Dale Earnhardt Jr. offered some perception right into a staff proprietor’s perspective heading into an all-important weekend at Martinsville Speedway for each the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Collection Playoffs.
Whereas Earnhardt believes Sunday’s Cup Collection race will likely be a wild battle, the Xfinity Collection iteration on Saturday will, as effectively. After all, Earnhardt has extra at stake because of JR Motorsports, and whereas he acknowledges it may not work out for his complete staff, he desires his wheelmen to go away nothing to likelihood, throwing warning to the wind.
“Saturday will likely be greater than we wish,” Earnhardt joked, concerning the depth at Martinsville, by way of The Dale Jr Obtain. “I do know that very effectively, with a pair automobiles. I’ve obtained a pair automobiles within the combine. … This additionally goes alongside the traces of what I used to be speaking about with Chase Elliott and his perspective, or a driver’s perspective going into these remaining few races.
“As an proprietor, numerous occasions, we get into these positions and I’m considering to myself, ‘Alright, let’s simply not create — let’s simply not be clowns. Let’s simply not do — hopefully any person doesn’t do one thing that’s simply completely ridiculous.’”
Evidently, Earnhardt acknowledges he has to let unfastened a bit in these conditions as an proprietor, and whereas he doesn’t need his drivers making ridiculous choices, it may be value it in the event that they’re capable of clinch a spot within the Championship 4.
“Let’s take what we’re speaking about with the Cup drivers and flip it over to the Xfinity facet and on the proprietor’s standpoint,” the NASCAR Corridor of Fame inductee stated. “So, a pair weeks in the past, normally with my drivers, I’m like, ‘Y’all simply attempt to win and never do silly stuff.’ I don’t, , we go to Daytona and wreck 4 rattling race automobiles out of the entrance of the sphere once we’re sitting there operating second, third, and fourth with, second, third, fourth, fifth with 20 laps to go. S*** like that. A pair years in the past we did that. I used to be so pi–ed off. So, , let’s simply not be clowns. Let’s be nice. And should you can’t be nice, be good. A pair weeks in the past, we obtained, , we obtained pulled out of line and we obtained a spanking as a result of our rear-clip was bent on the No. 1 automotive at Talladega, proper? We filed the enchantment, felt good about it, labored actually onerous, felt like we had an amazing argument, and we misplaced.
“So, I informed Sam Mayer, I stated, ‘Dude, you go, they simply wrote — they simply wrote our move. You go to the Roval, I don’t care what you do. I don’t care who you drive by. You go on the market, it’s a bar combat now,’ I used to be like, ‘You go on the market and also you simply win. I don’t care how you need to do it. You’ve obtained a move, they put us on this place, it’s on. Carnage, man.’ I felt like I — I didn’t know if I used to be making a mistake there. I imply, he was gonna do what he needed to do in any case, however I simply kinda modified my perspective about it. I used to be like, ‘I actually don’t care if we seem like clowns or what everyone’s opinion is of no matter we do, nonetheless this falls out.’ He goes on the market and makes a textbook freaking move and wins the race sharp as hell. … I’ll be trustworthy, I imply, for Sam, that was an amazing — that was a really mature method to the top of that race. He had each proper, and I gave him each proper, to bowl by them boys, knock them out.
“Perhaps I shouldn’t fear about whose emotions we damage, who’s offended at us when it’s all stated and finished. Do no matter you gotta do. Martinsville is an elimination race within the spherical earlier than the finals. It’s a recipe for freaking catastrophe, so let’s be a part of the catastrophe.”
That’s a line that each JR Motorsports driver will love to listen to from their staff proprietor. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is ripping the bandaid off and letting his wheelmen get after it at Martinsville this weekend, and it’ll solely add to what’s going to be an intense race for the Xfinity Collection.
