Dale Earnhardt Jr. is in the commentary booth alongside Jeff Gordon and Mike Joy for the first of five NASCAR races to be shown on Amazon Prime Video
Dale Earnhardt Jr. issued a swift apology after a mistake during his commentary during the first NASCAR race aired live on Amazon Prime Video.
The iconic ex-driver has returned to commentating after a hiatus, being joined on the Amazon team by another Hall of Famer, Carl Edwards, as the streaming service kicks off a five-race stretch. The move generated significant excitement and the new-look team was widely praised during its first broadcast.
However, Earnhardt Jr. experienced a hiccup during the Coca-Cola 600’s first stage when he incorrectly announced that Kyle Larson had a tire come off shortly after spinning from the race lead. Earlier in the day, Larson had already faced disappointment with a crash at the Indy 500, and then he triggered the day’s first caution after losing control on lap 43 coming out of turn four.
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The incident led most drivers to pit road, and as they lined up under the yellow flag for a restart, a stray tire was spotted rolling along the track. Earnhardt Jr., quick to notice from the booth, mistakenly attributed the loose tire to Larson’s vehicle.
He exclaimed, “Oh we’ve got a problem down at turn four,” adding, “I think Larson has lost a tire…I believe that’s come off the 5.”
However, he quickly corrected himself upon realizing that Larson’s car was in good shape. He then mistakenly identified Cody Ware’s No.51 as the problematic vehicle before finally correctly identifying it as Josh Bilicki’s No. 66.
“No, not the five, the 51, sorry about that. No the 66, sorry, I’ll get it,” Earnhardt Jr. clarified.
The same incident, as well as on-board footage of Denny Hamlin fighting to control his car around turns three and four at Charlotte Motor Speedway, later prompted Edwards to admit he was “embarrassed” at the end of Stage 1.
Edwards, who is only just returning to NASCAR having kept his distance from the sport since abruptly retiring after the 2016 season, conceded he was “wrong” about the new NextGen car compared to his own experiences.
Edwards said: “Alright, I’m embarrassed,” Edwards declared. “I’m plain embarrassed because 104 laps in to my back to NASCAR experience, I was wrong.
“I thought these cars were simpler, easier to drive. It was harder in my day. Guys, the guys in the booth have described it perfectly, Letarte and Dale.
“Showing Denny’s in-car, his focus, his eyes…guys spinning out, Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman. It is tough and I think that’s the story right now.”
Prior to the broadcast, Earnhardt Jr. expressed his enthusiasm for the first race of the new Amazon deal, marking his return to the commentary booth after a stint with NBC from 2018 to 2023.
He shared: “We had a little practice rehearsal over (the May 11, Kansas) race using the FOX program and my bosses were texting me when we got done, ‘What did you think?’. I said, ‘I’ve got one problem.
“We only get to do this five weeks.’ I had a lot of fun and it’s going to be here and gone in a snap of a finger. I am all about doing 600 miles.”
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