AVONDALE, Ariz. – In a long career that has produced its share of notable memories, there are certain moments Dale Earnhardt Jr. would just as soon forget—particularly when it comes to crashing other drivers.
Earnhardt was especially chagrined during the first superspeedway test of the new Gen-6 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series car on Jan. 11, 2013. Attempting to bump-draft with Marcos Ambrose on the backstretch, Earnhardt triggered a huge wreck that sent at least 10 teams home with mangled chassis in their haulers.
“We’re testing, and it’s January and everybody’s cars are brand new,” Earnhardt said on Friday at Phoenix Raceway. “Everybody is testing their brand-new speedway car, and I started a crash on the back straightaway and I’m like ‘Oops, my bad.’
“You go in the garage and you are like, ‘Man, I just want to go hide in the trailer.’ Everybody’s torn up cars are coming in and all the crews are all pissed off… those are some of the worst moments as a driver, some of the most embarrassing moments. So anytime you do anything like that, you hope people have short memories.”
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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