realize what keeps wheels turning, even when teams or drivers couldn’t make any money from the sport, and the reason is “We’re Racers.”

With eyes on the track, Dale Jr.’s words shift to his own team’s grind, where hope mixes with hard lessons from last year.

Dale Jr. anxious for JRM’s 2026 Daytona push

JR Motorsports hit the inauguration Cup Series run in the 2025 Daytona 500, their first Cup shot without a charter, forcing driver Justin Allgaier into a nail-biting three-wide duel for the 9th spot in the No. 40 Chevy. And the next season, Dale Jr. is eyeing another run in the season opener, which is backed by sponsors like Traveller Whiskey.

They decided to race next season in the Cup Series despite their Chevrolet falling short of the title shot in the Xfinity finale this season. And Chevy rolling out new bodies for the Cup Series adds an extra layer of headaches for Dale Jr. because the new Chevy body is still not battle-tested in Cup Series races. Dale Jr., co-owner, felt the pinch, knowing one slip could sideline them from the iconic race.

Looking ahead, Dale Jr. admits the jitters linger. “Making the race is still the goal all the way back… We thought we were going to do all right last year, and we didn’t in qualifying. I’ll be apprehensive about our opportunity,” he shared, crossing fingers for better speed in 2026. Yet, pride swells at the chance: “You just want to get there and roll the car out for Sunday morning and put it on the grid. That’s like a proud moment.” It’s that grit, which echoed his tagline push, and that’s what has JRM geared up to chase Daytona glory again.