Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one person who is never short of a good story to tell his fans. The lifelong NASCAR luminary, now enjoying his days as a broadcaster and Xfinity Series team owner, gave another example when he talked about his interaction with former US president George W. Bush during his driving days.
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Earnhardt Jr. discussed the instance on a recent episode of his newest podcast, Bless Your Hardt, where he and his wife Amy discuss more personal aspects of their lives as people who have dedicated their lives to a sport.
Looking back at his first Daytona 500 victory in 2004, Dale Jr. recalled how the president of the United States at the time called him to offer his congratulations after the race as the former Hendrick Motorsports driver addressed the media at the track.
“Sir George W. (Bush) came to Daytona in ’04. Several of us met him briefly on pit road before the race. I went on and won the race. He left, but I’m in the media center, and this was when the media center was on the other side of the racetrack before they built Daytona’s grandstands,” recalled the now 2-time Daytona 500 winner.
“I’m standing there (in front of the media), and they handed me a phone. They said, ‘Hey, got a phone call.’ I’m in the middle of my media answering questions or something, and it was George W. Bush.”
“He’s like, ‘Hey, it’s the president of the United States, good job today. Appreciate you representing being a great citizen, being an awesome American,’ and I was like, ‘Thanks a lot man, I appreciate it!'”
The conversation with the president ended with Dale Earnhardt Jr. asking him at the time to ‘take it easy’ as if talking to an old friend, to which the media center reacted in awe, and rightfully so.
Despite being the single most influential man in the country and the first citizen of the United States of America, both Dale Jr. and Amy later touched on how George W. Bush was one of the most approachable people they ever met. Amy Earnhardt described the former president as “that uncle you’ve known.” She added how “he’s pretty down to earth too,” as the conversation progressed.
Whether this speaks in NASCAR’s favor that figures such as the first citizen of the country recognize drivers as role models for the population or the president’s favor in him being just another human at a very high post is up for you to decide.
However, one thing is certain: even with the change in presidential candidature with Donald Trump as the leader today, the sentiment around stock car racing remains pretty much the same.
