Competitive racing preparation has drastically transformed for the current generation of racers. Packed schedules and budget constraints heavily hamper substantial practice on actual racing tracks. However, modern technology has brought a realistic replacement in the form of simulators. From Kyle Larson to Dale Earnhardt Jr, ace drivers jump at the possibility of enhancing their skills in a safer environment. 

However, Dale Jr’s recent experience with sims facilitated by NASCAR for the Xfinity race in Homestead left a lot to be desired. The 2x Xfinity champion did not mince his words in his severe critique of the governing body’s blatant oversight. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr compares million-dollar Homestead simulator with $5 worth of parts

Despite his retirement in 2017, Dale Earnhardt Jr hasn’t parted ways from NASCAR’s racetracks entirely. The Hall of Famer continues to make yearly appearances in the Xfinity Series. This year, after his Bristol mishap, fans were delighted to see Junior make a second appearance in the playoff race in Homestead. Dale Jr detailed his thoughts prior to the race in his podcast, The Dale Jr. Download. 

He recalled, “I’m excited, I’m looking forward to it. I like that racetrack. I kind of get to pick and choose for the most part where I want to run and so I was looking forward to it.” The problem arose at the time of training in the simulator. He continued, “We tested in the simulator. I wasn’t sure about the Sim and what I was feeling in the Sim, so it wasn’t sure if we were going to be great or whatever.” But the sim did nothing to boost his confidence.

Dale Jr relayed, “The Sim drove funky. Really, really loose off throttle, then gas it up and push and plow.” And then came the main source of his frustration. “When you run the wall in the Sim right, you’re trying to go up there and learn how to run the wall and get used to doing that, if you bump the wall, there’s no sound. There’s no scraping noise. There’s nothing that lets you know that the car is now hitting the wall in the Sim.” Junior went ballistic at the scale of negligence in an otherwise sizeable expenditure.

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“It’s a freaking millions of dollars spent on this Sim and it doesn’t even make a noise when you hit the wall. ******* feels like a $5 part. I mean, these Sims are insane! They’re in giant rooms and there’s wires and cables everywhere and it’s up on this giant million-dollar platform and it’s a full car almost right, roof opens up and you climb in. The whole interior is just like the one in your race car and when you hit the wall, it don’t make a sound!” Dale Jr then compared it to his profitable experience in Bristol.

Racing simulators open up exciting possibilities for the future of NASCAR

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The criticism highlighted by Dale Earnhardt Jr certainly merited adjustments to the sims to make the virtual tool more authentic for the drivers. However, their usefulness in 21st-century racing could not be denied. Cup Series championship contender Kyle Larson could not afford frequent visits to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for his Indy 500 run next year. In between his playoff races, the Hendrick Motorsports star capitalized on sims to prepare for his Rookie test. 

In fact, racing simulators have a much larger ambit of utility than the aid of individual drivers or teams. The widely successful Chicago Street Race could not have been conceptualized without a sim. The Chief Digital Officer of NASCAR, Tim Clark, mapped the entire race on a simulator before bringing it to life in the busy streets of Illinois. Dale Earnhardt Jr himself admitted to a far more effective exposure at the Bristol Motor Speedway.

“At Bristol, the Sim is spot on. When I got in the car for practice it’s like, oh man this is I’m all you know the Sim and what I’m feeling in this car and how it’s driving, what I’m seeing, all really matches up well.“

The digital age has granted an incredible opportunity for drivers of diverse skills and backgrounds to hone their craft using these simulators. However, the exorbitant cost still poses a hindrance to accessibility. But with the investments incurred by NASCAR, top drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr would justifiably expect accuracy and credibility to measure their performance against real-world racing dangers. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr is the Reason Why Chevrolet Won Their 25th Manufacturer’s Title, with a Special Thanks to Chase Elliott, William Byron and Sam Mayer