Dale Earnhardt Jr. Points Fingers at True Culprit Behind NASCAR’s Tarnished Image

“NASCAR’s core responsibility is to look down the road and provide fans with the highest level of competition in the world,” Brian France, NASCAR’s former CEO, said in 2014. His push for a winner-takes-all final aimed to inject excitement into the sport. However, this shift has faced increasing scrutiny from veteran drivers like Mark Martin, who argue that the current playoff format erodes the essence of racing by favoring short-term spectacle. Citing the same, fans have demanded a return to the traditional season-long point system. And while Dale Earnhardt Jr. has voiced his concerns regarding the same, he has more to say this time…

One of NASCAR’s most ingenious systems was the pre-2004 season-long, 36-race points format, created by Bob Latford and rooted in consistency, with bonus points for leading laps built into every event. Fans adored it for being fair and suspenseful; each race mattered equally, and every twist, from mechanical failures to standout surges, had real championship consequences. And it is this season-long drama that many NASCAR fans miss, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. reveals the real culprit behind its decline.

Speaking on his Dale Junior Download podcast, he said, “The champion always got that first stall. I don’t know. I don’t remember. I mean, yeah, I’m sure. I always thought that was kind of cool, too. But, well, nobody complained about the original 36-race points system. The only—I mean, you know, I think Brian France didn’t like what happened when Matt locked it up. The networks probably were thinking, you know, ‘There’s no Game 7. Yeah. Can we do something different?’ But as far as like a fan base, nobody was complaining.”

The watershed moment came in 2003 when Matt Kenseth secured the championship with only a single win to his name, highlighting that the existing point system could crown a consistent driver without frequent victories. This outcome alarmed NASCAR CEO Brian France, who publicly framed the change to a playoff-style format as a means to inject “Game Seven Moments”—climactic, winner-take-all finals—into the sport. France’s rationale, however, didn’t sit well with many fans and historians.

One critic noted that the historical record shows that before 2003, most championships came down to the final race anyway, and making NASCAR emulate stick and ball sports overlooked what made it unique. Ultimately, France’s desire for blockbuster endings is now seen by many, including Junior, as the force that pivoted NASCAR away from its soul and towards spectacle.

Dale Junior adds, “Nobody complained about that. There wasn’t as much chatter. You didn’t have social media like you do now. Yeah, we didn’t. That’s true, too. It wasn’t social media too, because when they lost the championship, leaving before the last race, no one complained about that. I mean, yeah, I know I went through it too when somebody won the championship early. It was like, damn, you’re good, badass.”

Social feeds are awash with criticism of perceived over-manufactured dramas, unfair eliminations, and a loss of narrative continuity, but it is a level of vocal backlash that simply wasn’t possible in the pre-social media era. But as Dale Jr. has been hinting at the old school playoff format, this time around, he is more stern in his thought process.

Dale Jr. pushes for the old playoff format

Dale Jr. has called for a return to the traditional 36-race system, arguing that the current playoff format diluted the emotional stakes of a season. On his DJD podcast, he explained that the modern reset system reduces the consequences of late-season misfortune. He said, “That kind of thing, being that impactful in the middle of the season or even at the front of the season  — that is missing now, right? Your driver goes to Daytona in the final race of the regular season and flips out and crashes. It just is what it is. He’s in the playoffs. We’re starting the playoffs next week. So, reset. No big deal.” 

Junior likens the old points chase, as he added, “Run 36 [races], it’s no big deal. That’s what is gone, and those things had you plug in at Race 18, 16, or 20 because that soul-crushing moment was always around the corner, or the opposite of soul crushing, right? That moment of holy (crap) man, we’ve just busted out and got a 100-point lead today because this guy had bad luck. That moment was always possible in the regular season.” 

It was the unpredictable and tangible stakes, he argues, that made fans tune in week after week, invested not just in drivers but in the evolving narrative of the sport itself. And as NASCAR continues to evolve, the conversation about playoff reforms takes on heightened significance. But there might be some respite underway as the NASCAR officials have hinted at potential discussions regarding the playoff setup for the 2026 season.