Dale Earnhardt Jr. welcomed one of the fiercest competitors and hardest workers in the NASCAR garage to the Download this week, longtime championship winning crew Jimmy Fennig. Best known for his thirty year tenure at Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, Jimmy helped elevate a young Kurt Busch to his lone NASCAR Cup Championship in 2004. Jimmy’s journey to the top of NASCAR’s crew chief rankings came from humble beginnings in southeastern Wisconsin. After growing up under the roof of two generations of dirt racers, Jimmy and his brother Jeffrey decided to try their own hand at the craft, building and racing a sportsman car out of local Hales Corner Speedway. Jimmy quickly realized he preferred turning wrenches to rubbing fenders, and he took a job preparing cars for Wisconsin legend Al Schill. It was through this connection that he’d meet Bobby Allison at Slinger Speedway, beginning a long friendship that brought Jimmy into the NASCAR fold. Jimmy experienced a short track pinnacle, winning the 1986 American Speed Association Championship with Mark Martin, and it was off to the races in stock car land. Jimmy would join Bobby at the burgeoning Stavola Brothers Racing outfit, and they’d capture the 1988 Daytona 500. After Bobby’s tragic career ending crash at Pocono, he’d take on an ownership role and Jimmy would follow along, sitting atop the box for Hut Stricklin, Jeff Purvis and others. When Bobby Allison Motorsports shuttered in 1996, Jimmy was the last one out of the shop, and he’d part for the Liberty, North Carolina location of Roush to reunite with Mark Martin. Dale and Jimmy’s conversation covers the tough competition of ASA in the 1980s, the loyalty and grit of Bobby Allison and achieving the top accomplishments NASCAR has to offer. Chapters: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:05:51 - First Memories of Racing 00:06:29 - Building His First Race Car 00:08:49 - Why Jimmy Quit Driving 00:10:16 - Early Innovations 00:14:29 - Watching NASCAR From Wisconsin 00:16:37 - Jerry Gunderman 00:17:42 - Moving to Bigger Tracks: ARCA 00:18:49 - How Bobby Allison Came Calling 00:20:14 - Setting Up Dale Sr.'s Car 00:23:28 - Why ASA Was So Tough 00:26:40 - Meeting Mark Martin 00:33:21 - Bobby Tells Him to Leave 00:35:10 - Returning to Cup 00:38:40 - Building the 1988 Daytona 500 Car 00:41:40 - Winning the Daytona 500 00:41:57 - That Last Pit Stop Story 00:45:44 - Bobby Allison's Crash at Pocono 00:48:11 - Mike Alexander: Underrated Talent 00:50:41 - Dick Trickle the 55-Year-Old Rookie 00:55:22 - Bobby Allison Motorsports 01:01:05 - Going to Work for Roush Racing 01:03:33 - Moving to Kurt Busch 01:05:23 - Helping Kurt 01:06:57 - Winning the 2004 Championship 01:10:29 - Working With Matt, Carl & Jamie 01:11:16 - Retiring From the Pit Box 01:12:28 - Life After Crew Chiefing 01:13:58 - His Collection of Hot Rods 01:15:38 - Dale Sr. Tried to Hire Him 01:17:07 - Outro & Final Reflection THE PODCASTS YOU LOVE. THE MERCH YOU NEED. Get it all here: https://shop.dirtymomedia.com/ Follow Dirty Mo Media Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DirtyMoMedia Twitter: https://twitter.com/DirtyMoMedia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dirtymomedia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dirtymomedia_ All About Dirty Mo Media: https://www.dirtymomedia.com FanDuel: Must be 21+ and present in select states (for Kansas, in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino) or 18+ and present in D.C. First online real money wager only. $5 first deposit required. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable bonus bets, which expire 7 days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG. Call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat in Connecticut, or visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit GamblingHelpLineMA.org or call (800) 327-5050 for 24/7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8HOPE-NY or text HOPENY in New York.