‘I Was Holding A Grudge’: Mike Davis Reveals Why He Retired As Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Podcast Co-host

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s media empire has grown extensively over the past decade. What kicked off as an online network named Dirty Mo Media is now home to multiple podcasts featuring renowned names in NASCAR. All this did not come by through the singular efforts of the iconic driver. The man who facilitated and worked for them was Mike Davis, his longtime associate.

The racing fandom saw the most of Davis as a co-host on the Dale Jr. Download podcast. He removed himself from the position nearly a year ago and went on to focus on growing the company as its president and executive producer. While he has been doing that job splendidly and Dirty Mo Media is rising both in value and content, the fans never got a proper reason for his withdrawal as a co-host. Until now.

He was in an interview with Kenny Wallace when he opened up on the thoughts that led to the decision. He said, “I was starting to hold a bit of a grudge. Not at anybody in particular, but just at the situation. I wasn’t able to really kind of put my efforts and energy and thoughts into the company. Starting new shows, doing those things, and still doing the Download… the Download was a commitment.”

The spurt of many new content creators and business opportunities forced Davis to relieve himself of the mic. He had a job to do in the office and that’s what he wanted to focus on. Having been the right-hand man for Dale Jr. since 2004, he has only the best for the former driver in mind. This transition, although not well-received by fans, appears to have been necessary.

A brief overview of Davis’s journey together with Dale Jr.

Before 2004, Dale Jr. had a public relations specialist named Jade Gurss building his image and brand. Gurss was a bit of a legend in the industry but he’d got quite tired of the workload that his job carried. A young Davis, who was working for driver Jimmy Spencer at the time, caught his eye when he began looking for replacements.

Davis grabbed the opportunity and ran with it. He started off doing basic public relations work but his potential was soon realized. He became responsible for building the brand that is, Earnhardt Jr., and ended up collecting 15 Most Popular Driver Awards in that name.

He is majorly responsible for converting Dale Jr. into a social media mammoth. Davis served as the communications director of JR Motorsports between 2007 and 2016. He then took on the role of the brand managing director between 2017 and 2022. He is currently hard at work creating Dirty Mo Media into the biggest media name in motorsports.