Dale Earnhardt Jr. Drops Blunt 5-Word Verdict on NASCAR’s Road Course Push

“NASCAR stock car racing is predominantly an oval-based series,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr., sharing his blunt verdict on the inclusion of road courses. The veteran grew up at a time when the NASCAR calendar only had one such track, Riverside, as ovals dominated the stock car racing series. Then came Watkins Glen, and despite the venue’s addition, Junior admitted that “being a road course racer wasn’t important” at that time. For a driver making their way into the sport, succeeding on short tracks, running late models, and full-bodied cars on ovals was the route.

Fast forward to the present day, and Shane van Gisbergen has been dominating NASCAR’s road courses. While the sport has evolved since the ’50s, Dale Jr. believes the Next-Gen car doesn’t deliver at such venues, despite NASCAR’s push for expansion, especially beyond the U.S borders.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares his road course preference

It’s no secret that NASCAR has evolved over the years. The sport has pivoted from short tracks to a more all-encompassing motorsport discipline, where being crowned champion requires a bit more versatility from racers. Whether that’s performing on ovals, road courses, street tracks, or superspeedways. However, with NASCAR pushing for expansion lately, the inclusion of tracks such as the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Charlotte Roval, and the Circuit of the Americas has become a by-product. But the Next-Gen car’s performance on such venues has left much to be desired.

And Dale Earnhardt Jr. couldn’t hold back. Opening up on his podcast, the veteran racer said, “In NASCAR, we expect lots of passing. We expect lots of battles. We expect contact. We expect door-to-door. That’s our expectation because of the last 75 years of what we’ve seen. When we come up on a road course now, and we don’t see what we expect, we’re not willing to allow this type of product to be normalized.” However, he did go on to say, “I like two road courses. I like Sonoma, I like Watkins Glen. Looking at NASCAR, in the 75-year history, it was born out of dirt tracks and the short tracks. Half-mile style facility. It was an oval series.”

Junior isn’t the only veteran who has shared such thoughts about NASCAR’s road courses. Seven-time champ Richard Petty also said, “You’re making a championship situation by winning a road course, which is not really NASCAR, to begin with.” For many veteran racers, including Mark Martin, the ‘win and in’ format is a bitter pill to swallow, especially when drivers who are 25th in points standings are making it to the playoffs, despite others showing more consistency week after week.

On that note, Richard Petty said, “What happened to the guy that 15th, or 16th, or 18th (that’s) been running good (and) finished good everywhere?” According to Dale Earnhardt Jr., the number of road course races in the calendar should be a “minority”, and the sport should remain true to its oval roots, especially until the Next-Gen car improves on such venues. “Maybe in 10 years, this f—ing car’s amazing on road courses, and we want more road courses back. The great thing about it is, we can have that,” Junior went on to say. And perhaps he is right. The sport must evolve, but only if it improves the quality of racing.

Chase Elliott opens up about Next-Gen pivot

Chase Elliott was once known as the ‘King of road courses’. However, the Hendrick Motorsports driver has been forced to give up that crown in recent years after other names, such as Shane van Gisbergen, have taken the spot. And one of the biggest reasons for his downfall on such tracks has been the introduction of the Next-Gen car since 2022. Call it an adaptability issue or just bad luck, but his performances have suffered on the road since then.

And the Georgia-native couldn’t help but confess that road course racing has felt foreign to him since the Next-Gen car was introduced. He said, “Since the new car came in, it’s been totally different, truthfully. The success in this new car, it’s not even a different chapter. It’s like a different book. So, I wouldn’t even compare that if it were me. I think it’s just happenstance that we have fired off well.” The No. 9 Chevy driver hasn’t won at Watkins Glen since 2019, even though he has remained consistent at the road course over the years.

Ultimately, NASCAR has the decision to make. While their push for expansion and capturing newer markets is a step in the right direction, the sanctioning body must also maintain a balance between the sports’ roots and the trajectory they are aiming for. Especially if the Next-Gen car is struggling in the pivot. As Dale Earnhardt Jr. rightly said, “The series, the schedule, and everything can ebb and flow,” as long as fans are entertained. After all, that’s what racing is all about, isn’t it?