--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I didn't think I was ever going to be a…" description: "\"I didn't think I was ever going to be a Cup driver. When I was a kid, before I started racing in the Xfinity Series, I thought that I was never going t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c7/dale-earnhardt-jr-5911_chance_i-didn-t-think-i-was-ever-going-to-be-a_1966393.png" --- # I didn't think I was ever going to be a Cup driver. When I… ![“I didn't think I was ever going to be a Cup driver. When I was a kid, before I started racing in the Xfinity Series, I thought that I was never going to get a chance, and then, if I did, I wasn't going to run well enough to maintain that opportunity and keep progressing.” quote by Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c7/dale-earnhardt-jr-5911_chance_i-didn-t-think-i-was-ever-going-to-be-a_1966393.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c7/dale-earnhardt-jr-5911_chance_i-didn-t-think-i-was-ever-going-to-be-a_1966393.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c7/dale-earnhardt-jr-5911_chance_i-didn-t-think-i-was-ever-going-to-be-a_1966393.png) > “I didn't think I was ever going to be a Cup driver. When I was a kid, before I started racing in the Xfinity Series, I thought that I was never going to get a chance, and then, if I did, I wasn't going to run well enough to maintain that opportunity and keep progressing.” [Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He doubted ever reaching the top level, fearing lack of opportunity and skill, yet persisted and succeeded **In simple terms:** He thought he’d never become a Cup driver but kept trying Key Takeaway Believe in yourself despite doubts Themes perseverance ambition self‑belief Mood determined hopeful Type inspirational motivational When to use this quote - early racing career - seeking sponsorship - overcoming self‑doubt - maintaining performance Key Concepts growth mindset resilience career development Questions to Reflect On - What kept you motivated when chances seemed slim? - How do you handle setbacks in high‑stakes sports? A Different Perspective Success may still be limited by external factors like funding ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) ## Related quotes > [I want to continue to be a part of the sport, and not just as an owner in the Nascar Xfinity Series. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-earnhardt-jr/i-want-to-continue-to-be-a-part-of-the-sport-and-not-just-as-an-owner/) [Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/) > [Also, when I started racing he knew a lot of people and it was more easy for me to find the first bike, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valentino-rossi/also-when-i-started-racing-he-knew-a-lot-of-people-and-it-was-more/) [Valentino Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valentino-rossi/) > [I'm competitive in everything I do. And that started young. Heck, I started racing bicycles when I was 3.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-stenhouse-jr/i-m-competitive-in-everything-i-do-and-that-started-young-heck-i/) [Ricky Stenhouse Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-stenhouse-jr/) > [I started racing when I was 14 and remember guys like Denis Dunne and Martin Hanrahan dropping me by 10 minutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-bennett/i-started-racing-when-i-was-14-and-remember-guys-like-denis-dunne-and/) [Sam Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-bennett/) > [I started racing go karts when I was six. I just loved everything about racing. I was raised in a racing family. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-stenhouse-jr-2/i-started-racing-go-karts-when-i-was-six-i-just-loved-everything/) Ricky Stenhouse, Jr > [When I first started racing, my father said, "Win the race as slow as you can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-petty/when-i-first-started-racing-my-father-said-win-the-race-as-slow-as/) [Richard Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-petty/) > [I started racing at club level, then the Scottish championship, then the British championship, then the European, then the Worlds. I went through all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-wolff/i-started-racing-at-club-level-then-the-scottish-championship-then/) [Susie Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-wolff/) > [It was not until I started racing for car manufacturers that I found a car I could really get attached to. I am the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-mcnish/it-was-not-until-i-started-racing-for-car-manufacturers-that-i-found/) [Allan McNish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-mcnish/) > [The sport has evolved so much since I started racing in the 90s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-coulthard/the-sport-has-evolved-so-much-since-i-started-racing-in-the-90s/) [David Coulthard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-coulthard/) > [Once we started racing, my dad had his own industrial cleaning business about twenty minutes from the house, so we kept our race cars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubba-wallace/once-we-started-racing-my-dad-had-his-own-industrial-cleaning/) [Bubba Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubba-wallace/) > [On Memorial Day, I was out floating on Lake Norman and came across Denny Hamlin. We struck up a conversation, and one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danica-patrick/on-memorial-day-i-was-out-floating-on-lake-norman-and-came-across/) [Danica Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danica-patrick/) > [As soon as I paid the mortgage off in 1988, I started racing cars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rea/as-soon-as-i-paid-the-mortgage-off-in-1988-i-started-racing-cars/) [Chris Rea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rea/) > [I started racing BMX when I was five years old. I followed in my brother's footsteps, and I was a little tomboy. