Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t holding back when it comes to NASCAR’s evolving identity and especially the growing prevalence of road course racing on the Cup Series calendar.
On a recent episode of The Dale Jr. Download, the Hall of Famer opened up about how his personal preferences compare to NASCAR’s new direction, offering a raw but reflective perspective.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Says He’s Forced To Accept NASCAR’s Changing Menu
“I don’t like the road courses like right now. I would say my favorite thing about our sport is probably the Charlotte’s and the Kansas’s,” Earnhardt said, referring to traditional 1.5-mile ovals. “That’s what I really, I’m enjoying right now the most.”
While Earnhardt made it clear that his heart still belongs to short tracks, where NASCAR has a strong grassroots legacy, he admitted the quality of racing at many of those tracks has declined. “I wish that the short tracks were better because that’s where my core is,” he added. “I love good short track beating and banging.”
As for the sport’s new schedule with the increasing number of road courses that NASCAR seems to love, Earnhardt compared it to a force-fed meal. “I used to not love road course races, you know, I used to not want them added to the schedule, but I’m sort of understanding at this point in my life, like I don’t really, I can’t sit here and just be like, I don’t want more road course racing.
“They’re going to do what they’re going to do. I just need to embrace whatever they put on the plate, right, and so we’re all going to sit down at this big table and the table of NASCAR and we’re going to eat the meal, and you just got to. You don’t get to choose really how it’s cooked or what’s served.”
Earnhardt and Richard Petty Align on Road Course Reservations
Like Earnhardt, many stock car purists dislike road courses, especially after Shane van Gisbergen’s stunning victory in the Mexico City Cup Series race. The win, though impressive, has reignited a debate about whether road courses should carry the same weight in the championship playoffs.
Earnhardt’s comments echoed another legend of the sport, Richard Petty, who publicly criticized the increased emphasis NASCAR was putting on road racing. He argued that wins on such tracks shouldn’t automatically qualify a driver for the playoffs. Petty, a traditionalist, stated that it altered the sport’s DNA.