Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets two new additions for his racecar graveyard

Perusing his timeline, it’s no surprise why this guy perennially wins NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver. Yes, Earnhardt is a historian of the sport. He has a unique grasp on the past and present of stock car racing. But Earnhardt also understands the importance of those that support NASCAR and his engagement with the fanbase cannot be overlooked.

Such was the case when asked about his race car graveyard at Dirty Mo’ Acres — Earnhardt’s compound north of Mooresville, N.C. The driver revealed the recent acquisition of two new wrecks: 

The last time we saw the remains of the No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Tundra, it was on a tow truck. Fortunately, Christopher Bell climbed out of his vehicle after flipping nine times down the front stretch entering Turn 1 on the final lap of the Camping World Truck Series season opener on Feb. 19. 

Bell, 21, was credited with a 16th-place finish even though he was taken to a local hospital as a precaution following the six-car pileup. The rookie, who won in his third CWTS start last summer at Eldora, is running the full season for KBM. 

Earnhardt’s latest contribution came from his own teammate — Jimmie Johnson. The freshly wrecked No. 48 Chevy did not make it through Friday at Phoenix International Raceway following the six-time champion’s mishap in time trials. 

During his first lap in the third round of qualifying, Johnson’s steering wheel came off the column and into his hands as he roared down the backstretch. Johnson plowed into the SAFER barrier entering the corner in what he characterized as his biggest crash since 2000 at Watkins Glen in the Xfinity Series race.

Johnson chalked up the wreck to “driver error” after he failed to lock in the steering wheel between rounds of qualifying. Although the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team went to a back up car and Johnson dropped to the rear of the field for the start of the race, he recovered with an 11th-place finish.

Although it would be nearly impossible to open the auto graveyard to the public, we can only hope that one day Earnhardt's Hammerhead Entertainment documents his collection.