“It’s a little embarrassing”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. raises concern against rising aggression in NASCAR

NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. is concerned about the increasing aggression of drivers on track these days. The topic was brought to Earnhardt Jr.'s attention after a wreck-filled end at Watkins Glen last week.

From the start of the race, drivers were involved in accidents, with Christopher Bell being the first to get spun out. By the end of stage 1, many drivers were back in garages to get their cars repaired. Some even missed their laps. There were three restarts during the final laps.

A major accident in the final stage involved William Byron and Brad Keselowski, with Byron going almost over the guard railings. After the race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. sat down with TJ Majors on 'The Dale Jr. Download' podcast to express his views on the drivers' aggression. He said (via Dirty Mo Media on X):

"Some of this (aggression) is good, but too much of this is bad, right? Too much of this is foolish and unproductive and unprofessional. Anything goes it's kind of it's a little embarrassing."

JR Motorsports co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. also mentioned that aggression leads to damaged cars. The 49-year-old highlighted that he often visits his team facility on Tuesdays and sees all four cars getting repaired. TJ Majors agreed with Earnhardt Jr. that it is the drivers' responsibility to fix the cars. JR Motorsports' top-performing driver Justin Allgaier has five DNFs this season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Martin Truex Jr. agree on 'troubling' modern-day aggression in NASCAR

Martin Truex Jr. raced in the Go Bowling at Watkins Glen International but despite his solid pole start in P2, he ended up in 20th place. Racing his final season, Truex Jr. is disappointed by the wrecking incidents in the past few races. In an interview with NBC Sports, he said:

"This racing is just ridiculous. [...] Just crazy that all these races always come down to this. I just don’t really understand how guys can call themselves the best in the world when they just drive through everyone on restarts at the end of these races. It’s very frustrating, but it is what it is these days. I’m out of here."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. backed Martin Truex Jr. and said on 'The Dale Jr. Download' podcast (via Dirty Mo Media on X):

"I hear what he's saying. I do agree that if you drop down and expend any truck, it just gets so much worse. They're seeing quite a bit of that happening now at the late model stock and the grassroots level. That's all true. And that's troubling, concerning to a point if I'm a driver. I hate it."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes that the level of competition and aggression should be balanced to keep the sport appealing and engaging to spectators and participants.