After the race, NASCAR sometimes wants the winner to do interviews right on the main straight part of the track. That can affect how much time the driver and team get to celebrate.
The infield is the inside area of the race track. It’s where teams and events are set up, and it’s sometimes where drivers celebrate before going to victory lane.
They’re talking about another driver named Michael who does the same kind of celebration. The clip doesn’t say who he is exactly, but he’s clearly part of the racing moment.
They’re talking about Bill Davis as the person who helped start Toyota’s NASCAR truck effort. So he’s important because he helped get Toyota into that racing world.
A “truck program” is a racing team’s whole setup for competing in NASCAR’s Truck Series. Saying “Toyota truck program” means Toyota had a dedicated effort to build and support those trucks and the people behind them.
They’re using “Area 51” as a metaphor for a secret project area. It suggests some people were working on something important away from the speaker, and he didn’t know the details at the time.
In NASCAR, “Cup” is shorthand for the top-level series where the biggest teams and races are. So being “behind in Cup” means they weren’t keeping up at the highest competition level.
In racing, “engineering” means the technical work that turns rules and data into a fast car—things like chassis setup, development, and performance improvements. The speaker contrasts having engineering resources with being “behind,” implying Toyota’s shift of tools and people affected development pace.
They mention Joe Gibbs as someone whose team culture and information helped them. The point is that they relied on his organization’s know-how when things got tough.
Darlington is a famous NASCAR race track. Because it’s tricky to drive fast, teams often change car settings between races there.
Car
Dodge
“Dodge” here is the NASCAR manufacturer the team transitioned to after running Pontiac. The speaker says the Dodge had a “better body,” and that they carried over tools/setup while making spring-to-fall adjustments to keep the cars competitive.
“Points” are how NASCAR measures who’s doing best over the season. Finishing well (or benefiting from a rival’s bad day) can add a lot of points toward the championship.
Term
regular season championship race
This phrase means the main points race during the regular part of the season. It’s the standings battle that sets up who’s in the best position going forward.
Term
first lap wreck
A “wreck” is a crash. If it happens on the first lap, it can ruin a race immediately because everyone is still getting up to speed and spacing.
The radiator is part of the cooling system that keeps the engine from getting too hot. If it gets punctured and starts leaking, the car can overheat and lose a lot of time.
In race talk, “tire” means the tires on the car and how they’re holding up. Tire grip changes over time, so it can make cars faster or slower during a race.
A “long run” means driving for a longer stretch of laps without fresh tires. The car’s speed can change as the tires wear, so it’s a key way to judge how the setup will hold up.
A “short run” is a brief stretch of laps. Cars can feel faster at first, so comparing short-run and long-run helps explain how performance changes as tires wear.
The playoffs are the “after the regular season” part of racing where the championship is decided. Drivers often talk about how they want to do well before the playoffs start.
“Indy” is a race event at the Indianapolis track. Different tracks favor different cars, so drivers talk about which one gives them the best shot to win.
dude, they have a dynasty already over there. You're, you're in the middle of building one where
you're at. Why don't you just build what you got there? And I'm like, I hung up the phone. I was
like, oh, right? I'm like, now what am I going to do? Right? And they're getting ready to raise
on the plane on the way to Michigan. And they were going to announce it that afternoon, right?
So I call them, I call Tommy, Tommy the third. I say, Hey, I just want to let you know, I'm
all excited. He starts crying. Right? He started crying. Oh, Jeff, you know, because him and Jeff
are friends. Why are you leaving? And I'm like, Oh, and then I call Ward. I just want to let you
know. And uh, Ward went to, Ward went to bat for me. He hung up the phone and within a half hour,
he called me up and he says, all right, here's what we're going to do with this, this, that, that.
I paid part of his salary. Yeah. He ended up paying part of my salary for me to stay.
Because David's willing to do it. Yeah. So, you know, it was, uh, yeah, because we,
we had what we needed with his leadership. What year was this?
90, 2000. So before the 500. I went to Jeff Gordon and he got on it. You know what at,
at Indy, like you're trying to steal my damn. He said, what? It ain't me. I said, boo.
And then one more thing on the manufacturer front. So 2000, you got the first win at Darlington
and the spring race and the Pontiac for Bill Davis. And then that was one of the teams that
transitioned to Dodge in the first year. You go back to Darlington in the fall and win the Southern
500. How did you gel so quickly going from the success with the Pontiac car to the Dodge car
in that day and age? Yeah. I mean, the, the, the Dodge was a better body. So we actually helped
us, um, go into the next races. I mean, we, we used all the same tools, same setup and stuff. I
think there was a couple of different things you had, you had to do from the spring to fall, Darlington
race to, uh, to, uh, make the cars just as good. And we knew what needed to be done. Um, so, um,
yeah, we had a lot of fun at Darlington, man. I mean, we, uh, we had a lot of really good,
good races at all those facilities. And, uh, again, man, it's just, we were racers, right? When I,
we brought a bunch of racers, you know, you heard Chris, Chris Rice last week on the show,
it was just, we had a lot of people, we had a lot of fun too, right? And, um, we worked hard,
we played hard and it was good, man. Good times. I wish y'all would have at some point
when y'all did have opportunities to go somewhere, looking back on it, y'all could have went somewhere
that had more resources. Robert Yates called me and, uh, he wanted both of us to come.
