Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares a smart suggestion on NASCAR’s newest controversial rule in $1M prize worth race

NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. made a practical yet playful suggestion for the "promoter's caution" set to be introduced for the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Dale Jr. proposed that instead of promoters deciding when to throw the caution, viewers should have the power to throw the yellow flag.

The rules for the 250-lap All-Star Race include a competition break at or near the 100-lap mark, along with the controversial "promoter caution" that can be thrown between laps 101 and 220. The timing of this caution will be determined by Marcus Smith and Speedway Motorsports during the event, but it cannot be deployed if a natural caution occurs after lap 200.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. suggested that to engage viewers during the All-Star Race, fans should control when the competition caution falls in the second half of the race. He proposed a live poll integrated into a NASCAR app, allowing viewers at home or spectators at the track to vote and decide the timing of the caution.

"The "promoters caution" at the AllStar race in North Wilkesboro should have been determined by a live fan controlled poll within an app one could download and use from home or at track," he wrote on X.

Matthew Dillner, Dale Jr's ally, agreed with the suggestion, stating that it would help with fan engagement in a non-points-paying race.

"For an all star event I like that idea. Fan engagenent" he wrote on X.

The announcement of the "promoter's caution" was met with criticism from NASCAR fans, who felt the sanctioning body should focus on improving the Next Gen car at short tracks. The All-Star Race has typically served as a test bed for new ideas, with last year's event used to experiment with multiple tire compounds.

The promoter's caution might play a role in crowning the winner of the $1 million paycheck at North Wilkesboro Speedway and could add extra drama to the event scheduled for May 18.

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Has Dale Earnhardt Jr. triumphed in an All-Star race?

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the All-Star Race early in his career, becoming the first driver to win 'The Winston' as a rookie in 2000. The #8 DEI Chevy driver had already secured victories at Texas and Richmond before reaching victory lane in the All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Dale Jr. started fifth for the 70-lap race, which was divided into two segments of 30 laps each and a final 10-lap shootout. The #8 Chevy driver finished third in the first two segments. With fresh tires on the final restart and only a few laps remaining, he charged from 10th to first, finishing ahead of Dale Jarrett and his father, Dale Earnhardt Sr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s 2000 Winston victory, which earned him $500,000, was his lone All-Star Race win, as he failed to secure the $1 million All-Star paycheck during his career. He later won the All-Star Open race in 2012 with Hendrick Motorsports.

Jimmie Johnson holds the record for the most All-Star Race wins with four, followed by Dale Earnhardt Sr., Jeff Gordon and Kyle Larson, who have three victories each.