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-buchanan/i-started-racing-bmx-when-i-was-five-years-old-i-followed-in-my/) [Caroline Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-buchanan/) > [I used to fly around quite a bit, you know? I took a lot of unnecessary chances on the highways. And I started racing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dean/i-used-to-fly-around-quite-a-bit-you-know-i-took-a-lot-of-unnecessary/) [James Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dean/) > [I'm way too old to change sports now. Sportsmen start so young - some of the ski jumpers we were talking to, they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-truex-jr/i-m-way-too-old-to-change-sports-now-sportsmen-start-so-young-some-of/) [Martin Truex Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-truex-jr/) ## More by Dale Earnhardt Jr > [Orange is my favorite color overall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-earnhardt-jr/orange-is-my-favorite-color-overall/) [Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/) > [In my eyes, Joe Gibbs could do no wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-earnhardt-jr/in-my-eyes-joe-gibbs-could-do-no-wrong/) [Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/) > [I was way behind in my maturity. I was a 30-year-old acting like a 23-year-old. So when I was 21, I was probably acting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-earnhardt-jr/i-was-way-behind-in-my-maturity-i-was-a-30-year-old-acting-like-a-23/) [Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/) > [My favorite thing to do... is to get my big trailer grill and smoke some meat and sit around with my buddies all day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-earnhardt-jr/my-favorite-thing-to-do-is-to-get-my-big-trailer-grill-and-smoke-some/) [Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/) > [Death is a weird thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-earnhardt-jr/death-is-a-weird-thing/) [Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/) > [There was this guy I used to work with, and he listened to Patsy Cline all the time, so I liked that after a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-earnhardt-jr/there-was-this-guy-i-used-to-work-with-and-he-listened-to-patsy-cline/) [Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/) > [When someone tells me they've never been to a race, I tell them that the first one they should go to is Bristol, Tennesee.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-earnhardt-jr/when-someone-tells-me-they-ve-never-been-to-a-race-i-tell-them-that/) [Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/) > [Every sport has a 'guy' that personifies what the sport is about and almost creates what the sport is on his own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-earnhardt-jr/every-sport-has-a-guy-that-personifies-what-the-sport-is-about-and/) [Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/) > [I've always felt like a lot of people's misconceptions of me have to do with how I grew up. I grew up poor, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-earnhardt-jr/i-ve-always-felt-like-a-lot-of-people-s-misconceptions-of-me-have-to/) [Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/) > [I'm competitive, man. Competitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-earnhardt-jr/i-m-competitive-man-competitive/) [Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/) > [To me, I feel completely, um, utterly normal. I do everything everybody else does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-earnhardt-jr/to-me-i-feel-completely-um-utterly-normal-i-do-everything-everybody/) [Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/) > [I've done everything I ever thought I would do. I've done more than I thought I was capable of doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-earnhardt-jr/i-ve-done-everything-i-ever-thought-i-would-do-i-ve-done-more-than-i/) [Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/) > [When you have a concussion, one of the symptoms that is common is anxiety. Imagine having the normal amount of anxieties that everybody shares…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-earnhardt-jr/when-you-have-a-concussion-one-of-the-symptoms-that-is-common-is/) [Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/) > [I've been able to make a lot of money and live a lifestyle that I never dreamed of. And I've been able to provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-earnhardt-jr/i-ve-been-able-to-make-a-lot-of-money-and-live-a-lifestyle-that-i/) [Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/) > [I've been with some great teams and had good wins and great success at certain periods of time in my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-earnhardt-jr/i-ve-been-with-some-great-teams-and-had-good-wins-and-great-success/) [Dale Earnhardt Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/) [Explore all 100 Dale Earnhardt Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-earnhardt-jr/) ## More Chance quotes > [Before I debuted, it was my goal to make my debut, and afterwards, I aimed at winning champion titles on television music shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyuna/before-i-debuted-it-was-my-goal-to-make-my-debut-and-afterwards-i/) [Hyuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyuna/) > [I understand it's promotion, but no one ever gave me a chance. No one ever thought I'd be the champ, and look where I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stipe-miocic/i-understand-it-s-promotion-but-no-one-ever-gave-me-a-chance-no-one/) [Stipe Miocic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stipe-miocic/) > [I might, by chance, write something just as shoddy; But then I wouldn't show it to everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/i-might-by-chance-write-something-just-as-shoddy-but-then-i-wouldn-t/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/when-i-get-a-chance-to-play-golf-or-go-on-a-boat-with-good-people/) [Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I have heard that if you pull a bent breath through the second hole of a harmonica tuned to the key of Georgia while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-wakefield/i-have-heard-that-if-you-pull-a-bent-breath-through-the-second-hole/) [Buddy Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-wakefield/) > [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [Love changes people, for better or for worse. You could look at it as a chance for you to change. The best kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-changes-people-for-better-or-for-worse-you-could-look-at-it-as-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It's not who, it's when”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-taubas/it-s-not-who-it-s-when/) Alejandro Taubas > [Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/childhood-is-last-chance-gulch-for-happiness-after-that-you-know-too/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [I thought my first few jobs would just be off, off, off, off, off broadway. And by chance and how the world works, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-dorfman/i-thought-my-first-few-jobs-would-just-be-off-off-off-off-off/) [Tommy Dorfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-dorfman/) > [If you’re worrying about the past, you’ve got a good chance of screwing up the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-a-tullman/if-you-re-worrying-about-the-past-you-ve-got-a-good-chance-of/) [Howard A. Tullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-a-tullman/) > [To be successful, one must take chances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/to-be-successful-one-must-take-chances/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) [Browse all 12,460 Chance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I didn't think I was ever going to be a Cup driver. 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