Dale Earnhardt Jr. reacts to Ty Gibbs and Joe Gibbs Racing’s new NASCAR challenger

NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently reacted to Ty Gibbs' latest color scheme for the upcoming Cup Series race in Bristol.

After four races in the 2024 Cup season, the racing community has been buzzing with excitement. A crash-ridden Daytona 500 was followed by a historic nail-biter in Atlanta, kicking things off on an exciting note.

While the subsequent races in Las Vegas and Phoenix failed to reach the same level of intensity, the excitement is still up in the air. As teams and drivers gear up for the upcoming Food City 500 race in Bristol, Joe Gibbs Racing youngster Ty Gibbs' paint scheme for the race surfaced online.

Gibbs, who pilots the No. 54 Toyota Camry for JGR, entered a sponsorship deal with SiriusXM at the start of the season. The 21-year-old driver is set to carry the colors for two Spring races in Bristol and Kansas in just his second full-time NASCAR season.

SiriusXM NASCAR Radio's official X (formerly Twitter) account shared the paint scheme of the No. 54 car and captioned the post with:

"She's a beaut. @TyGibbs and @JoeGibbsRacing are carrying out colors this weekend at Bristol!"

Among those appreciating Gibbs' eye-catching paint scheme was none other than the two-time Xfinity Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt wrote on X:

"For better or worse, the new Toyota absolutely has brand identity. No mistaking it."

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. skeptical about NASCAR's focus on increasing horsepower

Dale Earnhardt Jr. delved into the intricacies of the sport's technical aspects in a broader discussion about NASCAR's direction and the ongoing debate surrounding horsepower.

Speaking on a recent episode of his Dale Jr. Download podcast, Earnhardt said:

"I'm telling you, even with all of that (horsepower talk), I still want them to try and work on getting rid of the shifting. I do not think that even though they are getting to where it's second nature to them to shift."

"That takes away from your processing on how to set the corner up, how to set up the car in front of you, how to make a difference in the corner," he continued.

Earnhardt believes that the added horsepower doesn't benefit NASCAR in terms of improving the quality of races at shorter tracks.

"I would love for them to continue to try and figure out a way to get the shifting out of the Ovals," the former Hendrick Motorsports driver said.