247 - Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Keeping the Whole Sport Honest

04/11/22 • 110 min

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A frigid weekend at Martinsville Speedway didn’t make Door Bumper Clear shy away from offering hot takes on this episode. Brett Griffin, T.J. Majors and Freddie Kraft start by discussing T.J. reuniting with his former driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. to spot in the Xfinity Series race, only to be surprised by the man himself. Dale Jr. makes his first DBC appearance and shares what made him nervous heading into his only start of the year on Friday night.

He and the guys then shift gears to their thoughts on the Cup Series race at Martinsville, where drivers were shifting every lap with the Next Gen car. They discuss why that, along with a multitude of other factors, has created lackluster short track racing so far this year. Dale Jr. then dives into his Xfinity Series driver Sam Mayer getting into a post-race scuffle with rival Ty Gibbs. Hear how Dale and the spotters reacted, and why it's making Dale want to get his drivers fighting lessons.

To start Spot On, Spot Off, the crew discusses Denny Hamlin’s struggles during the Saturday Cup Series race and his comments about the Next Gen car needing a complete redesign.

Next, they talk about why neither Austin Dillon nor Joey Logano roughed up William Byron during the overtime restart. Hear why the guys think the bump and run may not be as effective with the new car and if they had a shot to begin with.

Ty Gibbs is back in the news after Sam Mayer bumped him out of the way in the final corner of the Xfinity Series race as they battled for the 100k bonus. After questioning whether Gibbs could dish it and take it last week, the guys got their answer and breakdown the fight and its implications moving forward. Hear what Dale said to Sam afterwards.

Roush Fenway Keselowski lost its penalty appeal for modifying a single source part. The crew talks about NASCAR needing to set the precedent from this ruling and if they could have avoided the penalty altogether. Also, should all penalties be made public again? The crew debates.

Everyone shares their displeasure of having to race on Easter Sunday at Bristol Dirt. They talk about who ultimately has the power to make the decision and why the answer may surprise you.

They continue their discussion of Bristol Dirt talking about Kyle Busch’s comments about wanting to “cut the cord” on the race. They bring up Richard Petty’s thoughts about NASCAR continuing to race on dirt and if there are other alternatives to taking away a regular Bristol race.

Finally, hear their thoughts on TV not showing victory lane interviews after Mike Joy tweeted explaining the TVs reasoning. Dale shares insight into why networks made the change and provides a solution that he thinks would appease everyone.

Dale sticks around for the remainder of the show and hears what the fans have to say in Reaction Theatre. Hear a song about Dale, how many people are mad at Gibbs for leaving his helmet on, reactions to moments from the TV broadcast, and more.

Lastly, Xfinity returns as a sponsor on DBC with their new segment. Plus, Dale and guys give out their What an Idiot awards.

Thank you to our presenting sponsor Offerpad and partner RacingUSA.com for making this show possible.

Want more DBC? Check out and subscribe to the new DBC YouTube channel!

To start Spot On, Spot Off, the crew discusses Denny Hamlin’s struggles during the Saturday Cup Series race and his comments about the Next Gen car needing a complete redesign.

Everyone shares their displeasure of having to race on Easter Sunday at Bristol Dirt. They talk about who ultimately has the power to make the decision and why the answer may surprise you.

Lastly, Xfinity returns as a sponsor on DBC with their new segment. Plus, Dale and guys give out their What an Idiot awards.

Thank you to our presenting sponsor Offerpad and partner RacingUSA.com for making this show possible.

Want more DBC? Check out and subscribe to the new DBC YouTube channel!

Previous Episode

246 - Richmond: Get Out of the Way

No empty chairs could be found in the Door Bumper Clear studio as the crew is back from this weekend’s racing from Richmond Raceway. Brett Griffin, T.J. Majors and Freddie Kraft discuss the first short track race of the season and if the Next-Gen car was able to improve the track’s product.

To kick off Spot On, Spot Off, the trio discusses how Denny Hamlin’s comments about a certain animal lead to his first win of the season. Also, hear whether or not they think Toyota can continue to step up their game after a rough start to the season.

The crew then questions why NASCAR waited to hand out a penalty to Kyle Busch’s team for breaking the rules 200 laps prior. They talk about why NASCAR missed it earlier and how it may have been brought to their attention. JGR also debuted a new pit stop choreography on Sunday. Learn the pros and cons of this new style of changing tires.

After Kevin Harvick nearly caught race winner Hamlin in the final laps, Harvick expressed frustration with the spotter stand. Learn why having a difficult time maneuvering through lap traffic on Sunday around a teammate and another Ford may have cost him a win.

What’s the state of jobs in NASCAR right now? Stewart Haas Racing’s Brian Murphy joins the show after he tweeted about the evolution of the NASCAR workforce in recent years. Learn why there’s more opportunity than ever to work in the sport.

Ty Gibbs’ “bump and run” to win the Xfinity Series race on Saturday raises concerns about whether or not he will eventually be able to take what he dishes out. The gang then debates his career ark and how quickly he could rise to the Cup Series.

Finally, the crew reacts to Kevin Harvick saying Keelan and other young go-kart racers want to pursue Formula One rather than NASCAR. They explain how NASCAR’s failure to attract a younger audience plays a role.

Thank you to our presenting sponsor Offerpad and partner RacingUSA.com for making this show possible.

Want more DBC? Check out and subscribe to the new DBC YouTube channel!

Next Episode

248 - Bristol Dirt: Right or Wrong?

After spending the weekend looking for eggs in the dirt of Bristol Motor Speedway, Brett Griffin, TJ Majors and Freddie Kraft are back with plenty to discuss after the second ever Bristol dirt race weekend.

To start Spot On, Spot Off, the gang addresses Kyle Larson’s comments about Cup cars using windshields when dirt racing and whether or not he thinks the series belongs on dirt. They discuss industry and fan responses after the race’s second attempt and offer solutions on how the weekend could be improved.

Then, hear their reaction to NASCAR throwing the caution due to cars overheating from the mudding track conditions. They talk about the track prep process and alternatives to avoiding the heat issues that developed in the Next Gen car’s first dirt attempt.

Kevin Harvick went a lap down during the competition caution attempting to deal with his overheating issues and shared his displeasure with racing on dirt after getting caught up in a wreck. Are his comments justified?

The guys discuss a tweet by Denny Hamlin after NASCAR’s confusing running order after stage 2 during a red flag for rain. Hear what the spotters and drivers were told and how NASCAR responded to the situation. Also, find out why it would have been disastrous to call the race for the rain.

Chase Briscoe’s move on the final lap cost Tyler Reddick his first Cup Series win. They break down what Chase could have done differently and react to Tyler’s response. Then they get into the differences between spotting a dirt race and a pavement race.

Lastly, hear Cody Ware’s comments over the radio about making contact with Chase Elliott. The crew responds to what Ware said about being disrespected and what he can do to fix that.

Thank you to our presenting sponsor Offerpad and partners Xfinity and RacingUSA.com for making this show possible.

Want more DBC? Check out and subscribe to the new DBC YouTube channel!