"Time will tell": Dale Earnhardt Jr. addresses whether NASCAR made the right call with Austin Dillon's penalty

After NASCAR announced their decision to strip Austin Dillon of his playoff eligibility, Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared his reaction on the same. The former NASCAR driver spoke about whether letting Dillon keep his win but taking away his spot in the playoffs was the right call.

Junior also shared his predictions about what could follow in the aftermath of NASCAR's penalty announcement.

While speaking on his podcast, the Dale Jr. Download, the 49-year-old was asked whether NASCAR penalizing Dillon in the way they did was the right call.

"I think time will tell whether this is a good decision for NASCAR. All of the things that they tried to do on the front end, were probably correct but there were some other things on adding people to the playoffs and trying to make that right that I didn't believe in. You kind of worry, whether they've got this right," Dale Jr. said.

He added his view on the public perception of NASCAR and what role the penalty would play in it:

"It's really public perception of our sport. Have we made a choice that makes people confident about our leadership and about tuning in and feeling like they're going to see a legitimate show next weekend? None of this is - sucky as it is for RCR - I don't think none of this is detrimental in hurting the sport," he added.

Dale Jr. added that in his opinion the stronger NASCAR's reactions to infractions by teams and drivers were, the better it would be for the sport.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes NASCAR was in a tough spot in making the penalty announcement

NASCAR's decision to take away Austin Dillon's playoff eligibility while letting him keep the win, Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes, would be a major part of the media sessions at the Michigan International Speedway:

"The media is going to go to Michigan and ping every driver they can and ask them the same question you've asked me - Is this the right decision? I think majority of people are going to say that NASCAR's hand was forced. NASCAR was put in a tough situation to make this choice and they have," he said.

Dale Jr. said that while he trusts his own opinion and thoughts, he's interested in hearing the thoughts of other people in the garage regarding the penalty. He added that he foresees "a fun couple of days" in the NASCAR media landscape through the coming weekend in Michigan.

Junior also added that he's interested in hearing the reactions of the two RCR drivers and the team because "they've gotten kicked down."

Notably, RCR have announced that they're dissatisfied with NASCAR's decision and intend to appeal against it.