The Dale Jr. Download
| The Dale Jr. Download | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Presentation | |
| Hosted by | Dale Earnhardt Jr. Mike Davis |
| Genre | |
| Format |
|
| Language | English |
| Length | 30โ180 minutes |
| Production | |
| Production | Dirty Mo Media JR Motorsports |
| Video format | YouTube, Peacock, NBCSN, Spotify |
| Audio format | MP3 |
| No. of episodes | 510 (as of November 9, 2023) |
| Publication | |
| Original release | February 18, 2013 |
| Related | |
| Website | www |
The Dale Jr. Download is a free audio and video podcast hosted by American motorsports analyst and semi-retired stock car racing driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. It is co-hosted by Mike Davis, JR Motorsports' Director of Communications, who has been a business partner of Earnhardt's since 2003.[1]
History
The podcast was launched in 2013 when Earnhardt and his NASCAR Xfinity Series race team JR Motorsports started an online network called Dirty Mo Radio.[2] The "Mo" is an homage to Earnhardt's hometown of Mooresville, North Carolina.[2] Originally, the podcast was hosted by Davis and North Carolina radio personality Taylor Zarzour, with Earnhardt himself only occasionally making appearances on the show.[2]
Earnhardt's first appearance came on the show's 22nd episode, five months into the podcast's launch.[3] A segment was added to the show in 2014 that played audio Earnhardt had pre-recorded remotely in the immediate hours after a race.[3] His involvement increased once again in 2016 while he was recovering from concussion symptoms, appearing on the show regularly to give updates on his recovery.[3] In 2017, Earnhardt took over as the show's regular host along with Tyler Overstreet.[4] Overstreet served as Earnhardt's road manager until the end of the 2017 season when he moved to Joe Gibbs Racing.[5]
After Overstreet's departure from JR Motorsports, Davis returned to co-host the show and has been Earnhardt's regular co-host since 2018. In 2019, interviews with guests became a regular part of the podcast. Guests on Earnhardt's podcast have included Earnhardt's nephew and Xfinity Series driver Jeffrey Earnhardt,[6] former NASCAR president and current NASCAR vice chairman Mike Helton,[7] current NASCAR president Steve Phelps,[8] Earnhardt's former car owner Rick Hendrick,[9] NHRA champion John Force,[10] 2019 Indianapolis 500 winner Simon Pagenaud,[11] and WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin.[12]
Television show
In late 2017, NASCAR on NBC announced plans to give Earnhardt his own television show as he joined the network's motorsports coverage.[3] NBC chose to simulcast parts of Earnhardt's podcast, and The Dale Jr. Download debuted on NBCSN as a half-hour television show on June 21.[13][14] The show expanded to one hour in 2019, formally called NASCAR America Presents The Dale Jr. Download.[15] When NBCSN shut down, the show moved to NBC's Peacock streaming service in 2022.[16]
References
- ^ "DEI/Earnhardt Jr adds Mike Davis to team". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. December 17, 2003. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- ^ a b c Gluck, Jeff (February 14, 2013). "Dale Earnhardt Jr. launching online podcast network". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Bianchi, Jordan (October 5, 2017). "Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s podcast shows why he's NASCAR's most-popular driver". SB Nation. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- ^ "Earnhardt Jr. Makes Debut as Host of Podcast, Dale Jr. Download" (Press release). JR Motorsports. February 14, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- ^ Frederick, Cole (December 5, 2017). "Dale Jr. says goodbye to a valued team member". Alt Driver. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- ^ DeGroot, Nick (March 7, 2019). "Jeffrey Earnhardt opens up to Dale Jr.: "I'm cutting my own path"". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- ^ Bonkowski, Jerry (May 21, 2019). "NASCAR America: Dale Jr. Download with Mike Helton, 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- ^ McFadin, Daniel (April 2, 2019). "Dale Jr. Download: Steve Phelps on NASCAR's mistakes, future, and more". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- ^ Martinelli, Michelle (September 25, 2019). "Dale Earnhardt Jr. once offered $1M of his salary to help Hendrick Motorsports". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- ^ Bonkowski, Jerry (April 30, 2019). "Dale Jr. Download: Tune in for wild interview with legendary drag racer John Force". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- ^ Martinelli, Michelle (June 19, 2019). "How Dale Earnhardt Jr. indirectly helped Simon Pagenaud win the Indy 500". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- ^ ""Stone Cold" Steve Austin to appear on Dale Jr Download". WWE.com. May 28, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- ^ Steinberg, Brian (June 14, 2018). "Dale Earnhardt Jr. Will Launch Motorsports Show on NBCSN". Variety. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- ^ "Dale Jr. Download โ Hosted by Dale Earnhardt Jr. โ Joins NBCSN's Lineup of Motorsports Programming Beginning Thursday, June 21 at 5:30 P.M. ET" (Press release). NBC Sports. June 14, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- ^ "New Season, New Daily Studio: NASCAR America Debuts Tonight at 5 P.M. ET on NBCSN from Charlotte, N.C." (Press release). NBC Sports. February 11, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- ^ "NASCAR America Motormouths and The Dale Jr. Download to Exclusively Stream on Peacock". NBC Sports Group Press Box (Press release). March 15, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
