Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Had Great Reaction To U.S. Rocket Launch Tonight

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Holleran | Last updated Apr 1, 2026 8:30 PM ET

Who else didn't know that the U.S. was sending a rocket to space on Wednesday evening?

Four astronauts prepared to launch a historic moon mission on Wednesday night, April 1. Shortly after 6 p.m. E.T. on Wednesday, four astronauts launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to attempt to journey around the moon as part of the Artemis II mission.

The crew included NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen. It's the first crewed moon mission since 1972.

"The core stage of the SLS rocket, which is the large orange fuselage at its center, has finished burning through more than 700,000 gallons of fuel and powered down its four engines," CNN reported.

"With MECO complete, it’s up to the top portion of the rocket, which is called the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) to take it from here. It’ll keep propelling the Orion capsule to faster and faster speeds, eventually reaching close to escape velocity (nearly 25,000 miles per hour)."

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images.

Reactions poured in from the sports world, including a great one from legendary NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"I had no idea we were sending humans around the moon. Turned on my TV for some sports and there it was, 4 minutes from liftoff. Unreal. Proud moment. It was bad (expletive) watching that rocket book it toward the stars. How in the (expletive) did I not know this was happening today?" he wrote on X.

Dale Jr. truly didn't know it was happening until tonight. Millions of Americans likely had the same reaction.

"Honest. All I do is work and racing. It's (expletive) tho," he claimed.

Live coverage of the space launch is airing on CNN on Wednesday evening.

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

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