A father’s love is tough. However, it is the vital force that helps his children become the best version of themselves. As kids, we often fail to realize how much our dads love us. Unfortunately for some, it gets too late when they actually start to fathom the love that their father had for them. And then, there’s nothing left for them to do but to fondle the memories and shed a teardrop or two.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of those people who craved closeness to his legendary father. In earlier interviews, he had shed light on his not-so-smooth relationship with his father, Dale Earnhardt. But in a recent episode of his podcast, the two-time Xfinity Series champion had Hank Parker, a longtime friend of senior, as the guest. It is then that the reality dawned on him.

Dale Earnhardt regretted not waiting for Burger King

Despite not being a fan of beer back in the late 1990s, Dale Earnhardt Jr partnered up with Budweiser to drive the number 8 Bud Light car. The red Chevrolet Monte Carlo that he drove at Daytona back in 2003 now sits in the Racecar graveyard at the Dirty Mo acres. However, Hank revealed how Dale Earnhardt wished he had waited for the famous Burger company, rather than the Beer company’s sponsorship.

The two best friends were camping in a tent in Silver City, New Mexico, and discussing the future prospects of their sons. While Hank Parker talked about Hank Junior’s racing opportunities, Earnhardt senior illuminated the dumbest thing that he had ever done.

According to Parker, Earnhardt once said “The dumbest thing I ever did in my life is getting that boy that bud sponsor… I should have went with Burger King… that has not been good for him.”

17 wins, multiple top-5 championship finishes, and a valorous victory in the 2004 Daytona 500! Why would Dale Earnhardt even think about the Budweiser sponsorship in such derogatory terms? Hank wondered too. and argued that Dale Junior was doing quite well with the now-famous “8.” However, that was not what Dale Earnhardt meant.

He said, “That ain’t what I’m talking about. I don’t have him in the environment I’d like to have him in.”

Watch this story: “You’re Drinking One Tonight”: Dale Earnhardt Jr Reveals the Time His Father Forced Him to Drink Something He Disliked in Front of a $115 Billion Sponsor

Parker continued, “That was your dad. He had a heart. He loved his kids, he just did not know how to express it.” A speechless Junior kept staring at his late father’s friend with unblinking, watery eyes.

Junior admitted to having started racing for a very emotional reason

Dale Earnhardt was like an unstoppable force. He is known as the ‘intimidator’ for a reason. In an interview, Junior said that the only reason he raced was to get closer to his dad. He admitted, “Like, nothing I did would register with him (Dale Earnhardt). Not that I was doing a lot; I was an average student in school, so I wasn’t impressing him that way. I didn’t have any athletic attributes to bring home a trophy for any kind of sports in school.”

But things changed after he started winning races. Everybody at Dale Earnhardt Inc. started talking about Junior’s races. The JR Motorsports owner exclaimed, “I got more and more into it like, hey I wanna do racing because it gets me closer to dad. Luckily, that happened.”

Read more: “Give Me the Car Back”: Remembering Dale Earnhardt’s Uncanny Return Amid Nerve-Wracking Daytona Crash