During Saturday’s Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner 300, there was plenty of it. Beef, that is. One of the race’s biggest storylines was Parker Kligerman’s driving and how it knocked out Jeffrey Earnhardt. The contact and subsequent damage had The Intimidator’s grandson riled up and ready for a fight after the race. When his car was wiped out, so was Earnhardt’s chances at a strong finish. He was running in the top 10 at the time but finished 28th. After his Wednesday appearance on the Dale Jr. Download, fans got a glimpse into what high finishes mean for Jeff and his new team.
What You Need to Know:
Jeff gives visual aid to who he is and who now-rival Parker Kligerman is not.
Earnhardt was “fightin’ mad” after the race Saturday, which is not just an empty feeling for the only driver on the grid that has fought and won a Mixed Martial Arts bout.
So why was Jeffrey so mad? Was it simply about a wrecked race car? He appeared on the Dale Jr. Download to share more about his story.
Jeff talks about how he is forging his own way. “I’m earning my path,” he tells his Dale.
The uncle-nephew duo discuss several topics on the show, but the majority of the hour is spent discussing how difficult it has been for Jeff to progress through the ranks due to funding. With several people asking Dale Jr. and Kelly Earnhardt Miller why Jeff doesn’t drive for JRM, the entire family addressed the question. Jeff states plainly, “at the end of the day, it’s a business.” He shows that he understands that a JRM car is not cheap and despite his best efforts, he hasn’t been able to put enough sponsorship dollars in the coffers to get a JRM ride.
In fact, he almost didn’t have a full time ride at all for 2023. Soon after talks fell through to join Richard Childress Racing’s Xfinity program, Sam Hunt Racing told Jeff they would be cutting his Xfinity schedule to part time. As that would be a major blow to his future expectations, Earnhardt sought another team.
Thankfully his main sponsor, ForeverLawn, stuck with him as they joined AlphaPrime racing for a full 2023 campaign.
Earnhardt’s relationship with ForeverLawn runs deep as owners, Dale and Brian Karmie, support as much of his career as they can, going so far as to solicit partnerships themselves at times.
In the podcast with the ForeverLawn owners, Earnhardt talks about high expectations for the 2023 season while also framing the definition of success that the three agree on.
