Cody Rhodes Tells Dale Earnhardt Jr That Dusty Rhodes Was A Huge Fan Of Dale Earnhardt

Dusty Rhodes loved his rubbing and racing. 

Cody Rhodes and Dale Earnhardt Jr share a similar background as they both followed in the footsteps of their legendary fathers. Dusty Rhodes and Dale Earnhardt are two legends in their respective sports of wrestling and NASCAR, and Cody and Dale Jr had to try to live up to those expectations. 

Cody appeared on the Dale Jr. Download with Dale Jr, and shared how big of a fan his father was of Dale Sr. 

“My dad was a monster fan. Monster fan. Your dad was his absolute favorite. My sister Teil was so excited I was coming on (this show). My dad sat there and watched every race. He had a very specific taste. He was a showman, so he loved your dad. He loved that there was a presence, almost a gimmick, and the gimmick was backed up by ‘he’s that good.’ He had this odd, not dislike, but he was never into Richard Petty. It was Dale. Watching you, he and my mom, big time fans. These races are long. When you’re a kid, he’s plugged in on the couch. He loved it so much. He had this one moment where, Daytona, when your father passed, he was doing a show in Georgia, a small independent show, and he was devastated. He didn’t know, ‘do we say anything to the crowd.’ Georgia, they have roots and love this, I remember the drive home with him, different times he watched, and how excited he was. He was a huge fan and by far, your family was the favorite. He didn’t like Jeff Gordon. He has specific taste. He tried to explain to me, ‘Richard Petty is like George Strait. Dale is like Garth Brooks. The show, the gripping,’ that was his big comparison to explain it to me. I’d needle him. He’d be watching racing all day, and my sister and I would say we like this person more, just to get him upset and kick us out of the room,” recalled Cody. 

Sadly, Dale Sr. passed away on February 18, 2001 as a result of a crash on the final lap of the Daytona 500. Dusty passed away on June 11, 2015. 

Elsewhere during the interview, Cody discussed when he would have creative freedom going too far in wrestling. You can find his full comments by clicking here. 

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