Dale Earnhardt Jr. responds to country artist’s tribute song for the Intimidator - “We’ll have a cold one soon”

Dale Earnhardt Jr., the veteran NASCAR figure, recently responded to a song made by country singer-songwriter Cole Swindell. The song was about their fathers, whom they lost early on in their lives.

Dale Earnhardt Sr., often known as “The Intimidator”, is widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers in motorsports history. Over his 26-year storied career, Sr. amassed 76 NASCAR Cup Series wins, including the coveted 1998 Daytona 500 and seven Cup Series championships.

Dale Sr.'s career featured 281 top-five and 428 top-ten finishes in his 676 starts and remains the only driver to have won at least one Cup Series race in four consecutive decades. Tragically, his life ended prematurely during the final lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001. While blocking to protect his team’s position, he was involved in a fatal crash. In 2010, he was inducted into the 2010 NASCAR Hall of Fame.

The song by Cole Swindell centred around meeting Dale Earnhardt Jr., drinking some beers and talking about their fathers. Swindell shared a video of the song with the caption, writing:

"This song is about the night I met Dale Jr.. I wish my dad could’ve been there for it but I have no doubt he saw it all and was smiling down 🙏 This one is special."

In a heart-warming gesture, Dale Earnhardt Jr. thanked Swindell for the song dedicated to their fathers and hoped to drink a few beers with him soon. He shared the post in his Instagram story and wrote:

"Appreciate you honoring our dads like this. Tough club to be in but we will have a cold one soon!"

Screenshot via Instagram@dalejr

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has built a legacy of his own despite having the large shadow of his highly accomplished father over him. Over his career, Jr. has amassed 26 Cup Series victories including two Daytona 500 wins and has also captured the Xfinity Series championships in 1998 and 1999. Beyond the track, Jr. has built a race team of his own called JR Motorsports and has had a successful career as a media personality.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. touches on The Intimidator’s character progression in NASCAR

Earlier this month, Dale Earnhardt Jr. reflected on the character evolution of his legendary father. Responding to a question about which current NASCAR drivers remind him of his father, Earnhardt Jr. pointed to Carson Hocevar, Ross Chastain, and Joey Logano, citing their aggressive driving styles.

“What do y'all think? Any drivers remind you of dad's driving style? He had many phases. Young rookie, pissing off the vets. 86/87, he dominated while bulldozing much of the competition. Mid 90s, he's still rough you up, but seemed a bit more selective. I loved the aggression then and today,” Dale Jr. wrote on X.

He described his father’s career as having "many phases," from a brash young rookie who angered veteran drivers, to a dominant force in the mid-1980s, and later, a more selective but still formidable competitor in the 1990s. Despite these changes, Earnhardt Jr. emphasized that relentless aggression was always a hallmark of his father's approach on the track.