Dale Earnhardt Jr. Reacts, Details Challenging Friendship

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is grieving the loss of a newfound friend.

Indeed, the retired NASCAR driver reflected on the complex bond he shared with future Hall of Famer Kyle Busch shortly after his family announced May 21 that he died at age 41 following a brief hospitalization.

“Kyle and I had a really challenging existence for many years,” Dale wrote on X. “But we luckily took the time to figure out our differences and that was something he instigated with a conversation in his bus around how we each managed our racing teams.”

And while Dale—who retired from NASCAR in 2017—was “eager” to get on “better terms” with the two-time Cup Series champion after the pair shared years of tension on and off the track, he said it was Kyle who made the first step in developing a friendship.

“It was he who made the effort for that to be possible,” he continued. “We did some media together also to laugh through some of the things we put each other through many years ago.”