If you want to know the truth,” Earnhardt told NBC Sports in an exclusive interview Monday, “I probably texted Chad Knaus (Hendrick vice president of competition) about six times, asking him if they would let me run a few laps at the test.”
Earnhardt drove a Next Gen car after a Goodyear tire test in October at Bowman Gray Stadium. He sought to run more laps in the new car to gain a better perspective of the vehicle and share that knowledge with viewers in his NASCAR on NBC analyst duties.
Knaus wasn’t the only person Earnhardt asked to run a few laps for at the organizational test Tuesday and Wednesday at Daytona. But Knaus responded with the best offer.
“I’ll do whatever you need, anything you need,” Earnhardt said he told Knaus.
“Well, all our guys are going to the Chili Bowl, so there may be an opportunity to do the whole day,” Knaus told Earnhardt.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. said a series of text messages with Chad Knaus led to him to testing this week for Hendrick Motorsports at Daytona.
nascar.nbcsports.com