Dale Earnhardt Jr. has lengthy been a person of custom, on the racetrack and past. A current post-race second captured that sentiment in true kind. As Ryan Blaney joined the sales space for a celebratory beer with Dale Jr. and the crew, everybody raised their glasses for a toast. But, Dale Jr. didn’t simply observe the pack. He gently tapped his glass on the desk earlier than taking a sip, a refined gesture steeped in customized.
Whereas the remaining dove straight in after the cheer, Dale Jr. caught to his ritual, honoring an old-school code that colours each his racing and private life. That sense of loyalty to customized extends even to his palate, and through a current episode of Bless Your ‘Hardt, the NASCAR icon proudly shared how one in all his culinary conventional preferences discovered sudden validation in Mexico.
Whereas recounting his journey, he defined how a brief stroll from the lodge landed him at a close-by steakhouse. To his shock, the restaurant positioned A1 steak sauce on the desk earlier than the meal, a staple Dale Jr. had lengthy embraced, regardless of taking flak from purists who scoff at dressing up a well-cooked lower.
“We went down from the lodge about two blocks to this steakhouse, superb… You recognize what they placed on the desk earlier than the steak come out? A1 steak sauce. That’s an enormous F you to all you people who say I’m an fool for consuming A1 steak sauce on an excellent steak. Like there’s guidelines you’re not alleged to have it on an excellent steak,” he stated.
For Dale Jr., that was greater than only a condiment; it was vindication years within the making. On the identical podcast, Dale Jr. gave a nod to Bubba Wallace’s style buds as properly.
Wallace, who explored the flavors of Mexico Metropolis through the journey, likened the expertise to American eating places that serve a warmth spectrum of sauces. However in Mexico, the warmth got here with nuance.
As an alternative of an all-out assault on the tongue, Wallace discovered the spice ranges daring however balanced, flavorful, not simply fiery. In distinction, he likened U.S. scorching sauces to a take a look at of endurance, the place taste usually takes a backseat to sheer burn.
Dale Jr. had his personal brush with the sudden when he ordered a well-done steak reasonably than a medium one. When the plate arrived with a pink middle, he figured the gamble had paid off. It was, in his phrases, “nice.”
In the long run, the journey supplied greater than only a aggressive race. For a lot of drivers, it served up a style of tradition, a bit of warmth, and a complete lot of taste, on and off the plate.