Yeah, they didn't have a lot of resources. He had everything when he needed it, but then when the
sport grew, they didn't keep it. Yeah, they were in the same boat as kind of like we were. So,
all right, don't forget about stopping by the online merch store. We have some new stuff dropping
called the zero to freedom line. Check it out at shop.dirtymomedia.com. A couple of those new
shirts will be on there for you guys to enjoy. Well, big picture here. Fortunately for you,
the 45 had an unfortunate day. So you're able to make up, not make up, but add 40 plus points to
this regular season championship race. Yeah, I mean, they're, you know, that's, that was,
so when we talk about luck and racing, sometimes it gets used over, well, it doesn't sometimes,
a lot of time to get overused to a blanket statement of you having a bad day. And sometimes when you
have, you know, you get caught up in a first lap wreck, um, not if you're doing sometimes that's luck,
but sometimes when it happens back in 30th, it's like, yeah, but that's where things typically
happen. So, um, this was definitely bad luck, you know, for Tyler Reddick, I obviously something
punctured the radiator, all kinds of fluid was going out and they went laps down. So
definitely on a string of bad luck there. I don't know how good his car was. It didn't appear that
it was great when I was around it. Um, but I think we were at different tire. Well, I'll
know at the, um, there was one stage where he started right behind me and then he was behind
me in the short run, but then in the long run, I didn't see him. So, um, I thought maybe Bubba
probably had the best, um, the best 2311 car, but who knows? I mean, great, great finish for all
those guys. 69 10th, um, for all those guys, certainly you would imagine the 45 would
have been up in the top 10 as well. Is that now the, the primary focus with handful of races
ago, just win this regular season championship? Um, I'd like to win one more race before we get
into the playoffs. I thought Chicago land was going to be the best chance of that. What if it's
Indy? Indy would be next, then Richmond, then New Hampshire, then North worksboro, then Iowa,
then Atlanta, then Daytona. Are you saying you want this win because of the standings to make
you feel comfortable? You're just saying because you just want a win? No, I just want to win. I just,
that's seven races without winning. Add the two that we, now three in a row that we haven't won.
So that's 10 races. That's a, that's a dry spell. The three in a row you haven't won. Were any of,
were two of those on the table? Hey, they still count. Well, it's still, I mean, it's still,
does that, so you say, does that affect your, your demeanor? No, no, because I, I, I, I know
where we're at. Um, I feel good about where we're at, obviously. Um, but you know, you just,
you want to win and that's, that's always been my main goal is just to win as many races as I
possibly can. So not winning doesn't affect momentum. That's not a thing. No, not if you can also
win the regular season. You know what I mean? Right. Yeah. Yeah. Cause whether you, you win the
next six races or not, you, you win the regular, you're not getting any added benefit as long as
you win the regular season, right? It's that points. That's right. You're going to, the winner
of the regular season will start with 2,100 points, whether he has 10 wins or one.
Your dad was famously protective and guarded about the business side. How much of what you
know, did you learn from watching him and how much did you have to figure out the hard way
after he was gone? Yeah. Um, you know, I, at the time with my dad when he was living,
I had a really tough time with the way that he allowed us to be part of the business. Um, you
know, and he, he allowed us to be part of things in a very arms length way. So, you know, we worked
at the dealership, um, under, you know, the, the leadership there and, um, or, you know, I worked
at sports image at the time with Hank Jones back in the day that eventually came action
performance. Um, but we never got to work inside of Dell and heart and corporate or I didn't, I
should say, um, Dell eventually, you know, got there. But, um, and, uh, but, you know,
I think that that was helpful in the way to learn from other people and not have to worry about
those family boundaries that happen, especially when you're less mature, right? When you're a
young 20, some year old, um, and you don't have, uh, the different experiences that I think are so
important, you know, you have to be exposed to things in order to get those experiences. And I
think that's what's really, um, you know, crucial about the way we go to work in business and starting
from the ground up and things like that. Um, but my dad, you know, even in at home, you know, we
learned from him and the way that he carried himself and the way that he did things and the
business and all that he, and, and I got to learn that sitting on the opposite side of the table
at sports image, you know, let's say, um, because I was, you know, involved in, uh, being an account
manager for some of his sponsors. And so, you know, he was the opposite side of the table,
putting the pressure on us on, you know, what their expectations were and things like that and,
and how to live up to those expectations. So I did get to learn a lot from him. Um,
and, you know, after, I mean, it was 27, uh, when he passed. So I felt like I had a really good
foundation of, um, you know, business and things to learn and do. Um, and then, you know, I've said
this, uh, too often once I came to work for Dale, you know, I really leaned on other people in the
industry like John Bickford, Jeff Gordon stepfather, um, and Mr. Hendrick and so on and so forth to
really, you know, not reinvent the wheel and get good people around me that could continue to mentor
and continue to teach, which I think is important. Um, you know, one of the things that, and I think
this kind of question comes up, um, later is, um, you know, about our, our younger generation
workers and things like that. You know, I think that a lot of our, um, uh, workers, you know,
they expect to come in making the most money right at the top. Um, that work ethic of start at the
bottom. You know, you hear Steve LaTarte talk about it. I don't forget it. Sweeping the floors at
Hendrick to becoming a crew chief. Um, I'm sure you have similar stories, Jeff, of, of, you know,
where you started. Caitlin Vincy working at her local short track to get involved and then make
it to where she's at today, you know, and getting those opportunities. And, um, that's, you know,
that's how it works. You know, I didn't, um, I didn't, uh, you know, get to buy a fancy brand new car
when I was 20. Um, you know, I didn't get that opportunity till I was much older and, and had,
had a career and had a job and those kinds of things. So you got to work for that and work
for that experience as it comes along, but, um, and take advantage of those opportunities to
learn from people around you as you go, you know. So you, you talked about the things you've learned.
