{
  "id": 8243151,
  "title": "Dale Earnhardt Jr. explains mysterious repost that fueled NASCAR rumor mill",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/dale-earnhardt-jr-explains-mysterious-repost-that-fueled-nascar-rumor",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-18T12:35:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Motorsport.com",
    "slug": "motorsport-com",
    "url": "https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/dale-earnhardt-jr-explains-mysterious-repost-that-fueled-nascar-rumor-mill/10856744/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the latest revelation, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has shed light on the recent repost that sparked rumors within the NASCAR community. Earlier this week, the NASCAR driver shared a 2023 post from Trackhouse Racing on his X timeline, announcing Zane Smith as their newest hire. It's worth noting that Smith and the organization parted ways shortly after the post, and he never actually raced for Trackhouse in the Cup Series. The repost led people to speculate that Zane might return to the team. However, Earnhardt has clarified that he was unaware the post was from three years ago, and thought Trackhouse had re-signed the driver. During an interview on the Bless Your Hardt podcast with wife Amy, Earnhardt explained that he saw the post, read it, and thought it was a good response to Zilisch's recent signing with Hendrick Motorsports. It wasn't until someone pointed out the date that he realized his mistake. Earnhardt acknowledged that he looked at the Trackhouse handle to ensure it wasn't a parody account, but the date still didn't raise any red flags for him. He admitted to having a \"tinge of skepticism\" but ultimately hit retweet. Upon learning the truth, Earnhardt remarked, \"Oh! Yeah, well now this makes sense.\" The post's top comment, congratulating Zane on his signing, was left by Carson Hocevar. It's worth mentioning that Zane and Carson are currently not on good terms, with Zane openly expressing his disdain for Hocevar in recent months.",
  "summary": "Earlier this week, Dale Earnhardt Jr. supercharged the NASCAR rumor mill by reposting onto his X (formerly Twitter) timeline a 2023 post from Trackhouse Racing. The post was from the team, announcing Zane Smith as their newest hire. Of course, Smith and the organization later parted ways after a short stint with Spire, and he never actually drove for Trackhouse in the Cup Series. Well ... Keep…",
  "key_points": [
    "Dale Earnhardt Jr. reposted 2023 Trackhouse Racing announcement",
    "Zane Smith never raced for Trackhouse in Cup Series",
    "Earnhardt unaware post was from three years ago"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}