Dale’s Daughter ‘Kinda’ Wants to Try Driving a Race Car
About this episode
From calling races in an aircraft carrier tower to watching live action from a shipping container, the hosts paint a vivid picture of race-day coverage and track logistics. They recount a wild Pocono moment where a bus driver left mid-race after tearing off a door, then describe Nicole’s daughter riding in a race car and wanting to try driving one herself. The conversation also jumps into strategy—points formats, clean air, cautions on road courses, and why sim work can’t replace walking the track.
From bus doors getting destroyed to Michael Jordan's motivating words, and maybe even a future racer in the Earnhardt family - this week's Dirty Thirty is one for the history books.
To start us off, Dale Jr. talks about broadcasting from an Aircraft carrier this weekend at San Diego, and the time he saw his bus have an issue live on TV at Pocono.
Then, he and Amy talk about Nicole's ride in Justin Allgaier's car to victory lane — and how it may have sparked her interest in going racing someday.
After that, the Door Bumper Clear crew discusses the Cup Series drivers' aggressiveness this year under the new points format.
Over on Actions Detrimental, Denny Hamlin sets his goal for San Diego and Sonoma, and shares the words Michael Jordan said during a pre-season meeting with 23XI that sparked DH's tenacious approach to this year.
Finally, Red Bull brethren and road course aces, Connor Zilisch & Shane van Gisbergen, discuss what they are expecting heading into the historic weekend in San Diego, racing on a Naval Base.
That's all for this week! Don't forget to shop at shop.dirtymomedia.com
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pitstop
"Now the team is just working on getting to the next stage or the next pitstop. Making the car better."
A pit stop is when the car pulls into the pits during the race to do things like change tires. When you pit (and how it lines up with other cars) can make a big difference in where you run on the track.
A pit stop is when the race car enters the pit lane to change tires, refuel (in series that require it), and/or make adjustments. In NASCAR-style racing, pit strategy—when you pit relative to other cars—can strongly affect track position and lap times.
Hornets nest
"So the race, that's why it's a Hornets nest between 23rd and 33rd all the time because they can't get out of their own way because you can't do nothing because you're just fighting for your life."
“Hornets nest” means a really crowded, stressful part of the race where cars are packed together. With everyone so close, it’s harder to drive cleanly and avoid trouble.
“Hornets nest” is a racing metaphor for a crowded, chaotic pack where cars are close together and drivers are constantly reacting to traffic. In that situation, it’s harder to make clean passes and easier to get caught up in incidents.
lap times
"I'm watching lap times and I'm going, Holy s***, we're making up like a second a lap on bell."
Lap time is how long it takes to go around the track once. Drivers and teams use it to tell if the car is getting faster or slower during the race.
Lap time is how long it takes to complete one circuit of the track, and it’s the most direct way to compare speed between cars. Teams watch lap times to judge whether changes (like pit timing or setup adjustments) are working.
clean air
"…we pit and I'm like, man, we're going to, we had clean air. We pit into a hole where we knew we had clean air, which is important there."
“Clean air” is when your car isn’t being affected by the air turbulence from another car. That usually makes the car handle better and lets you go faster more easily.
“Clean air” means the car is running in relatively undisturbed airflow, not trapped in another car’s aerodynamic wake. Cleaner airflow usually improves stability and grip, helping the driver maintain faster, more consistent lap times.
sim
"I've heard some different things about drivers spending a lot of time in the sim. I know if you go do a sim session for, for this racetrack for two hours, you're lucky to get 20 laps..."
“Sim” is short for a racing video game/virtual training setup. It helps drivers practice the track and learn how to drive there without using real track time.
“Sim” here means a racing simulator—software that lets drivers practice tracks and car behavior virtually. Because some circuits are complex, the simulator can help drivers learn braking points, racing lines, and how the car reacts before they ever get on track.
racing at home
"So, you know, and you have our racing at home where it's available to you. How much time are each of you guys spending on sim?"
“Racing at home” means you can race/practice using a setup at home, like a simulator. It’s a way to get practice without going to the track.
“Racing at home” refers to consumer-accessible racing platforms (often sim racing) that let people practice or compete remotely. In this context, it’s being framed as a way for drivers and fans to get seat time-like experience without traveling to a track.
ride quality
"And so with the next gen car and how, how that car ride, the ride quality of that car and how unique it is to anything else that we do, um, there are some really, really rough spots."
