The recent clash between Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Riley Herbst at the Bristol Motor Speedway serves as a intense pressures spreading the NASCAR circuit. As tensions over racing lines and competitive Earnhardt’s can did reflections post-race revealed deeper insights into the psychology of rivalry.

NASCAR held its Xfinity Series Playoff Media Day on Tuesday, September 24, where Ford drivers Cole Custer and Riley Herbst participated in remote Q&A sessions with the media. Custer is the defending series champion while Herbst is looking for his first title.

In the seven years since his full-time driving retirement, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has made at least one NASCAR Xfinity Series start a year as part of a partnership with Unilever-Hellmann’s. The agreement: Earnhardt races in the Hellmann’s colors at one southeastern track of his choosing and Unilever brands sponsor several races a year across all four full-time cars.