“It’ll be interesting to see that plays out and during the TNT stretch, that’s the five weeks where we’ll determine whoever wins this $1 million pot a gold.” Dale Earnhardt Jr said these words over a year ago, drumming up excitement for the brand-new In-Season Tournament. However, when NASCAR actually got to it in 2025, that excitement faded. In fact, Dale Jr stuck to his words; as before the TNT stretch, there was no whisper of the new phenomenon.

Last weekend’s race whipped up a storm of speculation among disappointed fans. All their expectations came crashing down as the drivers they rooted for were taken out in crashes. However, Dale Earnhardt Jr liked that and everything else – except for one thing.

Dale Earnhardt Jr suggests a change

Well, we all know what a wild success the month of June was in NASCAR. Amazon Prime debuted in the sport between the Coca-Cola 600 and the Great American Getaway 400 and left an emotional mark. After decades of enduring FOX’s patchy coverage, fans got a treat. From a double-box commercial format to an immensely popular post-race coverage show, Amazon’s gifts were plenty. Naturally, the streaming giant did not want its brief cameo interrupted by a feature that TNT Sports would cover. Yet that was the plan – drivers were seeded against each other in three of Amazon’s five races. That ultimately built the premise for the million-dollar In-Season Tournament, beginning with Atlanta.

Amazon Prime focused more on its own package, and Dale Earnhardt Jr himself did so. It took a 23-car pile-up at the end of Stage 1 and blowing out all tournament brackets for NASCAR to catch people’s attention for the In-Season Tournament. Dale Jr said that keeping the seeding program amidst Amazon’s debut was a bad idea: “They tried to seed the drivers in three races, I believe, that were the backend of the Amazon deal. And Amazon didn’t really care about that. Well, we didn’t talk about it…I think NASCAR chose to like, ‘Hey, let’s seed the races in the Amazon portion of the season so that they can then drum up the excitement of the tournament as it plays out for TNT.'”

Obviously, Amazon Prime broadcasters like Dale Jr himself along with Carl Edwards, Corey LaJoie, and others talked nothing about the tournament. Dale Jr continued,  “But Amazon was like, even us…’We’re not talking about that.’ I mean, there’s nothing…Yeah, so what, they’re seeding the drivers…We’re not going to do it, it wasn’t a story.” Instead, he suggested an alternative that spans most of the season instead of five races: “And so they could just get rid of that, it’s not important. And just say, ‘Hey, we’re going to do the tournament, it’s gonna be in these five races next year, they’ll be seeded by how they are in points.'”

Nevertheless, Dale Earnhardt Jr admitted that he enjoyed the wildcard Atlanta race. The fact that everybody’s brackets got blown out added an extra edge. Dale Jr said, “The whole thing is only for enjoyment and entertainment. I kind of like the fact that…the races are that unpredictable.”

Does Dale Jr’s suggestion for the tournament ring a bell? Well, it is close to a well-harped debate in the sport.

Trending

1

“We’ve Been Gaslit”: Racing Broadcaster Spills the Truth on NASCAR’s Long-Kept Secret

2

Bubba Wallace’s Future in Question as Denny Hamlin Reveals 23XI’s Decision on Their Drivers

3

The Real Reason Behind Alex Bowman’s Selfless Sacrifice at NASCAR’s Atlanta Outing

4

Months After Fighting for Divorce, NASCAR Driver Reunites With Wife

Remember the playoff controversy?

The success of the In-Season Tournament prompted Dale Jr’s solution. Yet conversely, the lack of success in NASCAR’s playoffs has prompted a similar solution from the veteran. We all saw the utter shocker that the 2024 Cup Series playoffs presented to us. Joey Logano, who was officially out by the Round of 8, came back inside due to Alex Bowman’s penalty. Then he went on to win two races and fetch the championship. Thus he became the first NASCAR champion with a worst average finish of 17.1. This situation wildly rivaled the old days when drivers were crowned purely on merit. Between 1978 and 2003, a season-long points format crowned the champion at the end of the season.

According to Dale Earnhardt Jr, the possibility of reviving that format is not entirely impossible. In fact, he roots for it, as he said in early May: “Well, it’s not off the table, entirely. I would give it…it has a very tiny percent chance of actually happening, near zero. But it is in the conversation, and I like that.” He suggested, “What if we got rid of the regular season, and starting in Daytona with the Daytona 500, the Playoffs began. The Playoffs are the whole season, ending with a final three or four-race championship round. Like one round instead of this ‘four rounds and eliminate a few guys’, and all of that. Make the regular season feel like the Playoffs.”

Well, that sounds similar to making the regular season feel like the tournament as well. Let us see if NASCAR responds positively to Dale Jr’s suggestion or not.