“We don’t see what we expect”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. tells NASCAR that fans want Ovals, names only 2 road courses worth keeping

Syndication: The Indianapolis Star - Source: Imagn
Dale Earnhardt Jr. - Syndication: The Indianapolis Star - Source: Imagn

Dale Earnhardt Jr. put his foot down on keeping NASCAR a predominantly oval series. He argued that road courses have fallen short of what the fans have come to expect.

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Go Bowling at The Glen saw the least passing, while racing was stagnant on equal tires. The aero deficiencies of the Next Gen Package were on full display, as many struggled under dirty air.

The only exception to this ordeal was Shane van Gisbergen. Once he was in the lead, he pulled away to finish a whopping 11 seconds ahead, which has become the norm nowadays. He previously finished 16 seconds ahead of the field in Mexico City, further underscoring the lack of competition on road courses.

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On the latest episode of Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt took a shot at the dismal state of road course racing.

"In NASCAR we expect lots of passing. We expect lots of battles, we expect contact, we expect door to door. That's our expectation because of the last 75 years of what we've seen when we come up on a road course now and we don't see what we expect. We're not willing to allow this type of product to be normalized," he said.
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"My opinion on how many road courses we should have is going to be in the minority. I like two road courses. I like Sonoma. I like Watkins. Looking at NASCAR in the 75 year history, it was born out of the dirt tracks and the short track half mile style facility. It was an oval series," he added.
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The Cup Series calendar has one more road course at the Charlotte Roval. Dale Earnhardt Jr. also mentioned how fans would rather enjoy Charlotte's oval configuration, seeing how the event appears towards the end of the playoffs. Notably, if SVG were to survive until then, a victory at The Roval would propel him into the Round of 8.


Dale Earnhardt Jr. reposts Corey Lajoie's take on road courses

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has seemingly agreed with Corey Lajoie's take on road courses, where the latter called for grass run-offs. Such escape areas were common back in the day, but were phased out due to safety concerns.

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The current track design comprises broad runoff zones, allowing for extensive track limit violations due to the reduced risk. This inherently dilutes the racing product at such tracks.

Reflecting on the same, Lajoie shared an X post, which Earnhardt promptly reposted.

"Bring back aggressive curbs and grass run-offs at road courses," Lajoie wrote.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares Corey Lajoie's X post. Source: @X/DaleJr
Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares Corey Lajoie's X post. Source: @X/DaleJr

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has also complained that the Next Gen Package behaves more like a sports car than a stock outfit. Kyle Petty opposed the idea, but Martin Truex Jr.'s former crew chief came in support of Earnhardt's take.

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Edited by Samya Majumdar
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