Goofing off still the #1 hobby of this...
Sports Illustrated shoots the breeze and gets personal with NASCAR's most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr.:
SI: What's the best part of your life as a NASCAR driver?
Having so many days off during the week. Getting paid a lot of money to work a few hours on the weekend. There's a lot of s--- obviously that I have to do for sponsors, but it will never get to the point where the bad will outweigh the good. I mean, the best part about my job is knowing that I got every Monday off. I can't party on the weekends like my friends do, but I have most Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays off to do basically what I want. I got enough money in my pocket that I don't have wait on my tax return to buy the new PlayStation. I can go right out and get it.
SI: What's the worst part of your life?
My social life is really sporadic. My friends think that I disappear for months at a time. They just think I'm punking out on my couch at home. But I'm really busy. I can't go and do things with them at certain periods of the year. There will be two months when I hang out with my friends all the time, and they're like, "Hell, yeah, this is awesome." Then I disappear for two months, and they're like, "What the f---?" That's the worst part about being me. I can't ask a girl out to dinner next Thursday because I don't know where I'm going to be next Thursday.
SI: Is it hard for you to maintain a relationship with a woman?
Yeah, it is. My schedule is part of the problem, but if I really had the tools mentally, I could make it happen. There's a part of me that really enjoys being single. I like having that freedom where I don't have to answer to s---. And if I want to go to a buddy's house and drink beer all night, I don't got to ask nobody for permission. There's a lot to be said for that. You know, I'm not the kind of guy who will just go head over heels and get married. I don't think that's ever going to happen to me. I've had relationships where I really enjoyed the person I was with, and if not for one situation or one little thing, it might have worked out.
SI: Do you hope to get married one day?
If it happens, it happens. It's a hell of a commitment. Can't you just hang with them? Do you have to get married? I imagine marriage changes the atmosphere of the relationship for the worse.
SI: Do you want children?
Yeah, I want to have a son. I think that would really be fun. There's no greater accomplishment than procreation. You put something out there that is yours. I imagine that person being your best friend. That would be really, really cool.
