Earlier this year, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was trading ovals for a premier open-wheel racing spectacle. For the first time, he visited a Formula 1 race at the Miami Grand Prix, and he was stunned by the hospitality and the fan experience. “Is it a great experience? Would I go again? Absolutely. Especially in another country.” It felt as if he was switching lanes, but he admitted, NASCAR racing is where his heart truly belongs.

Although the veteran driver would like to experience an F1 event in Monaco or Europe, he stood on business when he was asked about how F1 and NASCAR’s on-track product differ. For those hardcore fans who often stand firm against the F1 style of racing, they might have a few extra notes to add to their debate as Jr. highlighted NASCAR’s superiority over F1 racing.

Dale Jr. feels NASCAR is a fan-oriented sport with a better product

Jr. appeared on the Varsity podcast, where he shared his honest opinion on the NASCAR vs F1 debate. “Well, I would say that, I would say that the one thing, there’s just slightly a bit more, there’s a little more accessibility in Nascar. I was impressed with the accessibility at F1. I could walk down pit road and get right up on top of the vehicles and look at the race cars. You know, there was more access at F1 than I expected, but I still feel like that Nascar sort of sets the standard there.”

A pit road pass allows the fans to peek right into the team garage and have access to the pit road, where they can meet with their favorite stars. Not to mention the driver introduction, it is up close and personal, where fans get their autographs and click with drivers. That sort of access for an F1 driver is rare, and the best part, being a NASCAR fan, is that the drivers will hardly turn down their request regardless of their days or performance. But, Dale Jr. hit a home run when he specifically compared the racing styles the two series offer their fans.

“I really like our On Track product better, honestly. You know, if you’re an Fl fan, and you can learn to appreciate the style of racing they do, and you can go to that race and enjoy how those races play out and the strategy and tire strategy and so forth. But I enjoy the product that we put on the racetrack better than anything else in motorsport in the world,” added Dale Earnhardt Jr. 

Last we saw a three-wide photo finish at Atlanta, where Daniel Suarez beat Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch to the finish line. Then we had the closest finish in the Cup Series history when Kyle Larson beat Chris Buescher by a fraction of a second. Right from bump and runs at tracks like Bristol and Martinsville to high-speed drafting at Talladega or Daytona, NASCAR racing is diverse, and it is more than just turning left like the F1 fanatics would like to argue.

The best part about NASCAR as a sport is that it’s always pushed its boundaries, and right now, they are banking on their product to garner attention from international fans and metro city markets. For the first time since 1958, the NASCAR Cup Series hosted a points race internationally in Mexico City, and while there was a pushback from the old guards and traditionalists, Jr. feels NASCAR is headed in the right direction.

Dale Jr. comes out in defense of the road course after Richard Petty’s bold verdict

Seven-time NASCAR champion and legend Richard Petty couldn’t come to terms with the modern dynamics of playoffs qualification after Shane van Gisbergen won in Mexico. From 33rd in points, all he needed was one win to compete for the championship, and he did just that. It was his strong suit on the twists and turns of a road course, which Petty claimed “is not NASCAR.” 

Well, Dale Jr. understood Petty’s frustration but shared his take on where modern-day NASCAR is headed. “If you wanted to get to NASCAR, you raced somewhere locally… You raced full-bodied cars around ovals. That was the route. That was yesterday’s NASCAR. But we’re in a different time. Today’s NASCAR is all-encompassing. It is road courses, short-tracks, superspeedway. I’m fine with the idea because I do like the idea that our drivers need to be great at all things.”

Back in the 70s, Riverside Raceway was a one-off race in the calendar year, but in 2025, drivers have to deal with 6 road/street course events, thus it allows non-traditional drivers to create an underdog story, at the same time pushing oval drivers to refine their craft. Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott, and Chris Buescher are all great on ovals and road courses. While there is some sorting to do with the questionable format that decided playoff drivers, road racing is going to hold more weight in the modern era.