Dale Earnhardt Jr. on how Michael McDowell's defense at Talladega 'was a ticket to get turned' during last weekend's NASCAR Cup race

Last Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race saw Front Row Motorsports' Michael McDowell narrowly miss out on victory at Talladega Superspeedway and Dale Earnhardt Jr. has weighed in on the result.

Speaking about the finish of the 2024 GEICO 500 at the 2.6-mile-long oval track, the former Cup Series driver recently touched on his interactions with McDowell following the race.

Elaborating on his popular podcast, The Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt Jr. spoke on how he met McDowell during a school run. The #34 Ford Mustang driver asked the veteran driver-turned-broadcaster for his opinion on how the finish went down.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. replied to the same and shared with the fans:

"So I saw Michael (McDowell) at the pickup line at the school and I talked to him and he said 'Tell me honestly, what you think?' I said 'Honestly, me, I'm going to throw one block. If that block doesn't work, you got me.' I can't throw that second block. I said, 'The second block is a ticket to get turned. You're asking for it.'"

Dale Earnhardt Jr. also touched on how Michael McDowell told him he was ready to go to any lengths to get a chance at victory and added further:

"He said, 'Man, I had to.' He's like, 'I was willing to die.' And I'm like 'Willing to die?' He goes, 'Yeah, I was willing to die the last 15 laps.'"

Giving us an insight as to how a driver's mind works during high-intensity decision-making scenarios, Dale Jr.'s conversation with McDowell brings forth a dimension from the racing driver's psyche to the general public.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. clarifies his post-race interview preferences

After Tyler Reddick's post-race interview on the front stretch at Talladega Superspeedway as the 23XI Racing driver got out of his car, former driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. spoke on whether he prefers the broadcasting networks to interview drivers right as they exit their machines.

Advocating the case for interviews in victory lane, Earnhard Jr. elaborated on his podcast:

"As a fan, I probably wouldn't love the front stretch interviews much. I liked the driver going to victory lane and that being where we saw them first because it's weird to me that they get out, they're animated and then they go to victory lane and they're animated all over again. Probably fine for them either way."

NASCAR prepares to go live from Dover Motor Speedway this Sunday for the 2024 Wurth 400.