NASCAR was known for its old-school drivers in the late ’80s and ’90s who used to have a wildlife on and off the track. However, as time progressed, with stricter regulations, the scene of drivers leading such a life became a rare occurrence as fitness’ took the center stage. Dominant champions such as the likes Jimmie Johnson lead the rest of grid this path.
But not everyone was able to succeed following Jimmie Johnson. His former teammate and NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhradt Jr. actually had to go back to following the old school techniques to succeed at HMS. He wasn’t able to secure the expected resulted when he led a balanced life like the current Legacy MC co-owner.
The 49-year-old in his podcast recalled his experience with the same in the recent episode of his podcast. In 2008, when he joined HMS, Rick Hendrick‘s crew asked do away with the wildlife to have better results. He decided to clean up his image of smoking and not being in shape by exercising. But it didn’t give the results he expected. However, when Earnhardt would go to parties with his friends on mid-weekdays, he was able to produce better results. This made his wonder whether he was like the old guards, who needed to drink and smoke to function properly.
When I started racing at Hendrick, I tried to clean it up a little bit. Some of the people in the building were like, 'Jimmie is in great shape. Look at what he does. You should be doing these things.' And I'm like, 'Jimmie is Jimmie. But okay. I'll do better. I'mma lose some weight. I'mma work out. I'mma do these new things to try and be in better physical shape and better mental shape. And I just was like, 'Maybe I'm just one of the old guards, like I need to drink and smoke cigarettes, and go kick a**. Dale Earnhardt Jr. said in his Dirty Mo Media podcast
Dale Earnhardt Jr. explained how moving to Hendrick Motorsports made him a better driver
The 49-year-old used to drive for his father’s team, Dale Earnhardt Inc. in his early days. However, the team had to soon close its operations due to financial reasons which led the No.88 driver to join the HMS squad in 2008.
However, at DEI, Earnhardt claimed to be ignorant as no one confronted him about his ethics and dedication regarding the sport. This soon changed as he transitioned to HMS in the early 2000s and revealed how his scope as a dedicated racer changed with it.
I learned when I got to Hendrick and when I got around to Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, what being a really dedicated driver was about, what being a professional was about, what applying yourself and being accountable was about. Dale Earnhardt Jr. said in an interview with Graham Bensinger.
The 49-year-old stated that he learned how racing legends such as Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon used to hone their skills, and what practices they used. He further stated that he learned how a driver becomes a profession, and how everyone needs to be accountable. All these aspects were incorporated by Earnhardt at HMS and reflected in his later career on how he dealt with conflicts and mistakes.
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