The Emotional Rollercoaster of Being a NASCAR Team Owner: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Opens Up

Being a NASCAR driver is a high-stakes, adrenaline-fueled career, but being a team owner brings an entirely different kind of emotional intensity. For Dale Earnhardt Jr., co-owner of JR Motorsports, each race is a rollercoaster of highs and lows, heartbreaks and celebrations, all experienced vicariously through the drivers he supports.

On his popular podcast, The Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt recently spoke candidly about what it’s like to watch multiple cars compete week after week and to feel every twist and turn as if it were happening to him personally.

“That’s the thing that is weird about all this,” Earnhardt said. “You got so many cars on the racetrack, and you watch one crash. You’re like, oh s**t. Damn, I’m heartbroken. But now, I’m happy because my guy’s in the lead, but I’m heartbroken.”

This duality defines the life of a NASCAR team owner. Unlike a driver, who controls only their own car, a team owner must juggle the outcomes of every car under their banner, feeling the joy of victory alongside the pain of defeat. Every lap, every pass, every accident resonates on a deeply personal level.

Earnhardt explained that it’s a constant balancing act—celebrating successes while managing disappointment. “It’s weird to have your heart pulled in so many directions at once,” he said. “You celebrate a win, but you remember the crash that just happened two laps ago. The emotions are all over the place.”

For JR Motorsports, this has become a familiar rhythm. The team competes across multiple series, and with each driver pursuing their own championship dreams, the stakes are high. Wins bring elation not just for the driver, but for the whole organization. Meanwhile, a crash or bad finish can leave the team reeling emotionally, even as other drivers continue to fight at the front.

The experience also gives Earnhardt a unique perspective on the sport. Having been a driver himself, he understands the pressures and split-second decisions that shape every race. Yet, as a team owner, he experiences the broader, collective impact of those decisions in a way he never did behind the wheel.

“I have so much respect for my guys,” Earnhardt said. “You see what they go through, the risks they take. And when you’re sitting back and watching multiple cars at once, you feel every bit of that. It’s exhausting, but in a way, it’s also what makes it so rewarding.”

Earnhardt’s honesty highlights an often-overlooked aspect of NASCAR—the emotional investment of team owners. While drivers receive the headlines, the people behind the scenes live through each race as intensely as those in the cockpit. The heartbreaks and triumphs are shared, magnified, and deeply felt across the organization.

Ultimately, Earnhardt sees the emotional highs and lows as part of the sport’s unique charm. “It’s not easy,” he said, “but that’s the beauty of it. You feel everything so intensely, and when your guy wins, when your team succeeds, there’s nothing quite like it.”

For Dale Earnhardt Jr., being a NASCAR team owner isn’t just about managing cars and crews—it’s about living every moment, fully immersed in the emotional journey of his drivers. The heartbreaks sting, the celebrations thrill, and through it all, he remains committed to guiding his team to success, one race at a time.