After winning four Cup Series championships, Jeff Gordon established himself as a legendary figure in the nation and became a popular guest on many renowned late-night shows. Recently, Dale Earnhardt Jr claimed that nearly two decades ago, he might have turned down an offer to follow in Jeff Gordon’s footsteps due to one simple reason.
NASCAR crew chief Steve Letarte recently made an appearance on the Dale Jr. Download podcast alongside two-time Busch Series champ Dale Jr. During the discussions, Letarte quoted a fan’s question and asked if Junior ever had the opportunity to be a host on Saturday Night Live.
“No! That time has came and went, man. I mean, if I could have done it, it would have been in 04, 05, 06. I might have gotten asked to do it. I might have turned it down because I was too scared to do it.”
“It feels like we might have gotten one years ago, almost 20 years ago. And I would absolutely have turned it down out of pure fear of doing it. And then Jeff does it and I’m thinking, ‘Damn! That’s one thing that Jeff had the b*lls to do that I probably didn’t have the b*lls to do it.’ And so, kudos to him and he did a great job, right?”