$300M-worth Dale Earnhardt Jr. disappointed over upcoming NASCAR Playoff format changes

NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently shared his thoughts on the possible switch in the NASCAR playoffs schedule. Earnhardt Jr. seemed disappointed about the changes that could be made in terms of venues.

As per The Athletic's Jordan Bianchi, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Watkins Glen International, and Homestead-Miami Speedway will be shifted to the regular season. Instead, Darlington Raceway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and World Wide Technology Raceway will host the 2025 season's NASCAR playoffs.

In the Ask Jr. show by the Dale Jr. Download podcast, the $300 million worth (according to Celebrity Net Worth) Earnhardt Jr. shared his disappointment when asked about his views on tracks like Homestead-Miami among the few to be removed from the playoff schedule. Dale Jr. said [at 0:40]:

"I'm disappointed about Homestead leaving the playoffs. We ran Homestead years ago early in the season. And it was weird. After running having the season finale there for so, so long it just doesn't feel right to put it anywhere else in the season. It kind of was fun to have it into playoffs again."

The 49-year-old Dale Jr. also added another piece of speculation regarding the possibility of Homestead-Miami Speedway hosting the final race.

"But I'll say this. There's a lot of rumor and speculation about it coming back to the finale. So if it ends up being the finale I'm okay with him sticking it in March or somewhere for a year. And maybe that's sort of the trade-off." Dale Jr. added.

The Homestead-Miami Speedway has been a favorite among the NASCAR community and has hosted the final Championship races for all the NASCAR national divisions from 2002 to 2019. This 1.5-mile track has been a part of NASCAR's playoff schedule for the last 18 years.

---

Dale Earnhardt Jr. chooses two other tracks over Homestead-Miami Speedway under a hypothetical scenario

In the aforementioned conversation, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jr. gave his take on a hypothetical situation when asked to choose two out of three options by his Ask Jr. co-host,

The first option involved keeping Homestead-Miami Speedway in the playoff schedule. The second option proposed moving the Round of 12 race from the Charlotte Roval (road course) to the Charlotte Oval (traditional track). This essentially meant removing the road course from the playoffs. The final option presented North Wilkesboro Speedway as a potential point-paying race, replacing its current status as the venue for the All-Star Race.

The two-time Daytona 500 winner replied by saying:

"I definitely would put Wilkesboro getting a points race at number one by far. I just do not think that Wilkesboro survives without that."

"I think that...Charlotte going away from the Roval, I would be in favor of that right back to the Oval." Dale Jr. added [at 2:45].

Dale Jr. believes that Homestead Raceway is "fun" and thinks that it belongs to the playoffs. However, Dale Jr. claims he doesn't "love" the Roval and would rather see the fall race held on the traditional Charlotte Oval track.