It’s no secret that if the 2001 Daytona 500 tragedy had not occurred, Dale Earnhardt Jr and Dale Sr would have had a big father-son rivalry in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Both were equally competitive and had the prowess to consistently contend for a win. However, if not in NASCAR, there was one instance when the duo had an NFL rivalry.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Reveals Details About NFL Rivalry With His Father
Everyone knows Dale Jr. is a die-hard Washington Commanders fan, rarely missing a game and staying loyal to the team through all the ups and downs.
Remember how Junior sent the team a message after they recently lost the NFC championship to the Philadelphia Eagles? He took it to X on January 27, 2025: “Hell of a season [Commanders]. Got caught up in the idea of a Super Bowl run and needed reminding this morning of how big the gains were in the past 2 years. The team this year went above and beyond anything I had imagined. I’m grateful and excited for the future.”
Junior had been a Washington fan for a long time, and Dale Sr obviously knew it.
In 1984, the Oakland Raiders were playing Washington in Super Bowl XVIII, and all Junior remembers from that game is how much he cried while the “Intimidator” celebrated.
In the recent episode of the “Dale Jr Download Podcast,” Junior spoke about how Dale Sr was a massive Atlanta Braves fan. “A big Atlanta Braves fan, knew a lot of the players. Jody Davis was one of the players that he would hunt with. Jody would come to the NASCAR races, knew Bobby Cox, manager at the time. Would communicate back and forth with him to the dugout, to the racetrack.”
Well, the conversation started with MLB, but Junior switched it to the NFL. Now, Dale Sr wasn’t a diehard fan of any NFL team, like Junior is with Washington, but he did choose to side with the Raiders once.
It was Super Bowl XVIII, and Washington was coming in as defending champions, but the Raiders showed no mercy. They routed Washington with a score of 38–9. Of course, Junior was mad, but Dale Sr’s celebrating made it worse.
Marcus Allen was the MVP in that game. That night, Sr. cheered for the Raiders, knowing that Junior was devastated by his favorite team suffering such a loss.
Dale Sr. loved the Atlanta Braves – and giving Dale Jr. a hard time. 😂 pic.twitter.com/TqHtkgU5GM
— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) June 7, 2025
“I remember when Washington was playing Oakland in the Super Bowl, Oakland destroyed them. I cried, I think. And dad is sitting over there cheering like hell. He wasn’t a frickin’ Oakland Raiders fan. That pi—- me off,” he added.
That’s how their relationship has always been. Remember when Dale Sr won the Talladega race in 1990, when Junior was just 16 and posing as a pit reporter?
That’s when the young driver thought he could be slick with his father, asking Sr, “Are you gonna give me some money when you get home?” Dale Sr shut him down laughingly, “You spent enough down here this week.”
It’s no secret that the father-son duo had their troubles. Growing up, Junior missed Dale Sr’s presence, thanks to his father being a full-time racer and NASCAR’s biggest star, but still, they had their fun moments.