NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. has finally responded to a question posed by former rival A.J. Allmendinger, which left the two time Cup Series champion in stitches
Dale Earnhardt Jr. finally answered A.J. Allmendinger’s about their past rivalry(Image: James Gilbert, Getty Images)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t shy about tackling tough questions, including a particularly pointed one from his longtime NASCAR rival A.J. Allmendinger. The pair went head-to-head in the Cup Series from 2007 until Earnhardt hung up his helmet after the 2017 season, clashing multiple times on the track.
Notable run-ins included a 2014 incident at Sonoma, where Allmendinger was denied a potential victory, and a 2016 collision at Michigan that left Earnhardt — who’s “not happy” about a major NASCAR “setback” — with concussion symptoms, ultimately cutting his season short.
Recently, 43-year-old Allmendinger, who pilots the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, was given the task of submitting a question for Earnhardt for The Athletic.
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His response was comedy gold, asking, “Why did he always flip me off when we were racing against each other?”
Now, Earnhardt has finally had his chance to set the record straight, telling The Athletic, “I don’t know. Probably because the way he drove, he was aggravating. And I mean that in the nicest way.
“He wasn’t a blocker like [Ryan] Newman, but he was antsy out on the track. He’s high-energy, and I’m the complete opposite on the racetrack. I’m trying to stay calm.
“But I think he’s joking. I don’t remember flipping him off a ton. I just always found his energy and mine to be polar opposites.”
Allmendinger asked Dale Jr. why he would ‘always flip me off’ when the two competing against each other(Image: Getty)
Allmendinger’s “energy” has propelled him to an impressive season back in the Cup Series on a full-time basis for the first time since 2024, securing two top-five finishes and adding five more top-10 results so far, positioning him 26th in the driver’s standings.
Following his ninth-place performance at Bristol earlier in the season, Earnhardt praised Allmendinger on his podcast, highlighting Kaulig’s overall progress this season.
“For an organization like theirs that’s much, much smaller and they have an alliance with a larger team (Richard Childress Racing), they’re not supposed to do this, they’re not supposed to turn things around like that,” the 51-year-old said.
“And so, it’s just hard to run competitive, as competitive as they’re running. They’re right up behind these bigger teams, they’re right up their a-, man, and it’s impressive to see.
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“A.J., I didn’t know if A.J. still had the drive, the dude’s getting up there. He’s done it, what’s he got to prove? And he seemed almost annoyed to be in the Cup Series a couple years ago, like he was ready to drop back down to the Xfinity Series, have some fun, get back to racing and running up front. He was frustrated.
“And then I was surprised when he took the role to go back. Because the Cup racing garage…they ain’t smiling, it ain’t roses and sunshine over there, that garage is tough, it’s cutthroat…
“But the Xfinity garage is funner, less pressure, see more people smiling, he could go over there and be more competitive and probably make the same amount of money. Probably not a big difference.
“But he goes back to the Cup Series where everybody’s grumpy and everybody’s mad, and he’s over there and making it work. It’s tough. I am impressed.” With only two races left this season, Allmendinger’s future with Kaulig has already been locked in, as the experienced driver is confirmed to return for the 2026 campaign.