Ever puzzled what path Dale Earnhardt Jr. might need taken had racing not outlined his life? The reply got here straight from the supply throughout a latest episode of his podcast, the place Dale Jr. talked about an off-track ardour of his that steadily leaves his dwelling in disarray, at the very least from his spouse, Amy Earnhardt’s standpoint. The NASCAR Corridor of Famer revealed a fascination with hands-on electrical initiatives, admitting that each time he will get spare time, he gravitates towards wiring, {hardware}, and something that may be taken aside and rebuilt.
Dale Jr. has all the time been open about his pursuits away from the racetrack. Over time, he has spoken about spending hours scrolling by way of eBay searching for uncommon collectibles, curating and restoring basic and road inventory vehicles contained in the expansive storage on his property, and immersing himself in on-line gaming, notably the extremely detailed simulation platform iRacing.
He additionally enjoys listening to music and is keen on vinyl data, and relaxes by watching Bravo tv reveals. In addition to that, outside actions stay a part of his routine, however when he’s inside the home, his consideration persistently turns towards fixing wiring points wherever he finds them. That tendency typically leads him into initiatives which can be much more time-consuming than initially anticipated.
“Once I get a bit of free time at dwelling, numerous instances I have a tendency to choose up a challenge that’s electrical in nature…” Dale Jr. mentioned, earlier than detailing one such endeavor that consumed days. He described buying new four-foot-tall gear towers to interchange older items that had been misplaced over time to put on, lightning strikes, or obsolescence, together with outdated DVD gamers.
He stripped these towers down fully, eradicating each part earlier than rebuilding them to swimsuit his wants. “And so I tore the entire elements out of the tower and in reinstalled what I needed in a brief tower,” he mentioned. He put in towers on each flooring of the home and repeated the method on two separate items. “And boy, that’s like a two-day proc. That’s like a two-day job. However it’s a lot enjoyable.”
The satisfaction he attracts from these initiatives runs deep sufficient that Dale Jr. brazenly speculated about an alternate profession path from racing. “Like, if I didn’t make it in racing, I’d in all probability be in IT. I freaking like it…,” he mentioned, admitting to even dismantling mild switches to restore them and tinkering with on a regular basis fixtures round the home.
Amy confirmed her husband’s account, noting that he continually seems to be for one thing to disassemble and reassemble. She described the room housing their server as being surrounded by poured concrete, nearly resembling a secure room, which successfully blocks cell service.
When Junior heads downstairs to work on the computer systems, communication turns into almost unimaginable, even when he carries his telephone, as a result of there isn’t any sign in that house.
Regardless of acknowledging his ability and enthusiasm, Amy nonetheless questions his method. Whereas she understands his means and dedication, she continues to marvel why he feels compelled to tackle these electrical initiatives himself.
