“Now we got two of those”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. welcomes NASCAR embracing Denny Hamlin’s brainchild

Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently shared his thoughts on NASCAR's in-season tournament which will award its winner $1 million. The Hall of Famer revealed how 200,000 people participated in the bracket challenge started last year by Denny Hamlin, which eventually inspired the in-season tournament.

Speaking via SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Earnhardt Jr. claimed NASCAR saw an opportunity, took the idea, and made it official. He further elaborated on how this new tournament would inspire drivers, organizations, teams, crew chiefs, and everyone to be more motivated.

He also shared his versions of what he thought could be the storylines that this tournament could lead to.

"A million dollars is a lot of money. Before this, we had one chance at a million dollars for the All-Star event. Outside of the championship, that was the big ticket item on the table for the drivers. But now we got two of those. It's creating opportunity for the drivers to find some motivation in other areas outside of just going to this championship at the end of the year," Earnhardt said [at 00:55].

He also talked about his "selfish" hopes of this tournament allowing a driver a first-round buy in the playoffs along with its financial benefits. Earnhardt Jr. believes such an addition would increase the importance of this tournament for the teams and owners.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. points to the potential storylines the new in-season tournament could lead to

While claiming that it would be fun to see how NASCAR's in-season tournament plays out, Dale Earnhardt Jr. also listed out some of the storylines it could create in 2025. He wondered if the tournament would lead to drivers forming alliances as some drivers get eliminated and the tournament gets down to its final stretch.

He also opined if the same alliances could be made "for a cut of that million dollars". Earnhardt further mentioned the idea of teams and crew chiefs being in a dilemma of how they view that $1 million prize money.

"What will be the priority? What's best for them points-wise that day or what's best for winning that million-dollar prize," Earnhardt said.

It's also worth mentioning that along with Dale Earnhardt Jr. mentioning the benefits of NASCAR's in-season tournament, the mastermind of the bracket challenge, Denny Hamlin, also highlighted the potential beneficiaries of next year's tournament.

During an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Denny Hamlin revealed why he didn't take credit for the tournament despite it being inspired by his challenge. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver claimed the tournament could turn out to yield long-term benefits for drivers and teams.

Hamlin was sure that the TV partners "are absolutely going to benefit" from it. He believed it was so because of the storylines the tournament would help create in "a typical lull time" of the season.