“It’s just not what I want them to land on”: Dale Jr. makes his animosity crystal clear about one potential repercussion of NASCAR’s tire decision

Former NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently expressed his views on NASCAR's tire situation. During his podcast "Dale Jr Download," he commended the governing body and Goodyear for introducing soft tires to the Phoenix Raceway and wants them to push further.

Drivers used Goodyear's soft tires for the first time at the 2024 All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. However, they debuted in the point-paying Cup Series race at the Richmond Raceway last year. Goodyear and NASCAR brought the "option" tire to the Phoenix race on Sunday, March 9, and it was a great success.

Reflecting upon the success, Dale Jr. stated [13:13]:

"I want to commend NASCAR. I want to commend Goodyear. I want to celebrate them I like the I liked the primary option situation in this race; it's just not what I want them to land on. Does that make sense? I want them to go, Yeah, this is cool. our goal is to get to where we can use the option all the time."

The softer tire provides more grip, which results in getting additional speed. The driver might gain the lead easily with the tires; however, the option tires wear off significantly faster than the primary tires, causing a pit stop sooner for a new set.

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Dale Jr. debates how a 50-point penalty is "harsher" than one race suspension

During another episode of his podcast "Dale Jr. Download," former NASCAR Cup Series driver Dale Jr. discussed how a 50-point deduction is "harsher" than a race suspension.

Team Penske driver Austin Cindric was penalized by NASCAR for right-hooking Ty Dillon during the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on March 2. On Lap 4 of the 95-lap race, Cindric retaliated and spun out Dillon's #10 Chevy Camaro ZL1 on the frontstretch.

The governing body penalized the #2 Ford Mustang Dark Horse driver with a 50-point deduction penalty and a $50,000 fine. However, they didn't suspend him for his move which sparked controversies.

Dale Jr. supported his statement and explained:

"We're gonna penalize him. He got 50 damn points. That's freaking race and a half.... How many you think he's gonna get? It's debatable. What's at stake? He gets to race. He gets to keep racing. He loses a giant bucket of points with the way he's running. It's more than one race's worth of points. What if he gets suspended a race?"

"Look, I know the playoff points you're talking about, but we are just speculating on, really, how many playoff points he may get if he makes the playoffs. Say, NASCAR did suspend him, right? What if he ran like that race anyways? And just, you know, it cost him 18-20 points... I think losing the 50 points total is harsher on him because of how they're struggling than it is a top five or top 10 team workout," he concluded.

After the 50-point deduction penalty, Cindric fell from 11th to 35th place in the leaderboards. However, after the Phoenix race, he ranks 32nd with one top-10 and one top-five finish in four starts.