Earnhardt Jr., others pulling for MLB’s Royals
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KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a fan of the Kansas City Royals baseball team, which might come as a surprise given the geographical distance between Kansas City and Mooresville, North Carolina.
A dedicated Washington Redskins fan on the gridiron, Earnhardt Jr. keeps tabs on the Royals because of a friendship forged by KC manager Ned Yost and Earnhardt Jr.’s father, seven-time NASCAR premier series champion Dale Earnhardt.
Yost and the elder Earnhardt hunted together, and Yost attended races as a guest of the Richard Childress Racing team while he was working with the Atlanta Braves.
The manager, who wears No. 3 on his uniform out of respect for Earnhardt, has followed Junior’s career through the years, even staying up late to watch this year’s rain-delayed Daytona 500 won by Earnhardt Jr.
“I read a couple of articles where he said he was real pleased with how we did in Daytona,” Earnhardt Jr. said Friday at Kansas Speedway, site of Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 (ESPN, 2 p.m. ET). “Knowing his friendship with my dad, it’s pretty cool that he is watching me. That meant a really good deal to me.
“He is a genuine guy with a genuine appreciation and friendship with my father. It means a lot to me that he follows me still to this day and I want to see him do well as much.”
The Royals are in the playoffs for the first time since 1985. Tuesday night, they defeated the Oakland A’s in an American League wild-card matchup. On Thursday, they beat the Angels in Game 1 of the AL Division Series. Both victories came in extra innings.
The series moves to Kansas City this weekend, with Game 3 in the best of 5 series slated for Sunday night — not long after Earnhardt Jr. and his fellow NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers wrap up the opening race in the Contender Round of this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
“I have seen him in different circles,” the Hendrick Motorsports driver said of Yost. “He has been on iRacing (a simulated racing series) a little bit over the last several years, (I’ve) seen him on there.
“Just different things, but we don’t really have consistent contact with each other, but there is a mutual respect for sure.”
Roush Fenway Racing driver Carl Edwards spent time with the Royals earlier this year, throwing out the first pitch when the team hosted Tampa Bay in April.
“We actually had an (invitation) to Ned Yost to come out there to the … track but we are glad he can’t because of all their success,” Edwards said.
It’s been a huge week for fans of Kansas City sports teams. In addition to the Royals’ success, the Kansas Chiefs are coming off a huge win over the New England Patriots in Monday night’s NFL matchup.
Edwards, Clint Bowyer and Jamie McMurray all hail from the region, and Bowyer said it would be huge if a local driver could pick up the win Sunday.
“Look at the story line that Kansas City has had this week — if somehow a Kansas City driver could win this race, that would be unbelievable,” the Michael Waltrip Racing driver said.
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