Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Carl Edwards share a history that goes back to 2016—a year that crushed Edwards’ hopes of winning a NASCAR title. Their relationship took a turn for the worse when Earnhardt sent a brutally-timed text just hours after Edwards clinched a victory in Phoenix, dashing Matt Kenseth’s playoff hopes.
Their off-track dynamic could have gone either way from there. Surprisingly, though, Earnhardt and Edwards eventually became close friends, thanks in part to an unexpected connection—Carl Edwards Sr.
Here’s how Edwards’ father played a key role in bringing the two former rivals together.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Recalls His First Meeting With Carl Edwards’ Dad
During their next meeting, Earnhardt was prepared to call a truce with Edwards. But instead, he found himself deep in conversation with Edwards Sr., who shared a story that took Earnhardt back to his teenage years. Edwards Sr. revealed that he was the one who, years earlier, had opted out of going into a strip club with friends—choosing instead to stay behind and keep a 15-year-old Earnhardt Jr. company.
During an episode of the “Dirty Mo Media” podcast, Earnhardt reflected on his first encounter with Edwards Sr., only to realize they had unknowingly crossed paths long before.
“We were at this one strip club, and they wouldn’t let me in. So I sat in the back of the pickup truck while Schrader and everybody else went inside this strip club. And one of the guys that was with us said, ‘Hey, I’ll sit out here with you. Don’t want you to be by yourself. It’s a… You don’t know the neighborhood really that well. I’ll sit here.’
“And I sat in the back of this pickup truck and drank beer with this guy. I was a kid back then. And this guy was probably our age today. Yeah. That was your dad,” Earnhardt said, leaving Edwards speechless.
Earnhardt went on to say that he had built a great deal of respect for the stranger who sat with him that night—even if he didn’t realize until later that it was his colleague’s father.