Dale Earnhardt Jr. chronicles quest to get higher Uber rating

Maybe the most surprising part of this story is that the most popular NASCAR racer of his generation has other people drive him around.

You’d think if you were lucky enough to have Dale Earnhardt Jr. in your car, it would rate as a five-star experience.

Think again. During the rare off week in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule, Earnhardt was active on social media doing things other than driving. Specifically, he had other people drive him where he needed to go via Uber.

It didn’t go as well as Junior hoped, leading to a hilarious string of tweets. First he was disappointed he only had a four-star rating as a passenger.

(Note: mildly NSFW language follows)

He then apparently spent last Saturday trying to rectify that, though it took more effort than he would have liked.

Maybe the Uber drivers Earnhardt had weren’t NASCAR fans and didn’t recognize him. That seems strange considering how famous he is — Junior would probably have more trouble fending off autograph and selfie requests than bad ratings from drivers in a lot of places — but it’s really the only explanation for him not getting five stars every time. Because the guess is that Earnhardt is polite and tips well.

Next: What will Dale Earnhardt Jr. bring to NBC Sports next season?

In any case, the moral of the story here is pretty clear: if you’re an Uber driver and you happen to get Dale Earnhardt Jr. as a passenger sometime soon, please give him a five-star rating. Because for whatever reason, he actually needs it.