Back When Dale Earnhardt Jr. Held His Ground After Kevin Harvick’s “Hurtful” Comments

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick are partners in the CARS Tour and maintain a cordial relationship, if Harvick’s thoughtful gifts are anything to go by. But they haven’t always been on such good terms. Earnhardt Jr., with an illustrious 19-year career spanning 631 Cup Series starts and 26 wins, was once stung by Harvick’s critical remarks.

Harvick had suggested that Earnhardt Jr. had inadvertently hindered the NASCAR’s expansion despite his massive fanbase and unique reach — a potential no other driver had. The comment that didn’t sit well with Earnhardt Jr.

“[The sport’s] has not reached the levels that it should have because our most popular driver hasn’t been our most successful driver,” Harvick stated in a 2017 SiriusXM NASCAR broadcast.

He added, “Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won the most popular driver for however many years in a row, and he has been our sport’s most popular driver, but he hasn’t been anywhere close to being our most successful driver…”

The comments miffed Earnhardt Jr., who later expressed his discomfort, stating, “About his comments, some of those comments were hurtful. But I still respect him as a champion and an ambassador for the sport, and that’s just the way it is, I guess. I hate that that’s how he feels.”

Harvick’s suggestion was that a lack of on-track success might diminish Dale Jr.‘s contributions in NASCAR. However his enduring appeal could be seen in his ventures like Dirty Mo Media, which resonates with fans far beyond the race track. His role as an analyst and media personality underscores that Earnhardt Jr.’s legacy isn’t solely defined by his racing stats.

Harvick proud of expanding horizons into grassroots racing alongside Dale Jr.

In early 2023, Harvick, Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, and Justin Marks joined hands to co-own the CARS Tour, broadening their influence within the sport.

Despite his lack of prior experience in series management, Harvick expressed immense pride in his involvement, praising the dynamism of short-track and late-model stock series racing.

He told FrontStretch, “I’m really proud to be a part of it. I think when you look at short track racing right now, late model stock series and the cars tour is really the place to be, and we owe that a lot to our competitors, and them showing up week after week and putting on the races like we like we’ve seen this year, is just been incredible.”

Harvick also tried his hands into Late Model racing, piloting the #62 Realtree/Hunt Brothers Pizza car for Rackley W.A.R. at Florence Motor Speedway, on August 30, 2024, marking his debut in this category.

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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