Ever wondered what path Dale Earnhardt Jr. might have taken had it not been for racing? The answer came straight from the man himself during a recent episode of his podcast.
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Dale Jr. has always been open about his interests away from the racetrack. But this one was something that could have been beyond a hobby. This off-track passion of his frequently leaves his home in disarray, at least from his wife, Amy Earnhardt’s, point of view.
The NASCAR Hall of Famer was talking about his fascination with hands-on electrical projects. He admitted that whenever he gets spare time, he gravitates toward wiring, hardware, and anything that can be taken apart and rebuilt.
Over the years, Junior has spoken about spending hours scrolling through eBay in search of unusual collectibles, curating and restoring classic and street stock cars inside his expansive garage. He also immerses himself in online gaming, particularly iRacing. He also enjoys listening to music and is fond of vinyl records, and relaxes by watching Bravo television shows.
Outdoor activities remain part of his routine, too. But when he is inside the house, his attention consistently turns toward fixing wiring issues wherever he finds them. That tendency often leads him into projects that are far more time-consuming than initially expected.
“When I get a little free time at home, a lot of times I tend to pick up a project that’s electrical in nature…” Dale Jr. said, before detailing one such undertaking that consumed days.
Junior described how he purchased four-foot-tall equipment towers to replace older units that had been worn out, damaged due to lightning strikes, or had become obsolete. He stripped those towers down completely, removing every component before rebuilding them to suit his needs.
“And so I tore all of the components out of the tower and reinstalled what I wanted in a short tower,” said Junior. He installed towers on every floor of the house and repeated the process on two separate units.
“And boy, that’s like a two-day project. That’s like a two-day job. But it’s so much fun,” he added.
For Junior, these projects offer such immense satisfaction that he speculated about them as an alternate career path from racing. “Like, if I didn’t make it in racing, I’d probably be in IT. I freaking love it…,” he said, admitting to even dismantling light switches to repair them and tinkering with everyday fixtures around the house.
Amy confirmed that her husband indeed tinkers with electrical stuff at home. She said that he constantly looks for something to disassemble and reassemble. Amy described the room housing their server as being surrounded by poured concrete, almost resembling a safe room, which effectively blocks cell service.
When Junior heads downstairs to work on the computers, communication becomes nearly impossible, even if he carries his phone, because there is no signal in that space.
Even though she acknowledges his skill and enthusiasm, Amy still questions Junior’s approach. While she understands his ability and commitment, she continues to wonder why he feels compelled to take on those electrical projects himself.
