Rusty Wallace reveals the real reason he raced Dale Earnhardt Jr. “harder than everybody else”

In the latest episode of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Dale Jr. Download podcast, NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace spoke about how representing one of the sport’s three main beer brands had weighed heavily on him. Wallace won the NASCAR Cup Series championship back in 1989 and is currently the 12th-winningest driver of all time. For most of his racing career, Wallace was backed by Miller Beer.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. asked Wallace if it was true that he had to race drivers representing other beer companies a bit harder than the rest. Wallace confirmed that it was indeed the case.

“Being sponsored by Miller most of your career, did you race the other beer cars a little harder than everybody else?” Dale Jr. asked.

“I think I had to a little bit, because, boy, I tell you what, it was like the big three in Detroit,” Wallace replied, smiling. “If the Chevy beats the Ford, everybody talks about it. Well, those Miller guys, they did not want to hear that Budweiser car beat that other car.”

“I'm not sugarcoating this at all,” the now 69-year-old continued. “These beer companies... I don't care what they say... they hate each other. They don't like each other. Budweiser hates Miller and Miller hates Budweiser, that's just the way it is. It's so competitive. It's incredible on the field.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr., also had a long-standing relationship with Budweiser. They struck their first deal in 1998, marking a partnership that continued until the end of the 2007 NASCAR season.

Throughout his full-time career in the NASCAR Cup Series, Dale Jr. bagged 26 victories, tying with Fred Lorenzen for 32nd on the all-time wins list. He retired from formal racing at the end of the 2017 season.

That year, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was inducted into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame. In 2021, the two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion was inducted into the prestigious NASCAR Hall of Fame. He was voted the Most Popular Driver 15 times, second only to Bill Elliott, who received the title 16 times.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. reveals why he is concerned about JR Motorsports’ Daytona 500 return

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a bit worried about JR Motorsports’ return to the 2026 Daytona 500 lineup. JR Motorsports, pronounced junior motorsports, is a North Carolina-based race team that operates full-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, previously known as the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Justin Allgaier, a former Xfinity Series champion and driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports entry, will drive the No. 40 Traveller Whiskey Chevy in the 68th running of the crown jewel event. On that note, Dale Jr. said (as quoted by Heavy),

“I’m nervous because we’re going to have a new body. Anytime a manufacturer gets a new body, they don’t go to Daytona and perform better. You’re figuring out kind of what makes that body perform at a track like that.”

“I don’t know the details, I just shoot it straight,” he continued. “Every time a manufacturer changes the body, they’re trying their best in every way, when a new body is coming in, to make their cars more competitive at the tracks that we race the most.”

The 2026 Daytona 500 is scheduled for February 15, 2026, at the iconic Daytona International Speedway. Fans can watch the race live on FOX or listen to radio updates on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio starting from 2:30 pm ET.