Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t playing around this time. The 51-year-old veteran is beyond frustrated with NASCAR’s leadership decisions, and this time, he’s calling out what he sees as a massive misstep. Long before NASCAR finally brought marquee racing back to Bowman Gray Stadium, the LA Coliseum was the hot seat.

When the All-Star race returned to the historic half-mile track after 53 years in 2025, it only reinforced his point. With legends like Lee Petty, Richard Petty, and Ralph Earnhardt etched into Bowman Gray’s history, Junior now looks back in wonder why NASCAR ever looked elsewhere in the first place.

Dale Jr. expresses frustration with NASCAR’s experiments

Speaking on his Dale Jr. Download, the Hall of Famer didn’t hold back on NASCAR’s experiment with the LA Coliseum and the ultimate return to the Madhouse.

“I love the idea on paper, but we should have never, like that’s the part about NASCAR that’s frustrating for me is that we eventually get to where we’re supposed to be, but like we try a bunch of things,” he said. “We try a bunch of things that don’t pan out.”

Known affectionately as the Madhouse, Bowman Gray Stadium is NASCAR’s oldest weekly track, hosting races since 1949. Its revival as the 2025 Clash venue replaced the previous year’s LA Coliseum event, reconnecting the spot with its roots.

The move resonated with fans, drawing an impressive 30.8 million viewers, more than double the 1.51 million who watched the 2024 event in Los Angeles.

And that is exactly what Junior is referring to: the idea that the answer is usually hidden in plain sight, but NASCAR sidelines it in the name of experiments.

“We eventually like, oh,  s—this was the answer. It was Bowman Gray, ’cause like literally … is …part of the original seasoning that created NASCAR…. Like it’s like Wrigley Field… what were we doing out in LA at this coliseum that we had no personal connection to?” Junior added.

Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s SVP of racing development and strategy, was the one who hinted at the potential for more races on the historic short track.

That possibility had clearly caught Junior’s attention last year, prompting him to speculate about NASCAR’s next step for the Busch Light Clash in 2025. But the frustration hasn’t left Junior.

“But we eventually end up where we belong, you know, and where we should be. And so I don’t hate the idea of the coliseum, I really don’t, but like we literally had that right under our nose,” he admitted.

And while Junior noticed this pattern about NASCAR, the North Carolina native couldn’t help but fiercely protect his view about the involvement, or rather lack of it, on NASCAR’s end to bring back North Wilkesboro as a points-paying track.

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Junior, North Wilkesboro, and NASCAR’s legal fallout

It is no secret that the 51-year-old veteran played a vital role in the revival of North Wilkesboro Speedway. He first helped preserve the historic track by having it scanned and re-created for iRacing, a move that reignited fan interest.

That virtual resurrection soon became reality, and by 2026, North Wilkesboro is set to host a point race on the NASCAR schedule.

But here’s the twist: although Junior had no involvement in NASCAR’s anti-trust lawsuit, his name surfaced in text messages submitted as evidence, particularly in discussions among NASCAR leaders about the SRX series.

The mention raised eyebrows, given Junior’s long-standing advocacy for preserving the sports heritage.

Before the lawsuit was settled, Junior addressed the situation on his podcast, reacting candidly upon learning his name was included in the legal files.

“North Wilkesboro came back because of Marcus Smith … NASCAR, you know, they didn’t play any role,” he said. “But, look, NASCAR never was going, ‘Guys, we gotta get Wilkesboro going.’ This isn’t a knock to them, you know, this isn’t a knock to them, they shouldn’t take this as an insult, but Wilkesboro is back because of everybody else.”

The lawsuit cast a wide net across the sport, pulling in teams in individual individuals who had no direct involvement. While Junior didn’t appear to take the situation personally, the reaction suggested a sense of disappointment with NASCAR leadership.

Ultimately, NASCAR agreed to permanent charters and other concessions, many of which the teams had been seeking for years. But he said with great certainty that NASCAR will have to work hard to regain Junior’s confidence.