Dale Earnhardt Jr Warns NASCAR of the ”Potential for a Big Crash” as Drivers Head to the Repaved Atlanta Motor Speedway

Atlanta Motor Speedway is a track that carries a lot of significance in NASCAR, but the recent repaving and banking changes have led to some new concerns for drivers and teams. In the latest episode of The Dale Jr. Download, Dale Earnhardt Jr shared his thoughts on the track and his expectations out of this weekend’s races.

Dale Jr predicted that the newly repaved pit road will be a major challenge for drivers. He said, “I believe that pit road speed begins, at the line, entering turn 3 and it’s gonna add about 30 seconds to your pit stop. You’re gonna have to run pit road speed all the way around turn 3 and 4, and then on the pit road as you usually would.”

Dale Jr’s concern is that if a driver needs to come to the pit road during a green-flag pit stop, they may get plowed over or run through because there is nowhere for them to get off in turn 4. Drivers can’t slow down in front of the field, and dropping back to the very back of the pack to come to pit road safely is not ideal.

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“The cars are double file, 3 wide running, nearly 200 miles an hour, and so some of ’em or a bunch of people need to come to pit road under a green flag pit stop, they would get plowed over or run through. It would cause a terrible accident, high potential for a big crash,” Dale Jr said.

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After the dust had settled on July 11, 2021, the Atlanta Motor Speedway underwent a remarkable transformation that saw 163 days of intensive labor and an astonishing 17,000 tons of material utilized to give birth to a new mile-and-a-half superspeedway. The six-month project was embarked upon with incredible alacrity and has already seen some exciting moments.

While the pit road will present a challenge for drivers, the Atlanta Motor Speedway also offers a chance for other drivers like William Byron to make history at the Fold of Honor QuikTrip 500 event. The #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driver will be attempting to win three consecutive races in the Cup Series, something that hasn’t been done since Jeff Gordon accomplished the feat in 1998.

With the changes to the track and the challenge of the newly repaved pit road, this weekend’s races at Atlanta Motor Speedway are sure to be thrilling.

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