Dale Earnhardt Jr. doesn’t see Shane van Gisbergen’s feud with Austin Hill worsening after Sonoma

Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently shared his thoughts on the Shane van Gisbergen-Austin Hill incident from Sonoma. The two Xfinity drivers took their feud one step further after COTA in the recent Xfinity race.

Unlike at Texas, when the two drivers' battle ensured a third driver won the race in Kyle Larson, the Kiwi emerged victorious at Sonoma, earning his second win in a row. After his win, SVG celebrated by doing a burnout on the track which ended up blowing smoke in front of Hill's racecar, who responded promptly with a birdie out the window.

This was an incident that Dale Earnhardt Jr. deemed "good theater." After that, Junior was asked what he thought of SVG's burnout and Hill's response to that.

Earnhardt claimed that while it was great, Gisbergen now needs to take a step back and not take this feud any further.

"That was great. I mean, the race was great, the bird, the burnout, everything, how them two have interacted. SVG gets out of the car and says it best, 'We've both taken a race from each other'. Does SVG and Austin Hill continue to brawl? Unlikely. Right now, SVG isn't where Austin Hill is on the ovals. This probably doesn't have the potential to continue to fester," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said.

He pressed on the need for Austin Hill to flip the narrative around him. Earnhardt claimed that Hill has somehow painted himself in a corner as someone who he truly isn't.

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Denny Hamlin had a similar take as Dale Earnhardt Jr. on what SVG shouldn't do now

Speaking about the SVG-Austin Hill incident on his podcast, Denny Hamlin claimed that Austin Hill ended up "on the worst end" of this exchange. And now that the score is level between the two, Hamlin suggested Gisbergen should refrain from making any more moves in that regard.

"If the score is level, then I think Shane needs to keep it clean from here on out because he’s certainly opening himself to Austin really knocking him out of the way when he needs to, for a future win or future position," Hamlin said on Actions Detrimental.

Hamlin claimed that Shane van Gisbergen didn't need to prove his prowess on road courses, as two wins in a row have shown he has "great technique and great car control."

Veteran broadcaster, Doug Rice, went on to claim that SVG is the hero NASCAR needs right now. While speaking on PRN Live recently, Rice recalled the way the crowd reacted to Gisbergen, deeming him "a folk hero" in the making. Talking about Shane van Gisbergen's move up to the Cup Series, the veteran revealed it is something that is already in the making.