Dale Earnhardt Jr. reacts to former Denny Hamlin ally’s unique proposition; expresses animosity with NASCAR insider's suggestion

Dale Earnhardt Jr. reacted to Denny Hamlin's former crew chief Chris Gabehart's unique take on NASCAR's decision to bring a single tire choice at Martinsville. In an X post shared on Monday, April 1, Gabehart said NASCAR should just make all the cars 100% identical and allow the drivers to fight against the 'natural laws of physics' for the win.

Reacting to the conversation between Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi on 'The Teardown' podcast about the choice of having the option tires at Martinsville, Gabehart wrote:

"I think, instead, we should make all the cars 100% identical and see if the drivers can overcome the natural laws of physics. I'll wait..."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. agreed with Gabehart's opinion and disagreed with Gluck's point that NASCAR should have brought the softer option tires at Martinsville. Like Gabehart, Dale Jr. also believed that the sport's governing body should make all the cars completely identical and allow drivers to compete in equal machinery.

Speaking about Gabehart's tweet in the latest episode of his Dale Jr. Download podcast uploaded on Tuesday, Earnhardt Jr. gave his take on the matter and said:

"I would've not preferred them to have to have two tire compounds at that race. That ain't what I want. I know that Gluck said it... I love this, Chris Gabehart responded to The Teardown guys. (Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi) were talking on The Teardown and Gluck was like, 'Hey you know, having the option tire might have made that more interesting,'" (32:40 owards)

"He pulls no punches on Twitter..." Dale Jr. added. "If he (Chris Gabehart) doesn't agree with your opinion, or he thinks that he has a take, he jumps right in there. But he's right."

Chris Gabehart worked as Denny Hamlin's crew chief for six years before being promoted to the Director of Competition for Joe Gibbs Racing ahead of the 2025 season.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. wants more drama in the Cup Series races

Before jumping into NASCAR's tire choices, Dale Earnhardt Jr. mentioned that he wanted to see more excitement and drama in the Cup Series races at short tracks like Martinsville Speedway. He felt these races lacked the intensity that fans have enjoyed for so long in the past.

Highlighting the multi-car wreck in the Xfinity Series race that took place on Saturday, Earnhardt Jr. felt that more action in the Cup Series could be beneficial and drivers should be more aggressive on the track. Speaking during the aforementioned episode of the Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt Jr. said:

"The Cup race is the exact opposite of what we saw on Saturday," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. "It’s too clean. There’s some beating and banging, and there’s some anger and frustration, but the drivers get over things really quickly … Where we had too much of that on Saturday, I would have a little more sprinkled into the Sunday race in terms of a little controversy." (29:10 onwards)

Meanwhile, the eighth race of the 2025 NCS season, the Goodyear 400, will take place on Sunday, April 6, at Darlington Raceway. The race is scheduled to start at 3:00 pm ET.