Dale Earnhardt Jr. Talks First Drag Racing Experience Behind the Wheel of Cleetus McFarland’s Twin-Turbo ‘Dale Truck’

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has spent his life chasing speed, but nothing prepared him for the raw, gut-punching thrill of launching Cleetus McFarland’s twin-turbo “Dale Truck” down the backstretch of Talladega Superspeedway. On a recent episode of the Bless Your ‘Hardt podcast, the NASCAR icon recounted his first drag racing experience with unfiltered excitement, describing a moment that left him wide-eyed and grinning like a kid. Paired with footage from McFarland’s YouTube channel, where the two tore up ‘Dega’s asphalt, Earnhardt’s story is a love letter to the visceral chaos of drag racing—and a testament to its crossover pull.

“It was so insane to launch that truck,” Earnhardt told his wife, Amy, on the podcast, his voice still buzzing from the memory. McFarland, a YouTube star known for his antics spanning multiple motorsports disciplines, invited Earnhardt to pilot the four-wheel-drive, 1,600-horsepower Chevy pickup—affectionately dubbed the “Dale Truck”—for an eighth-mile blast. “I did two runs because the first run, as soon as I let off the button, my whole body went back in the seat and my foot literally came up off the floorboard,” Earnhardt admitted. “It was like a jump scare… like when you’re walking through the haunted woods and somebody comes out with a chainsaw.”

The first pass was a wake-up call. Earnhardt, caught off guard by the truck’s violent acceleration, lifted off the throttle early. McFarland, reviewing the data, teased him mercilessly. “He’s like, ‘Oh, you shouldn’t lift. Don’t lift. Don’t be a chicken,’” Earnhardt recalled. The onboard footage from McFarland’s channel shows the moment: “I lifted off the gas like a quarter throttle,” Earnhardt confessed, laughing as McFarland dubbed it a “chicken foot.” The data didn’t lie—Earnhardt dropped to 26% throttle just 0.1 seconds into the run.

But Earnhardt wasn’t done. “My immediate thought was I was excited and happy and thrilled and wanted to try it again,” he said. On the second run, he stayed in it longer, ripping to 140 mph in roughly 660 feet—an eighth-mile pass that McFarland estimated would equate to an 8.50-second quarter-mile. “I felt pretty good about that one,” Earnhardt said. “It was way more under control than I thought it would be. That four-wheel drive works, man. It’s awesome.” McFarland’s footage captures Earnhardt’s grin as he climbed out, shouting, “Really, really fast. Like really fast. I know I know there’s things that are a lot faster, but that was a blast, man. That was a thrill.”

The experience wasn’t just about speed—it was personal. McFarland’s team built the Dale Truck from a rough-around-the-edges former circle track truck into a purpose-built all-wheel-drive drag racing vehicle, with a Pete Harrell-built LS engine and custom four-wheel-drive setup. Earnhardt, inspecting the truck on camera, marveled at the craftsmanship. “I’ve never looked under the hood,” he said. “To see all the work you did… how clean all the work is. Beautiful job.” McFarland, beaming, noted, “This is probably the nicest setup we’ve ever done… a great example of what my guys can do.”

Earnhardt’s joy was matched by McFarland’s. “Probably coolest thing we’ve ever done in our lives,” McFarland said, introducing the video. As they prepped for the run, he coached Earnhardt through the transbrake button and burnout sequence, standing trackside to signal the go. The burnout itself was legendary—Earnhardt held the throttle wide open, spinning the tires to 160 mph wheel speed. “That’s the biggest burnout this truck has ever done,” McFarland laughed. “By about 10 times.”

The day wasn’t without hiccups. Earnhardt’s first “chicken foot” pass prompted a quick data review, with McFarland pointing out the throttle blip that cost them boost. “You got to mentally say, ‘I’m flooring it on my Talladega,’” McFarland urged, mimicking a scream of “Dega!” to keep Earnhardt’s foot planted. Earnhardt, still processing the G-forces, mused, “It feels like it can get out of hand… it just feels like it’s gonna fly out of control.” But by the second run, he was hooked, telling McFarland, “I’d like to do this a couple more times, man. Then kind of ramp it up a little bit.”

That hunger for more had Earnhardt dreaming big. “I’m sitting there going, ‘Tony Stewart. Holy. He went 300. Like how?” he said on the podcast, marveling at Stewart’s Top Fuel exploits. McFarland, sensing an opening, pitched, “We were talking about building something… I think at this point you’ve made up your mind you want a drag car.” Earnhardt’s response—a quick “Yeah”—hinted at a spark that could bring another NASCAR legend into drag racing’s orbit.

For now, the Dale Truck runs live in Earnhardt’s memory and on McFarland’s YouTube channel, but there’s no telling what will happen next.

“It went from zero to 140 miles an hour,” Earnhardt said, still stunned. “I’ve never been in anything that accelerated that quickly ever.” As he drove the truck back to the trailer, he turned to McFarland and said, “I’m ready to go to a real strip.”