Ride quality is how smooth the car feels when the road gets bumpy. If the suspension is set up very stiff or the car sits very low, it can feel harsher.
Ride quality is how smoothly a car feels over bumps and uneven pavement. In racing contexts, it’s strongly affected by suspension setup, tire pressures, and how low the car sits.
Chicago
"And I think you saw that at Chicago, like the first year, a lot of cars were high and soft, [1567.0s] like the 91 car."
“Chicago” is where they raced, and the speaker is using it as an example of cars that didn’t handle well. It’s basically pointing to a specific event location.
“Chicago” here refers to a racing event at a Chicago-area track where the speaker says early cars were behaving poorly. It’s used as an example of how setup choices (ride height/stiffness) affected handling.
grip
"Like it's gotten lower and lower and stiffer because that's how the car makes grip. But there's a huge compromise between getting the floor on the ground and ride quality."
Grip is how well the tires can “hold” the track so the car can turn and accelerate without sliding. More grip can help speed, but it can also make the car harder to drive if the setup gets too extreme.
Grip is the tire’s ability to generate traction between the car and the track surface. More grip usually comes from higher downforce and better tire contact, but chasing it can make the car ride harsh and reduce overall drivability.
floor on the ground
"But there's a huge compromise between getting the floor on the ground and ride quality. So luckily it's an open practice."
This means the car is set up very low so the bottom is close to the track. That can help the car stick better, but it can also make it bounce and feel terrible, especially over rough sections.
“Floor on the ground” refers to lowering the car so the underbody is close to the track, which can increase aerodynamic downforce. The tradeoff is that the car can become too stiff or too low, leading to rough rides and worse handling over bumps.
open practice
"So luckily it's an open practice. So we get to try some things, but I think it's a huge compromise. You're going to see some bad handling cars."
Open practice is a time before the race where drivers can go out and try different setups. It’s basically testing time so they can learn what the car does.
Open practice is a session where teams and drivers can run laps to test setups and learn the track, often with less restriction than qualifying or race sessions. It’s especially useful when the cars are behaving unpredictably due to new rules or aggressive setups.
slamming the track
"People getting greedy and running too low and slamming the track. I went out there last week and I think it's, I mean, I lose count at five, but that back straight."
“Slamming the track” means the car is set so low that it can hit the ground or bottom out over bumps. It makes the ride harsh and can make the car harder to control.
“Slamming the track” describes an extremely low ride height where the car’s suspension is compressed hard, sometimes bottoming out. That can make the car ride violently and hurt handling consistency.
cautions
"How do you think NASCAR handles cautions there? ... when the caution comes out, particularly race at the end of stage breaks. It takes so long to run a caution lap at most these road courses."
A caution is when the race slows down because something happened on track. Cars don’t race at full speed during that time, and it can make the race feel like it drags on.
In NASCAR-style racing, a caution is when the race is slowed due to an incident (like a crash or debris) and cars follow a controlled pace. The hosts discuss how long caution periods can be on road courses—especially around stage breaks—and how that affects race flow and strategy.
stage breaks
"Because, you know, when we have a, if, you know, on the road courses, that's the toughest part about this whole deal is when the caution comes out, particularly race at the end of stage breaks."
Stage breaks are scheduled segments in NASCAR races where the event is split into parts, often with points awarded at the end of each stage. The hosts note that cautions coming out near the end of a stage can be especially disruptive because the race is already transitioning.
brake rotor
"But whether it's TV or, you know, if, if when I exploded a brake rotor at, at Nashville,"
A brake rotor is the metal disc your brake pads squeeze to stop the car. If it “explodes,” it can mean the brakes fail badly and the car becomes very hard to control.
A brake rotor is the disc that the brake pads clamp onto to slow the car. The host says they “exploded a brake rotor,” which implies catastrophic rotor failure—often caused by extreme heat, stress, or a mechanical problem—leading to loss of braking and dangerous handling.
Nashville
"But whether it's TV or, you know, if, if when I exploded a brake rotor at, at Nashville,"
They’re talking about a past incident that happened in the Nashville area. It’s mentioned to explain why brake parts can fail and how serious that is during a race.
Nashville is referenced as the location where the speaker experienced a brake rotor failure. In NASCAR context, this points to the Nashville-area race venue used for events, where brake components are heavily stressed under repeated braking.
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