Dale Earnhardt Jr. Crashed His Jeep While Being a Good Samaritan

Doing a nice thing doesn't ALWAYS pay off ... just ask Dale Earnhardt Jr., who says he crashed his Jeep while helping a guy who got stuck in the snow.

We got the NASCAR legend out in NYC and wanted to know if world-class drivers like him ever get into fender benders in the real world.

"I ran into a pine tree with my Jeep in the wintertime," Dale says ... "going through the snow."

And, how the hell did that happen?

"I just pulled a guy out of a ditch and drove him down the road about 2 miles ... and then I hit a tree."