While NASCAR is ever-evolving, not always do new changes and regulations bode well within the community. One such change, involving car numbers, came to fruition a couple of years ago and if not all, at least Dale Earnhardt Jr seemed to have his reservations initially. And, almost two years later, the veteran decided to address the issue in a recent episode of his podcast, ‘The Dale Jr Download’.

Dale Earnhardt Jr explained his initial reaction

Back in 2022, NASCAR issued a regulation regarding the cars’ racing numbers. Previously, the numbers were always smack-dab in the middle of the car, right between the wheels. However, the new regulation demanded that the numbers be brought forward, closer to the front wheels. Since then, it has been the norm-even with the switch to the Next Gen cars, and the arrival of the Mustang Dark Horse and Camry XS.

We are all aware that the NASCAR Cup cars are the world’s fastest advertising boards. Hence, the idea behind this change was to give sponsors more space to fit their logos and make them more visible. Dale Jr noted that with the numbers bumped forward, the ball was in the sponsors’ court. He even noted that there will be sponsors who take capital advantage of the free real estate and others who don’t. This decision got some pushback from the community, including Earnhardt Jr himself. However, he eventually saw sense and backed the regulation.

Describing his previous frustration, Dale Jr commented, “I’ve sort of gotten used to it – the numbers. I’m looking at this car right here, the #17 car of Chris Buescher on the table here and it looks fine. I remember when they moved the numbers forward and I was so angry about it.” 

He also revealed how NASCAR had briefly proposed a different blueprint to team owners. “There was a small brief moment in time where it was proposed to the teams that they could put it wherever they wanted. As long as it was between the wheels. If you want to move it forward, leave it in the middle, move it back, you do whatever you want,” he said.

And perhaps this is one solution the veteran thought was the best. Expressing his inclination toward more freedom when deciding car number placements and how that didn’t work out in his favor, the JRM owner added, “I wish that would have happened, I mean why not? Why did you not want that? That was actually on the table and everybody was like, ‘If everybody signs off on this, we’ll just do it this way. Put it where you want. That’s the way it should be, put it where you want.”

And perhaps, that would have worked better! We have witnessed a rise of 15% in the value of sponsors, however, had authorities made it more flexible, smaller teams with limited resources could have worked up the magic of creativity to increase their visibility as a team overall. And keeping in mind all the technical reasons NASCAR has thrown at teams to increase parity, one is sure to think about how this simple autonomy was left behind.

In essence, Dale Jr would have loved to see all the Cup teams just go nuts with the placements. Of course, he was resistant to the change, but after a while, it just grew on him. However, it’s not like NASCAR decided to surprise everyone all of a sudden. There was reportedly a lot of thought that went into the regulation.

How NASCAR reached a conclusion

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Of course, NASCAR wasn’t going to just dump this rule change with no fanfare. Instead, they did a trial run during the All-Star race in 2020 at Bristol Motor Speedway. They first tested with the numbers pushed backward. Then more tests were conducted, this time with the numbers pushed forward, before it finally got the green light.

Notably, the change was unveiled for the first time in a 23XI Racing video, announcing Kurt Busch’s inclusion to the team. Placed behind the front wheel on a black body, the #45 did look dapper as ever!

Now, the rule change is in full force and has been going strong for two years now. No one has really batted an eye and everything is running smoothly with no complaints. The drivers couldn’t care less, and the sponsors are happy with more real estate on the cars. Even those like Dale Earnhardt Jr, who had been critical, have eventually been won over.