Dale Jr. Loses His Calm as He Endorses NASCAR for Dumping 64-YO Track

After Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Portland International Speedway, the headlines had majorly been about Conor Zilisch’s controversial win. The JR Motorsports No. 88 won after leading 70 of 78 laps. The spotlight, however, went on his choice to run the chicane and avoid the crash on turn 1. But days after the intense race, the discussions have shifted to NASCAR dumping the racetrack for its 2026 schedule. Since 2022, the racetrack’s layout, blending fast straights and tight turns, has been an attraction in Xfinity. But now, teams want it to be snubbed. After Zilisch faced some hiccups, Dale Jr. too reasoned why NASCAR should stop using the 64-year-old racetrack for good.

In a recent episode of ‘The Dale Jr Download,’ Dale Earnhardt Jr. particularly lashed out against this area. “That little kink chicane, being the very first turn you’re going to enter after a restart at any racetrack, is a bad idea. It’s just not a good design…We got four-wide on that final restart, and the majority of the cars missed the inner curb. The majority of the top five cut Turn 2.” Hence, Dale Jr. issued his cutting verdict: “I would just say, I’m glad we’re not going back.”

On the final two restarts of Saturday’s race, the chicane maze confused a lot of drivers. Connor Zilisch’s teammate pushed Austin Hill to the lead first. On the final restart, the leader Zilisch locked up his brakes and partially took the chicane zone. He went through the A-frame penalty and ended up well ahead of the field. NASCAR did not issue any penalty on the racer, adding a twist of controversy to his eighth win this season.

Junior did not exactly like the controversial whispers, though. The IndyCar Series races at Portland International Raceway. However, that does not bother Dale Earnhardt Jr., as NASCAR is an entirely different sport. He harped on why the track’s unique feature is a disadvantage for his beloved sport: “I think that hard right-hander to get over to Turn 2 is just way too much…

“I don’t have a problem with them hitting, but I don’t like the fact that none of them make Turn 2…This chicane is bulls—. You shouldn’t have this aggressive of a chicane at the end of the front straightaway, especially when you have a green-white checkered…It’s just no fun…Change the corner…just get rid of the f—— corner…It’s fine in IndyCar or F1 for them to run this type of corner. We don’t need corners like that.”

In 2007, the racetrack went through a major ravamp, including safety enhancements, wider turns, and more curbs. Still, it fell short of NASCAR’s data-heavy demands. BRK Racing owner Randy Knighton observed the technical issues in the racetrack, including a lack of internet connection. This compels teams to watch the race broadcast or track car telemetry only by bringing their own generators and mobile internet hotspots.

Clearly, Dale Jr. and many teams have not been happy with Portland’s presence on the schedule. With the racetrack going away for the next season, the veterans can feel a little relieved. Now, Darlington Raceway will host two races on its schedule next season. However, NASCAR will try to bring another Pacific Northwest market back. Maybe, PIR will renovate itself to make a comeback.