What's something you've had to unlearn from growing up in racing that didn't actually serve you
as you found out when you stepped into a leadership role?
You know, I don't know that, um, this is really something I unlearned from growing up in racing,
but one of the things that I have, um, that I struggled with, um, for a lot of years is, is,
um, my own expectations of people and, and what I, you know, the consequences, um, if they didn't
meet my expectations, which were sometimes harsh, you know, like, okay, if you're, you know, why are
you sick today? Um, you know, can't you get in here and, and do something, you know, or whatever.
Like I was a, I was a very, um, high expectation boss of, you know, what you, what I expected out
of you in my younger years. Um, and I've mellowed out a lot, you know, I think a lot of that comes
with, um, you know, having your own kids, family, all of those things that you have to start managing,
um, instead of being a single person, you know, when you're a single person, you pretty much can
do what you want to do. You know, you can, um, you don't have these different things that you
have to manage and balance like you do when you have family and things like that. So, um, so that
was, that's something that I've, I've mellowed out in the, my expectations and grace that I give
people. Um, I didn't have a lot of that and that's probably something I learned from my dad, I would
say, and I have a lot of grace for people either, you know, the expectations were high and, and,
and so that's something I've had to learn to like, uh, give up a little and delegation, delegation
was a really hard one for me to, to, to delegate to people and to trust people, um, to get things
done. Um, you know, sometimes I just felt like it was easier to do it myself. Do you ever feel that way?
Well, I, here's the thing, I think what I hear from, you're talking about this is that, that's
sort of like this high achiever, high work ethic mindset, right? And the problem is for people
like you that have that is when it's, it's very hard, even, even there, there may be very good
people, but to meet that standard that you see in yourself is very difficult to live up to. So,
it's sort of a balance that you have to walk as a boss where you don't, you don't want to like just
let people get away with not working hard or something, but it's also not realistic, perhaps,
to find an entire company of people that are going to operate at your same level. So that it's
got to be such a tough balance and learning process for you. Well, and you really don't want
all the same kind of people in your business, right? Like, you know, you want, you know,
different, the different thinkers, you know, critical thinkers, problem solving thinkers,
creative thinkers, outside the box thinkers, those that just do it by the rules. I mean, you got to,
you know, you want all of it. You, to me, what's very important in our business is that we hire
people, that we keep our culture. You know, there's that, that base and foundation of our culture
that's important, but we need different mindsets, bringing different things to the table, different
skill sets, those kinds of things. All right. That was another episode of the Dirty 30 presented
by Arby's new Meetin' Three Box. Get more meal for your money at Arby's. We have the meat.
About this episode
A highlight-packed “Dirty 30” segment centers on Dale Jr. reacting to a TNT piece tied to his Daytona win, then reflecting on how victory lane used to feel like a rushed photo shoot—especially compared to how he chose to celebrate with his team. He also gets emotional recalling Danny Earnhardt’s reaction and the grief that still lingers. The show then pivots into “Ask DBC” with Ward and Tommy discussing crew-chief memories, the fallout of Toyota’s arrival, and how leadership and resources shaped careers and results.
Welcome back for another episode of the Dirty Thirty — where we take the very best from Dirty Mo Media's week in content and distill it into a small batch blend of our hosts and guests.
To start us off, Dale Jr. talked about his famous 2001 win at Daytona, only a handful of months after his father passed away. He remembers the celebration, the faces, and the somber moment that came with the crowd that surrounded him.
We had a reunion of driver and crew chief this week on Door Bumper Clear! Ward Burton brings his son Jeb Burton to join in the fun with Tommy Baldwin to tell stories from the glory days, and the time Tommy told him he was leaving the No. 22 ... until he wasn't.
Denny Hamlin checks in with us about his battle with the No. 45 team, his luck, and what that means for his regular-season championship chase.
And finally, Kelley Earnhardt talks with Jeff Gluck about the business lessons she learned from her dad and how she approaches leadership today.
That's all for this week! Catch us next time on Dirty Thirty, next week.
Check out Dirty Mo Media on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DirtyMoMedia
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