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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Compares NASCAR Driver To His Father

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Jun 3, 2025 8:51 PM ET

Believe it or not, Dale Earnhardt Jr. compared a NASCAR Cup Series driver to his father this week.

To this day, Dale Earnhardt is considered one of the greatest drivers NASCAR has ever seen. He was a seven-time champion who truly showed no mercy on the track. That's why he earned nicknames like "the Man in Black" and "the Intimidator."

While it's too early to say if NASCAR we'll ever see another Dale Earnhardt in the Cup Series, there's one particular driver who's making headlines because of his aggressive driving.

During this past Sunday's Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, Carson Hocevar sent Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for a spin when he bumped him on Lap 106.

When that incident initially occurred, Earnhardt called out Hocevar for his antics.

"Well, I hear a guy that doesn’t know that he ran into the back of somebody and wrecked them. Hey, I’ll call it like it is. I like Hocevar a lot. Kid’s awesome. Ran second tonight," Earnhardt said Sunday. "I like his attitude, I like his personality, and I like his style. But yeah, I think he could have cut the 47 a break, and he chose not to do that."

Just two days later, Earnhardt compared Hocevar to his late father.

"I think the guy reminds me of like a 1979 Dale Earnhardt - fast, not scared to use his front bumper, doesn't care if someone gets mad about it," Dale Jr. said on his podcast. "I say that to maybe encourage Carson to continue what he's doing because Dale Earnhardt ended up becoming a seven-time champion, and that aggressive style was something that endeared him to a lot of people."

That's high praise from Earnhardt, make no mistake about it.

Hocevar is currently 18th in the Cup Series standings despite coming in second at Nashville. We'll see if he build off that performance Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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