{"id":1330186,"date":"2021-03-04T12:19:17","date_gmt":"2021-03-04T17:19:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1330186"},"modified":"2023-10-02T12:12:49","modified_gmt":"2023-10-02T16:12:49","slug":"heartbroken-dale-earnhardt-jr-admits-podcast-recent-flashback-about-time-he-cried-when-he-felt-betrayed-by-former-crew-chief-steve-letarte-and-nbc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/heartbroken-dale-earnhardt-jr-admits-podcast-recent-flashback-about-time-he-cried-when-he-felt-betrayed-by-former-crew-chief-steve-letarte-and-nbc\/","title":{"rendered":"Heartbroken Dale Earnhardt Jr. Admits on Podcast to a Flashback About Time He Cried When He Felt Betrayed by Former Crew Chief Steve Letarte and NBC"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dale Earnhardt Jr.<\/a> endured a painful flashback about a moment in his racing career<\/a>. It wasn't related to his dad or any particular NASCAR race. Instead, it was specific to a moment during his career when he felt betrayed and abandoned. On an episode of the\u00a0Dale Jr. Download<\/em> podcast, Earnhardt addressed the specifics of his flashback, including how it broke his heart and left him in tears all alone on his bus.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dale Earnhardt finds success with crew chief Steve Letarte<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After going winless for two straight seasons and finishing 25th and 21st, respectively, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was looking for a spark. Team owner Rick Hendrick was as well. In a bold move, Hendrick kept it within the family and switched around three of his crew chiefs before the 2011 season. Steve Letarte would partner with Earnhardt.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move worked. That first season Earnhardt didn't earn any victories but did collect a dozen top-10 finishes and, more importantly, saw a huge jump in the season standings, finishing seventh. The following season, Earnhardt found the victory lane<\/a> for the first time in four years at Michigan, the same place as his last victory. He finished 12th in the points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While victory lane remained elusive in 2013, Dale Earnhardt Jr.<\/a> still had one of the best years of his career, finishing in the top 10 an impressive 22 times. As a result, he finished fifth in the points, which was second-best in his career.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On an episode of the Dale Jr. Download<\/em> podcast, Earnhardt said working with Letarte was exactly what both NASCAR veterans needed. “We'd only been together for a couple of years, and we're this great new thing,” Earnhardt said. “We got together, and this was both of our last chances. We're rejuvenating our careers.”\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dale Earnhardt Jr. feels betrayed by Steve Letarte and NBC<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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