The Kentucky Derby is arguably the staple of all of horse racing. Yesterday’s race marked the 149th edition of the event, one that continually keeps growing and bringing some of the world’s biggest celebrities to Louisville, Kentucky every year.
One of the names there that is a little familiar with racing himself is former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Though Earnhardt “retired” fully from racing back in 2o17, his drive (see what I did there?) and passion for racing has always kept him coming back to racing. Apparently that motivation also applies to horse racing, and it looks like Earnhardt Jr. might have a knack for picking the winning horse.
The “fastest two minutes in sports” was quite the exciting race yesterday, with it mainly ending down the stretch in a two horse race.
One of those horses that was neck and neck to the finish line was the Number 8 horse Mage, which Earnhardt Jr. has chosen to win since they shared the same number.
Mage had 15 to 1 odds to win the derby and had only had three starts prior to the Derby, with one of those being a win.
The long shot odds and limited experience didn’t stop the NASCAR Hall of Famer from picking the No. 8 horse, and it turned out to be a pretty good pick.
This video from Kevin Kerstein on Twitter shows Earnhardt Jr. excitingly watching as the horses cross the finish line.
Props to Dale for standing in the inside track and not in one of the cozy, comfortable box seats up in the stands.
The Tweet’s caption reads:
“Pretty fitting (with) Dale Earnhardt Jr. picking No. 8 Mage to win the Kentucky Derby. Well done!”
Dale and his wife Amy Reimann celebrated the win after Mage was announced as the Kentucky Derby winner. I guess it goes to show you that instead of looking at the odds, sometimes you should just go with your gut (or your lucky number).
If you happened to miss the finish of yesterday’s Kentucky Derby, NBC Sports has you covered with the last 30 seconds of the horses in the home stretch:
Now I only wonder how much Dale Earnhardt Jr. wagered…
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Reacts To Possibility Of Kyle Busch Ever Driving His Dad’s #3 Car
Kyle Busch wis driving for Richard Childress Racing in the 2023 season.
And speaking of the #3, could Kyle Busch ever sit behind the wheel of the most iconic number in racing?
I suppose it’s possible.
Richard Childress himself drove the #3 in the late ’70s and early ’80s until the great Dale Earnhardt Sr. took over full time in 1984. Of course, tragedy took The Intimidator out of the #3 on that fateful day in 2001 and the number was essentially retired until 2014 when Childress’ grandson Austin Dillon climbed behind the wheel.
Dillon got the blessing of the Earnhardt family to drive the #3, which he still drives today, however, could Kyle Busch ever have the chance?
The question was posted in Reddit, asking if Dale Sr. fans would give the go ahead to put Rowdy in the #3 car, knowing that they have similar racing styles and no bullshit personalities.
However, Dale Jr. himself weighed in:
“I wish they could retire the current stylized font, then make an entirely new font/design. Then by all means.
I wanna go back to when you saw that number on a license plate or anywhere, and you KNEW they were 100% Earnhardt Sr.”
It’s no secret that Jr. and Busch have had their issues over the years, but sounds like Dale Jr. is more focused on the design of the #3 and less with the number.
Dale Jr. detailed the peak of their beef on the Bussin’ with the Boys podcast:
