Recently, former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr spoke about the rise of drivers from the dirt track arena. According to him, he still cannot wrap his head around the current path of NASCAR drivers. One of the best examples of this is Hendrick Motorsports star, Kyle Larson. The defending champion is well-known for dabbling in the dirt arena. He is currently juggling his Cup and his dirt racing careers.

Dale Jr said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen, outside of Kyle Larson. There’s a couple of new guys like Reddick and few other guys, like Christopher Bell. That’s new to me, that route to NASCAR seems to foreign to me, even though its worked. Its working, and maybe that’s the new thing. Maybe that’s the new route to get into the sport, is starting at dirt tracks and racing dirt cars. You know, sprint cars and all those things, all the way up to a truck. The first real stock car on asphalt, is an ARCA/K&N car or a truck. Two decades ago, you had several years of short track racing under your belt before you know, on asphalt.”

What else did Dale Earnhardt Jr say?

Now, things have changed a lot since his own racing days. There were some observations like Brexton Busch and Cash Bowyer, who have followed this kind of career path. However, Keelan Harvick is opting for a more traditional route. Of course, all of these children still have a long way to go in their careers.

For the moment, the focus is on drivers like Larson, Reddick, and Bell. The trio and a handful of drivers have all come up through the ranks, and are proof that this system works. This just goes to show how much the sport is evolving and will continue to evolve in the future.

READ MORE: Dale Earnhardt Jr Reacts to Kyle Larson’s Comments on the Confusing Aspect of Bristol Dirt Race