Two of the most famous drivers in NASCAR, Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr., have remained relevant even after they retired from racing, partly through their business ventures in the sport, their broadcasting venture, and their respective careers as podcasters.
However, lately, Junior and Harvick have been in the spotlight for a completely different reason. The former contemporaries are gearing up to unite in the commentary box for the upcoming race of their zMAX CARS Tour at North Wilkesboro.
Ahead of their outing, Junior appeared on Harvick’s podcast, and while speaking about the upcoming event, he also shed light on what it truly means to own a NASCAR Cup Series team.
Earnhardt Jr. on What Goes on Behind the Scenes of a NASCAR Cup Series Team
Before jumping into the details of owning a NASCAR team, Junior spoke about the current scenario of the Xfinity Series and NASCAR’s efforts to develop an electric car. Harvick then mentioned the debut of Dale Jr., JR Motorsports, in this year’s Daytona 500.
In JRM’s very first Cup Series outing, Justin Allgaier finished in the ninth spot in his No. 40 Chevrolet. Speaking about his experience of setting up the car, Junior said:
“We did buy a car and didn’t borrow it. You have to go to NASCAR, buy the car, and if we’re going to run one race, they have to then buy it back from us, and it goes back into their inventory.”
He also spoke about the financial risk associated with it and how Hendrick Motorsports helped them a lot in arranging the crew and team for the race.
“We did have a lot of help from Hendrick Motorsports and a lot of support, but there were some real levers that I had to pull or we had to pull. So it felt genuine and that’s why, I think, I enjoyed it so much.”
Junior further expressed how the whole experience, in a way, awakened him to the actual landscape of teams in NASCAR’s Cup Series. Harvick agreed with Junior’s take and added:
“Yeah. It is so challenging, and the good teams have risen back to where they were before this car, with the old car, right? Everybody said this was going to make it more even, but the good teams have still risen to the top.”
While talking about it, Junior also recalled the damage his team’s car had in the qualifying and how the NASCAR Hall of Famer was stressed about the financial aspect of it.
“We had a little damage, and I’m sitting there sweating whether we can repair that front splitter or whether we’re going to have to pay for a new one.”
However, it did not come to that. NASCAR officials stepped in and identified it as a little scratch that could be easily fixed. Although relieved, Junior still wondered, “Wow, man. If I had to replace that, that’s a big chunk of money that we weren’t really budgeting for.”
Harvick continued on the subject and mentioned how Junior was always up to date with the finances of the zMAX CARS Tour and was also rather tight with the money.
“You are so efficient and know what everything costs. You are the tightest. You are definitely the biggest tightwad in the group for sure,” Harvick said. “I love that because the rest of us are pretty ambitious and you’re always like, ‘Well, what’s this going to cost?'”
The 2014 championship winner then added that it was important to have one such guy on the team. Harvick ended the segment by saying, “The grid would be better if there was a car in the Cup series that said Junior Motorsports on it.”
Poor babies