Dale Earnhardt Jr. texted Kyle Larson after Atlanta, his response should strike fear in NASCAR drivers

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has stayed remarkably active in NASCAR circles since his retirement from full-time driving, affording him the opportunity to speak with dozens of drivers and be their voice, in a sense, to the public. And for a long time, Kyle Larson simply didn’t seem to enjoy superspeedway racing.

That seemed to change on Sunday at Atlanta, when Larson had a chance for the win in overtime and finished P3.

“I texted him after the race and I said, ‘What you did today, it looked fun, it looked badass from where I was sitting,'” Earnhardt said on the Dale Jr. Download. “‘But what you did today is exactly what Daytona and Talladega used to be when you could do whatever you wanted and take a car and make moves and show your skill.’ I said, ‘I believe that you would have been great at it had you had the chance to race in that era. But what you did today is pretty much what it was like.’

“He said, ‘Man, today was fun as hell.’ He had a blast. And I like that.”

That should scare the rest of the NASCAR field. Kyle Larson is already one of the all-around best racers on the circuit. But he hasn’t quite managed to conquer superspeedways just yet.

If he’s getting close, that’s downright scary for his potential on the track.

“Kyle Larson is arguably the best driver in the series,” Earnhardt said. “There’s a couple other names you could throw into that bucket. I want him to like racing at Daytona. Daytona is our cornerstone. The Daytona 500 is our most important event. I want our best driver fond of that event, fond of that race, fond of going there. I want him to be excited about it, right? And when he’s not that thrilled about it because he doesn’t feel like he can do what he wants to do, that’s frustrating for me.

“So I was really glad to hear him get out of the car and say, ‘Damn, today was fun. I enjoyed this.'”

Earnhardt did note that he thinks Kyle Larson hasn’t really had the luxury of driving in a prime superspeedway racing era. He pointed to 2004 as the ideal era for restrictor-plate racing.

That said, Earnhardt is hopeful the sport is coming back around again.

“You’re in control and being able to make some choices for yourself,” Earnhardt said of that bygone era. “I was sad a little bit when I heard he wasn’t a fan of Daytona and Talladega for a handful of years. Rightfully so, when I watch it it looks frustrating as a driver. But I was glad to hear him get out of that car, because I know if Daytona and Talladega come trending in that direction, oh man. So that was pretty neat.”