Most of the time when people think of the times and places where one could potentially have a run-in with a ghost, they think of foggy, moonlit nights in places like old Victorian houses, Civil War battlefields, or abandoned amusement parks. They probably won't think of Sonoma Raceway in broad daylight in the middle of a NASCAR race, but according to legendary NASCAR racer Dale Earnhardt Jr., he may have had an experience with the supernatural at the track in 2004—and it might be the reason he's still alive today. This is the ghost encounter Dale Earnhardt Jr. says saved his life.
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00:00When people think of the times and places where one could potentially have a run-in
00:04with a ghost, they think of the usual spots, such as abandoned mental hospitals or haunted
00:09police stations.
00:10They probably won't think of Sonoma Raceway in broad daylight in the middle of a NASCAR
00:15race, but according to Dale Earnhardt Jr., he may have had an experience with the supernatural
00:20at the track in 2004, and it may have saved his life.
00:23Dale Earnhardt Jr. is, of course, the son of legendary NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt.
00:28He had a successful career in the NASCAR Cup Series in his own right, with 26 victories
00:33to his name, including two trips to Victory Lane and the Daytona 500.
00:37He was also a massive fan favorite, winning the Most Popular Driver award 15 times before
00:42he retired from full-time competition in 2017.
00:45In 2022, he was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
00:50Since his retirement, Earnhardt still makes the occasional race starts, but has spent
00:54most of his time working in media.
00:56He can be seen on television calling races for NBC Sports as a color commentator for
01:00NASCAR Cup Series races and the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.
01:04Clamboyer's on fire right now.
01:06In addition, he also runs his own company, Dirty Mo Media.
01:10It was on his podcast, The Dale Jr. Download, that he told the story of his possible brush
01:14with the spirit world.
01:15A discussion about the paranormal prompted Dale Earnhardt Jr. to tell the story of a
01:20crash he had at Sonoma Raceway in 2004.
01:23Earnhardt was behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Corvette C5R when he crashed during the morning
01:28warm-up.
01:29Shortly after the car came to rest in the middle of the circuit, it burst into flames.
01:33None of us really appreciate just how freaking hot fire is.
01:37Hot.
01:38He recalled to co-host Mike Davis,
01:39"'When I wrecked in the Corvette in 2004 at Sonoma and it caught fire, somebody pulled
01:44me out of that car.
01:45And I thought that I was a corner worker because I felt somebody put their hands under my armpits
01:50and pull me out of the car.
01:51I didn't get out.
01:52I don't have any memory of myself climbing out of the car."
01:56Earnhardt Jr. went on to say that he wanted to thank the track worker that pulled him
01:59out of the flaming car, but was told no one had done that.
02:03He continued,
02:04"'And I fell to the ground.
02:05And there's pictures of me laying on the ground next to the car.
02:08I know that when I got to the hospital, I was like, who pulled me out of the car?
02:11I gotta say thanks to this person.
02:13Because it was a hand.
02:14It was physical hands grabbing me.
02:16I felt it.
02:17And there was nobody there."
02:18Before telling the story about his wreck at Sonoma Raceway, Dale Earnhardt Jr. gave his
02:22thoughts on the paranormal.
02:24According to USA Today, he said,
02:26"'So, haunted places?
02:27Sure.
02:28I believe that there's quite possibly some haunted places in this world, but I don't
02:32think that I've ever encountered a spirit or seen a ghost with my own eyes.'"
02:36That being said, after telling the story on his podcast, he remarked that what he experienced
02:41on track that day would be probably the closest thing he had ever had to a run-in with the
02:45paranormal.
02:46In that same episode, Earnhardt also discussed his feelings on another paranormal favorite,
02:51Sasquatch.
02:52While it seems that he doesn't necessarily believe in the existence of a seven-foot-tall
02:56bipedal primate, he still enjoys watching television shows about it.
03:00He said,
03:01"'I don't think he's out there, but I watch the show.'"
03:04Skeptic or not, there's no doubt that whatever Dale Earnhardt Jr. experienced that day at
03:08Sonoma Raceway makes for a compelling story.