Dale Earnhardt Jr Reacts to Being Named as One of the Best Overtakers in NASCAR

With the Next Gen cars coming in next year, it also means that we bid adieu to the Gen 6 cars. These cars have stuck around for a long time and served their time well in the stock car series. Recently, NASCAR did a study on who were the best overtakers in the Gen 6 cars. Apparently, the top names were Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Larson, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Suffice to say, Dale Jr was quite thrilled and expressed his delight on social media. He is actually ranked up there along with Johnson, Larson, Kevin Harvick, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Busch, among others. The study was not based on the most overtakes but focused on how efficient the move was. This is measured through something known as surplus passing value (SPV).

How is Dale Earnhardt Jr considered one of the best overtakers?

As per the statistics, Dale Jr reached his prime between the ages of 38 and 42, despite only seven wins in that period. It is noteworthy that most of his performances came during the 2015 season. That year, he was 40 years old at the time, but still managed to notch up the second-best finishing average of 11.3. Without a doubt, this is a truly incredible feat, and he is definitely worthy of being included in the list of the best overtakers in the Gen 6 cars era.

Furthermore, the former Hendrick Motorsports driver recorded a +5.11% SPV. As it turns out, this was regarded as the best single-season effort by any driver during the Gen 6 era. In other words, Dale Earnhardt Jr went 401 positions beyond his statistical expectation. He was also ranked 6th in terms of his finishing average. This was miles ahead of his average starting spot across 36 races. On that occasion, Dale Jr ranked 13th but had been able to scythe his way up the order.

Now, a new era is beginning on NASCAR because of the introduction of the Next Gen cars. It will be interesting to see who will be the best overtakers in the coming era.

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