In a rare public critique from within NASCAR’s media circles, Mike Forde, NASCAR’s managing director of racing communications, aimed at Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Dirty Mo Media, accusing the popular media brand of using controversial tactics to drive engagement.
In an increasingly digital NASCAR world where headlines and hot takes often spread faster than race results, few media outlets have shaped the conversation quite like Earnhardt’s Dirty Mo Media. However, not everyone involved in the sport is pleased with how it is conducted.
Why Mike Forde Believes Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Media Brand Is Blurring the Line Between Engagement and Exploitation?
On a recent episode of the ‘Door Bumper Clear’ podcast, NASCAR communications veteran Mike Forde voiced his frustration with what he sees as the media company’s growing reliance on controversy to drive attention.
His comments, unusually blunt and coming from within the NASCAR ecosystem itself, have sparked debate about ethics, storytelling, and the social media machine that fuels today’s motorsport coverage.
“Sometimes Dirty Mo trades on negativity to get engagement,” Forde said.
According to Forde, the issue isn’t with what Dirty Mo posts, but how it packages its content. The brand, which produces a wide range of NASCAR podcasts and video shows, often clips short, attention-grabbing moments, sometimes from lengthy, balanced discussions, and posts them to social media.
The result, he argued, is that nuanced conversation gets replaced by controversy-driven snippets designed for clicks and comments.
Forde elaborated that Earnhardt’s media company’s editing and promotion practices risk distorting the original intent of the speakers. He acknowledged the success of the media empire but said that success shouldn’t be achieved by trading on negativity.
The sanctioning body’s communications executive even revealed that he has had exchanges on his own podcast with Mike Davis, President and Executive Producer of Dirty Mo, about this very issue.
“He (Davis) argues with me on that one and I’ll argue back and then we land in a good place. Like we, it was, it didn’t get, I wouldn’t say he got heated, but Amanda (co-host) was like, ‘All right, let’s change this up.’ He’s like, ‘This is not arguing.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, this is just sport,’” explained Forde.
The Rise of Earnhardt’s Dirty Mo Media
Founded by Earnhardt in 2013, Dirty Mo Media has become one of NASCAR’s most powerful storytelling platforms outside of the official broadcast ecosystem. Its network includes shows like ‘The Dale Jr. Download,’ ‘Door Bumper Clear,’ ‘Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin,’ and more.
The brand has been widely credited with making NASCAR drivers and insiders more accessible and for connecting with a new generation of fans.
However, with that influence has come scrutiny. Forde’s comments touch on how sometimes sensationalized social clips can fan the flames of online drama, all in the name of engagement.