Kenny Wallace unveils Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s astonishing find that fueled his efforts for North Wilkesboro's NASCAR revival

On the latest episode of the Herm & Schrader podcast, former NASCAR Cup Series drivers Kenny Wallace and Ken Schrader discussed how Dale Earnhardt Jr. revived the North Wilkesboro Speedway. During the episode, Wallace and Schrader revealed Dale Jr. has changed the racing dynamics of the track.

The revival of the 0.625-mile oval track began when Earnhardt Jr.'s interest sparked to scan the abandoned track for the iRacing project. He visited the track and cut down the grass growing in the cracks. After cleaning the first time, Dale Jr. and Marcus Smith realised the asphalt was worth racing.

Following the same, the duo held some trial races at the 0.625-mile oval track before making the track ready for NASCAR races. This led to people competing on the track, and contributed to the revival of NASCAR Cup Series races at the North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Reflecting on Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s efforts in the re-birth of the track, former FOX Sports broadcaster Kenny Wallace stated:

"Dale Jr. and Marcus Smith, they pick the weeds out of this racetrack. They clean it up, the thing is dilapidated, because they're gonna scan the track and put on iRacing. And COVID comes along, and now we got money. And when they pick the weeds out of the track, they go, 'Damn, this track's in pretty good shape'. Once they get the weeds picked out, they actually raced on it, on the old asphalt, and everybody's brains changed. Wilkesboro is crude, but damn it, race is good." [00:14]

NASCAR recently held the All-Star Race with a million-dollar prize at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The event was held on May 18, 2025, and in a late turn of events, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell won the event, derailing Team Penske driver Joey Logano's efforts to win the race twice in a row.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. hinted at the possibility of a public display of his racing memorabilia and collectibles

Former two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. opened up about showcasing his racing collection in a public display. Dale Jr. pointed out that he feels a "little anxiety" about keeping his collection away from the public eye.

During the latest episode of "Bless Your Hardt," held at JR Motorsport's Fan Day at the JRM campus, the NASCAR driver held a Q&A session. Seizing on the opportunity, a fan asked him if he ever thought about publicly displaying his racing memorabilia.

"I've got cars over at my property. I've got a lot of dad's stuff, suits and things that I've collected, boots that he wore, stuff like that that I love and I think it'd be cool to put them in cases, places that y'all could see em'. And I also have my own collection of stuff, maybe it's another driver or something historic that doesn't relate to me or dad," Dale Earnhardt Jr. replied. [44:40 onwards]

"And i'd love to be able to display it because...it's giving me a little anxiety that it's just kind of not doing something or not able for somebody to enjoy," he added.

Despite not winning a Cup Series title like his father, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a successful career in the series. He won the Most Popular Driver award 15 times in a row. Additionally, he secured 26 wins, 149 top-five, and 260 top-ten finishes with 15 pole positions in 631 starts.