Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Dirty Mo Media has grown into a major broadcasting entity over the past decade with famous podcasts such as The Dale Jr. Download and Actions Detrimental under its banner.
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When Earnhardt Jr. kickstarted it with his friends back in 2013, he only meant it as a side project. But what it has now become has added a lot more meaning to the venture and given him a fresher perspective on the same.
Trackhouse Racing driver Ross Chastain asked him about this new perspective in a recent episode of The Dale Jr. Download by mentioning how the icon had once told him that he didn’t know why he was working on Dirty Mo Media.
Dale Jr. said in response that he has grown to care for his employees and sees the podcast empire as something that has real value and makes real money.
He added, “It’s not like work. I get to visit with you. I wouldn’t see you otherwise. All the people that come in here and sit down… I look at it like, ‘Hey, I get to hang out with you.’ So, it’s kind of cool to have you guys come in and stop by.”
Ross Chastain has an interesting question for Dale Jr. and we really, really like his answer to it. 🎙️🫶 pic.twitter.com/LKszTuYCyw
— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) November 2, 2024
Fans would argue that these are humble words from him and they certainly are. Who wouldn’t love the chance to spend a few minutes to have a chat with Junior himself?
How Dirty Mo Media transformed Dale Jr.’s character
Apart from this admission, there are other reasons of the same nature as to why he has grown to develop a strong bond with his studio. His long-term associate and friend Mike Davis revealed in an interview with former racer Kenny Wallace that being in front of the mic helped Dale Jr. get out of his comfort zone and transformed him into a better person.
He said, “It’s a safe, comfortable way for Dale Jr., the lifelong introvert, the shy kid who was always undersized, and bouncing from school to school to school to school, couldn’t even stay in the school … And now he’s now found a way to have a comfortable conversation and people are taking him up on it.” The result of this is evident in the case of Richie Gilmore.
Gilmore had been a key part of Dale Earnhardt Inc.’s racing division back in the day. When he was let go by the team, he began blaming himself for the outcome and beat himself up over it for many years until he appeared on The Dale Jr. Download.
The talk he then had with Dale Jr. helped him understand the actual reason for which he was terminated and that it had nothing to do with his performance.
This helped Dale Jr. more than it did Gilmore. Kenny Wallace also noted that the podcast was 70% therapy for drivers like him in a world where it was easy to go unnoticed.
The popular driver has identified that his podcasts provide him with a level of personal satisfaction that nothing else can match. In all positivity, he will continue working on them as long as they keep growing.
