Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes Todd Gilliland’s guest appearance alongside Connor Zilisch on Denny Hamlin’s Actions Detrimental podcast emphasized one of NASCAR’s biggest issues.
While discussing the episode, Junior said the show’s short social media clips revealed more about Gilliland than months of watching him compete on Sundays.
Referring to the episode, he said, “Todd and Connor Zilisch just hosted Denny’s podcast this week… You turn on social media, and you see these little clips, and it’s all these little moments of fun conversation that the two guys were having.”
He added, “I learned more about Todd’s personality in that two-minute clip than I’ve learned in the last six months. That’s engagement. That’s engaging with fans.”
Dale Jr. even argued that the problem is not that NASCAR drivers lack personality, but that fans rarely get to see it. He pushed back against the common criticism by saying,
“I think I hear so much, ‘Drivers don’t have personality today,’ and I spend a lot of time with drivers, and I’m like, that’s a bunch of crap.”
“I think the drivers do have a lot of personality, but they are at times afraid to show it because when you’re in the world of social media, you say something, you do something, and all of a sudden you’re catching a lot of hell for something you were just trying to have a good time with,” he continued.
Instead of trying to create a public image, the veteran believes drivers should simply be themselves. As he put it, “I think social media is a great opportunity to show your personality. Don’t fake it. Don’t make one up. Just be you, but don’t be afraid to be you.”
He also called on sponsors to embrace authenticity, adding, “I wish some of our sponsors would just take a breath and recognize that fans, race fans, like personalities. They want to see drivers with personalities just be themselves. If you’re boring, be boring. Just don’t make it up. Just be who you are.”
Building that connection is what ultimately keeps fans invested in the sport. Junior even compared it to other forms of motorsports and sports he doesn’t regularly follow, saying that without someone to support it, it becomes difficult to stay engaged.
As he put it, “The man or woman or child sitting in those seats has to look down and say, ‘I want that guy to win, and I want that guy to lose.’ And if there’s not that connection, I don’t care what the rules are. I don’t care what the track is. That is the single most thing that’s important to our sport.”
Jeff Burton backs Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s stance
Jeff Burton agreed, saying podcasts have become one of the most effective ways for drivers to build those relationships. He explained that while meeting fans at the racetrack still has value, its reach is limited.
“Physically going to the racetrack and doing autograph sessions is great. That is stacking bricks or stacking pennies. That’s very, very small. You’re meeting one-on-one with fans.”
By comparison, he said, “When you can do a podcast that 60,000 people are going to listen to, or do an article that several thousand people are going to read and hear, or see one quote in there that makes them laugh or think, you know, they can connect to…” before concluding, “You’re making a big impact.”
Veteran NASCAR journalist Matt Weaver echoed the same point, saying, “Anything you can do to make a fan feel like he knows a part of you is so important.”
Every interaction, whether online or in person, should leave fans feeling connected to the driver because
“Every single time that he has an online or in-person interaction, he makes a fan walk away from that experience feeling like they’re friends. And that sort of interpersonal connection is so important to growing this entire sport holistically.”
And that’s why, for Earnhardt and Burton, Gilliland’s appearance on Actions Detrimental served as proof that podcasts give fans a chance to see the person behind the helmet, something race broadcasts often cannot.
And that connection, more than any rule change or format debate, is what will keep fans coming back to NASCAR.