NASCAR’s Next Gen car, although fabulous, has one chink in its armor: a short track. Since its introduction in 2022, drivers have whined about the evolved cars’ disappointing short-track performance. Reacting to drivers’ feedback, NASCAR introduced major changes to the spoiler and the underbody. Although the changes seemed significant on paper, the difference was negligible in reality. Where many NASCAR heroes still don’t feel confident about their cars, Dale Earnhardt Jr was seen giving them some pep talks.

In drawing up a new short track package, NASCAR had scheduled a test for the same date after the conclusion of the Crayon 301 event in New Hampshire. With the test getting postponed further due to unfavorable weather, Dale Earnhardt Jr recently spoke on the development.

“You’ve been picked and chosen for a reason”, Who did Dale Jr say this to?

For the new short-track package test in New Hampshire, NASCAR handpicked a group of six drivers. William Byron, Christopher Bell, Ryan Preece, Justin Haley, Harrison Burton, and Erik Jones were among the drivers slated to test out the changes. As a rain threat led to the delay of the Crayon 301 race, NASCAR then decided to move the New Hampshire test to Richmond Raceway, scheduling it for July 31 and August 1.

Speaking on a recent episode of the Dale Jr Download podcast, Dale Earnhardt Jr, with reference to the concerns that drivers had, said, ” We talked about the short track test so what is that? We mentioned it last week on the show and I joked a little bit about how the future of short-track racing is on the shoulders of these testers, the drivers that are gonna be doing this test. The test was supposed to be Monday and today, but with the weather, they decided to change it to Richmond and it would be rescheduled.”

Revealing how he took concerns into his own hands, Junior added, “I forget what day it is but now, I went and called, with Jeff Burton’s advice, I called each one of these drivers and said, ‘Hey man, you still gonna do this test?’ Most of them yes, one or two no. And I told them, I was like, ‘Hey y’all, I’m confident in you, I believe in you. I think this is gonna be a great opportunity for NASCAR. You’ve been picked and chosen for a reason.’” 

“‘And understand, it carries a lot of responsibility. You’re going to a test with a totally unique agenda, you’re not going there for yourself. This isn’t about you, this isn’t about your team, this isn’t about getting your car to turn in the middle. This is about trying to get NASCAR’s short-track package to the next level, right?… Man, you guys really are in control of the future in terms of what this car can do at the short track’”, Junior added.

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Having revealed his pep talk, one major takeaway from Junior’s conversation is how a couple of drivers were opting out of the test. This would open up some spots on the testing list and probably fulfill Dale Jr’s demand for a NASCAR legend to be a part of the test.

Dale Earnhardt Jr demands the NASCAR legend’s presence 

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Earlier, when NASCAR revealed the participants of its New Hampshire test, Dale Earnhardt Jr wasn’t too pleased. As NASCAR’s new short track package will not debut until next year, Junior felt the forthcoming retiree, Kevin Harvick, would have been the perfect test candidate.

Believing Harvick had nothing to gain from the test, Junior iterated how the retiring legend could provide an unbiased viewpoint. He even delivered knowledge based on his vast experience as an old-timer. Dale Jr said that Harvick would be able to corral other drivers, keeping them focused on the task at hand.

All that being said, do you think NASCAR should consider Dale Jr’s opinion and pool Kevin Harvick at Richmond? Let us know in the comments.

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