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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Blames William Byron for LEGO Obsession

Gowtham Ramalingam
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Hendrick Motorsports star William Byron’s obsession with LEGO is well documented. He builds to improve his focus and have a productive hobby outside of racing. This became widely popular, particularly after the release of the Netflix docuseries Full Speed, in which he was seen building multiple sets. One person inspired deeply by it is Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The racing icon revealed in a recent episode of Dale Jr. Download that he has been purchasing one too many sets after watching Byron spend time on them. He currently has the Titanic set in his house which is a 1:200 scale model of the original ship. With over 9000 pieces it is one of the largest LEGO builds and stretches 135 cm in length. Completing it will no doubt be a colossal achievement.

He added, “He’s [Byron] costing me on these LEGO sets. We got the Millennium Falcon coming which is kind of like the second largest set next to the Titanic. The Batman Animated Series set which is kind of like the shadow box of the batman cave. It’s really neat. The Ghostbusters car! The Back to the Future car! And then this retro 50s style radio. So… Byron, you’re an a**hole.”

Dale Jr. was so obsessed with the sets that he had to leave the Titanic set at his house to focus on work. Away from the jokes, he is self-admittedly having a great time building LEGO models. And Byron has been doing more than just introducing new hobbies. He finished in second place in the CARS Tour race that took place at the Caraway Speedway this weekend, driving for JR Motorsports.

Byron responds to Dale Jr.’s funny accusation

Byron’s interest in the sets came courtesy of his girlfriend Erin Blaney, who is the sister of defending Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney. He said of it on Full Speed, “Erin felt I needed something to get my mind off racing and do something different, but I took it to a new level. It fits my personality. It’s very analytical.”

Being a tool in Dale Jr.’s new avocation has only made him too gleeful. With the love for the building sets spreading across names associated with Hendrick Motorsports, it is quite a possibility that there will soon be a crossover between the team and LEGO Group on the race track.

About the author

Gowtham Ramalingam

Gowtham Ramalingam

Gowtham is a NASCAR journalist at The SportsRush. Though his affinity for racing stems from Formula 1, he found himself drawn to NASCAR's unparalleled excitement over the years. As a result he has shared his insights and observations by authoring over 350 articles on the sport. An avid fiction writer, you can find him lost in imaginary worlds when he is not immersed in racing. He hopes to continue savoring the thrill of every lap and race together with his readers for as long as he can.

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