As the NASCAR season kicked off, so did scrutiny about its racing. The Cup Series season opener at Daytona was otherwise a grand success, with elements like a rain-free event and thrilling on-track clashes. However, fans noticed the Next-Gen car’s visible shortcomings. Drivers were in fuel-saving mode, which stripped the excitement from the race. And Dale Earnhardt Jr. proposed a way out of this.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. taps a past rule

“We took away the point for leading a lap. We also took away the bonus points for leading the most laps,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said on his podcast. “But I promise you, if you put anything out in front of these drivers and teams, they will go for it. That is one small thing in a big pie, one small slice in a large pie that would push the teams back toward pushing harder throughout the event.”

The 2026 Daytona 500 displayed extensive fuel-saving strategies, especially in the final laps. The Toyota bandwagon, comprising mainly the 23XI Racing group, used the strategy. And it worked, as Tyler Reddick won the Daytona 500, while Riley Herbst and Bubba Wallace finished in the top 10. Given the issue of the next-gen car running out of fuel faster, running half-throttle seems like the best solution for teams.

However, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is convinced that reviving a past rule may also help. Before stage racing was introduced in 2017, NASCAR rewarded drivers for running up front. A driver who led a lap during the race, or led the most laps, received one bonus point each. If two or more drivers tie for the most laps led, each gets the extra point. Although these points have not been in place for almost a decade, Dale Jr. said this may convince drivers to abandon the fuel-saving techniques.

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“If you knew that if you could get to the front and lead a lap at some point, you were going to get a point, you would do it. That doesn’t fix the problem entirely. Teams are still going to; once they’ve led that lap, they might revert right back to saving fuel the rest of the race. Fine. But we found a way to get them to charge for a little bit, right? That’s progress,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. continued.

NASCAR instead rewards a driver for displaying the fastest lap. Dale Earnhardt Jr. called that ‘silly,’ given that it is hardly talked about in the broadcast. Photographer Dontre Graves also took a similar viewpoint to the 51-year-old NASCAR veteran. He suggested returning points for a lap led and adding five points for the most laps led.

These views may work towards a more satisfying race in Daytona. And Dale Jr. is not alone in the garage with a solution.

A broader on-track perspective

Superspeedway racing in Daytona and Talladega inevitably leads to pack racing. In recent years, Cup drivers have scaled down engine output. Also, they tucked in the draft to save gallons and gain a few miles per hour. The Next-Gen cars run too close to each other, producing a drag effect. According to Denny Hamlin, getting rid of this practice may help reduce fuel mileage strategies.

“You’re going to have to create a little more field spread. To create more field spread, you’re going to have to make the cars drive a little worse than they are right now. That’s rich coming from me, considering I wrecked because of a poorly handled car. But it was damage that we had,” Denny Hamlin said on ‘Actions Detrimental.’ Indeed, he crashed out in a ‘Big One’ late in Stage 2.

Nevertheless, Hamlin continued that the cars are “too planted in the racetrack” and they have “too much drag.” He added that the best way to pass is when the field is spread out.

“But as long as their insurance company is okay with it, you’re going to have to speed up the cars. Because right now we’re so planted in the racetrack that we can just run in this really tight pack.”

Evidently, the fuel-saving issue is nagging many in the garage. Let’s wait and see if NASCAR pays heed to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Co.