Dale Earnhardt Jr., longtime NASCAR favorite, recently made an unexpected turn by stepping into the world of drag racing with YouTuber and part-time ARCA driver Cleetus McFarland. Invited for a unique collaboration, Earnhardt Jr. traveled to Talladega Superspeedway, where he took the wheel of the famed “Dale Truck,” a Chevy pickup faithfully styled after his father’s legendary No. 3 Goodwrench car. The event quickly gained attention among racing fans and YouTube followers, as both motorsports figures set out to capture the crossover moment on camera.
For Dale Earnhardt Jr., this marked a dramatic departure from his usual racing routine. Despite decades behind the wheel in NASCAR, he had never before attempted to launch a 1,600-horsepower machine down a drag strip at top speed. Ahead of his first-ever drag racing attempt, McFarland offered a quick coaching session, hoping to prepare Earnhardt Jr. for the physical extremes he was about to face. The excitement and tension were clear, with cameras rolling and viewers eager to watch a NASCAR legend embrace something entirely new.
The “Dale Truck,” McFarland’s prized project, has a special story of its own. Purchased roughly seven years ago and originally driven by RCR’s Dave Marcus, it was quickly transformed by McFarland into a tribute to the Earnhardt racing legacy. Decked out in a paint scheme nearly identical to Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s No. 3, the truck had already become a fan favorite online well before its Talladega appearance. For many, the chance to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. drive a vehicle styled after his father amped up the anticipation, combining nostalgia with real-time adrenaline.
When Earnhardt Jr. finally lined up for his drag racing debut, the result was more shocking than expected.
“When I let off that button and that thing took off, it was like, you know, see those little things where people are on them, they’re strapped down on this big Bungee cord, and they turn them loose, and they fly into the sky, that’s what it felt like,”
Earnhardt Jr. revealed on Kevin Harvick’s ‘Happy Hour’ podcast.
“Like I just shot forward like an amusement park, and it made me lightheaded. I wasn’t ready, my body was not ready for it.”
The experience proved more demanding than Earnhardt Jr. had anticipated. During the first run, the intensity of the launch caught him so off guard that his foot slipped off the gas almost immediately, and the run failed to count in official terms. As McFarland jokingly reviewed telemetry afterward, it turned out that Earnhardt Jr. had dropped to 26% throttle less than a tenth of a second into his attempt, leading to plenty of good-natured teasing between the two drivers.
Not one to back down, Earnhardt Jr. regrouped.
“I ran it twice, got back in it, and they were giving me crap about lifting…I was thinking to myself, ‘I don’t care what’s happening — I’m running it wide open. They’re not going to give me a—I’m not going to look—I’m running wide open. I don’t care if I wreck this thing,’”
he recounted. The determination paid off on the follow-up run, cementing his first proper drag racing pass.
This high-profile collaboration could mark a turning point for Dale Earnhardt Jr., expanding his appeal beyond stock car racing and sparking renewed conversation about cross-discipline motorsports. Fans are now speculating about the possibility of seeing Earnhardt Jr. make further forays into drag racing or similar ventures. As curiosity grows, the impact of his outing with Cleetus McFarland may resonate well beyond a single YouTube video, pointing to more unexpected and thrilling opportunities for both drivers—and their audiences—in the future.
