While watching the NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire, Dale Earnhardt Jr. did not approve of Michael McDowell’s late-race antics. When the race finally got back from the rain delay, McDowell sent it in hard to Turn One and took out Ryan Blaney in the process.
Michael McDowell had been running very well at New Hampshire. He had a small issue with fuel, but that wasn’t going to be an issue with how the wet-weather pit stops played out in the end.
Still, McDowellsent his car deep into the first turn to try and take second from Blaney and then make a run at the leader, Christopher Bell. Instead, he caused a caution flag and ruined his day and Blaney’s.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn’t like the move. In fact, he was fairly critical about McDowell. Earnhardt likes McDowell and knows how much he has worked to get to this point in his career. But that is also why Dale Jr was disappointed.
He expects more from McDowell.
“[Michael McDowell] knows how to send it down into Turn One on the inside of that 12 car as hard as he can, without crashing,” Earnhardt explained onthe Dale Jr. Download. “He knows where that limit’s at and that’s the choice that he should have made. So, he basically threw a Hail Mary and there wasn’t a receiver downfield. It’s like, come on. … Everything about him has progressed as he’s wanted it to and the team and everything has gotten to where he wants it to get. But the one thing that I think he needs to adjust is, hey bud you’re a top-10 team now, you’re a top-15, top-10 team.
“You’ve got to change that mentality of, ‘Oh shit, here we are I see a win in front of me, I’ve got to do everything possible, checkers or wreckers,’ Because ten times out of ten he’s going to crash that car going into Turn One. Ten times out of ten. There was no shot in Hell, ever, that that ever works out.
“So, you know I just, he takes out another car unnecessarily. It’s just not a great look. Even the reasoning behind it, even the excuse, the reasoning behind it doesn’t add up.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was just not impressed with what he saw. He put it in a way that only he could, too.
“He didn’t have a, that’s not going for it,” Dale Jr. continued. “That’s not going for it, that’s stepping on it. That’s pooping in the bed. I’m sorry. There was no win there, he was not going to make the corner. What did he think was happening?”
Michael McDowell has five top-10 finishes this season. He was P2 at Sonoma after Martin Truex Jr. ran out of fuel. Was he justified in his move on Ryan Blaney at New Hampshire? Or is Dale Earnhardt Jr. correct?
The post Dale Earnhardt Jr. offers harsh criticism of Michael McDowell after wrecking Ryan Blaney: ‘That’s pooping in the bed’ appeared first on On3.
