Formula 1 United States GP
Ricciardo “would have cried” if he’d heard Earnhardt’s comments
McLaren ace Daniel Ricciardo admits he would have cried if he’d heard Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s response to him driving the ex-Earnhardt Sr. 1984 Chevrolet NASCAR at Circuit of The Americas.
David Malsher-Lopez
Edited: Oct 24, 2021, 9:55 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Zak Brown, McLaren CEO, had vowed to let Ricciardo drive the car, which he owns, as reward for the Aussie ace winning the Italian Grand Prix, since Earnhardt Sr. was a hero to Ricciardo as he was growing up.
On Saturday at Circuit of The Americas in front of the Formula 1 fans, Ricciardo’s dream came true as he piloted the blue-and-yellow Wrangler-backed car around the 3.426-mile road course, and performed donuts for the crowd.
“It was sick, it was so much fun,” said Ricciardo. “It’s so different as well. I got my kicks out of it because it’s so raw and foreign. The noise, smashing gears, the driving position… Like everything’s quite unique.
“And it’s Dale’s car – one of my all-time heroes. So that was surreal. Good fun.
“And I think to do it here as well. If we had rented a private track somewhere in England, I don’t know, it wouldn’t have had the same effect. So I’m really grateful that Zak flew it out here.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was asked by AP’s Jenna Fryer for his thoughts, and responded on Twitter: “I’m happy for Daniel. I’m also appreciative for how he celebrates my father. That makes a lot of dad’s family members and fans smile.”
Following an interview on Sky Sports, commentator Will Buxton informed Ricciardo of Junior’s response. Asked later what that meant to him, Ricciardo replied: “When Will Buxton told me at the end of the interview, I immediately got goosebumps. Honestly, if we’d been in a private setting and he [Junior] told me that one-on-one, I think I’d probably have cried a little bit.
“It was pretty crazy – like, happy-crazy – to be appreciated by that family in general. I’ve been such a fan.
“After Senior, I was a massive fan of Junior. I was watching every NASCAR race for years. I’d wake up and watch Junior try and win the 500 every February.
“It was pretty cool just to be recognized and appreciated for having support for his dad.”
Ricciardo admitted that he had been in a quandary when F1 drivers were first allowed to choose their car numbers, and he automatically went for the ‘3’ that Earnhardt Sr. made legendary in NASCAR.
“I ran the 3 in his font on my helmet… and I remember speaking to Dale Jr.,” said Ricciardo. “I was like, ‘Do I ask if I can do it?’ Even before I asked, he was like, ‘That’s so cool, we really appreciate you.’
“But I was also confident enough in my ‘fanboy’. I’d followed Dale for so many years as a kid, and then Dale Jr., so I was confident that if I got questioned about it I could speak truly and truthfully about it.
“And to bring that into F1 – it’s a bit like myself and Lando with Valentino Rossi. He’s got nothing to do with F1 but he’s a huge figure in motorsport and I appreciate that. It’s the same with Earnhardt.”
Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren, 1984 Wrangler Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet NASCAR
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren, 1984 Wrangler Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet NASCAR
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Red Bull unsure of cause of Verstappen's cracked rear wing
Next article Formula 1 United States Grand Prix – How to watch, start time & more
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
David Malsher-Lopez
Alex Zanardi: The man whose name is a synonym for “hero”
IndyCar
IndyCar
Alex Zanardi: The man whose name is a synonym for “hero”
Remembering Michele Alboreto: F1 ace, Le Mans winner and a good man
Formula 1
Formula 1
Remembering Michele Alboreto: F1 ace, Le Mans winner and a good man
IMSA Laguna Seca: Ganassi Cadillac holds off Porsche for victory
IMSA
IMSA
Laguna Seca
IMSA Laguna Seca: Ganassi Cadillac holds off Porsche for victory
More from
Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo shares heartfelt message after first Indy 500 visit brought back "childhood feelings"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Barcelona-Catalunya GP
Daniel Ricciardo shares heartfelt message after first Indy 500 visit brought back "childhood feelings"
Lando Norris reunites with Daniel Ricciardo for Indy 500 celebrations after disastrous Canadian GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Canadian GP
Lando Norris reunites with Daniel Ricciardo for Indy 500 celebrations after disastrous Canadian GP
Daniel Ricciardo says life feels "more real" after abrupt F1 exit
Formula 1
Formula 1
Canadian GP
Daniel Ricciardo says life feels "more real" after abrupt F1 exit
More from
McLaren
Why McLaren gave team order to Oscar Piastri in F1 US GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
Why McLaren gave team order to Oscar Piastri in F1 US GP
Who slept worst last night: Lando Norris
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
Who slept worst last night: Lando Norris
Latest news
FIA partners with AWS to help drive future F1 regulations
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
25 min
FIA partners with AWS to help drive future F1 regulations
Chevrolet's 1st through 6th sweep at Talladega was its first since 2013
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
3 h
Chevrolet's 1st through 6th sweep at Talladega was its first since 2013
NASCAR warned nearly the full field at Talladega for minimum speed violations
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
6 h
NASCAR warned nearly the full field at Talladega for minimum speed violations
Carson Hocevar credits tow truck driver for saving his race at Talladega
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
10 h
Carson Hocevar credits tow truck driver for saving his race at Talladega
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe