Why Dale Earnhardt Jr. Appreciates NASCAR More After Retirement

Considering its place in American culture, it is no surprise that NASCAR is susceptible to the wrath of the fans and even the drivers. And it all stems from the various decisions that they make from time to time.

In a conversation with Parker Kligerman, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. explained how he was not one of the people who would criticize NASCAR for the decisions it makes. And for good reasons.

Be it the controversial race-shortening decision at Chicago or the obliteration of dirt races from Bristol Motor Speedway, NASCAR just never seems to step down from being the egg of scrutiny. As a driver, even Dale Earnhardt Jr. wasn’t any different. But it all changed when he gave up his firesuit instead of an NBC Sports microphone.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said, “We’ve always kind of been in the car going oh NASCAR is this , NASCAR is that…I wish it was like this…we always has that driver mentality. I learned and altered my opinions so much when I got into broadcast booth. That continued when I became a series owner.”

Besides being an NBC Sports analyst, Dale Junior owns JR Motorsports, running in the Xfinity Series full-time for many years now, and is a CARS Tour owner. “As a series owner, or being part of the ownership group, it’s just given me a lot of appreciation for NASCAR,” said Junior. “I still can appreciate how NASCAR gets put in these situations where they can’t win but they have to make a decision.”

“And either decision is going to bring scrutiny. But they are doing this on a national stage. Every week they’re put in a position to have to make a call they don’t even want to make. They’re going to get criticized no matter what decision they make. That’s something that I now appreciate that I didn’t before,” he added. Being a CARS Tour owner, Junior realized the pressure on NASCAR on the executive level.

“There’s some pressure to succeed, their some pressure not to fail with our series. I could not imagine the pressure that NASCAR feels to succeed. When they look at viewership, attendance at race tracks, when that’s going up, when it’s going down, how that might affect the morale and tension within the industry especially at the executive level…I do not envy that position that they’re in,” he admitted.

The biggest criticism that NASCAR has faced to this day

Many fans would argue that the old playoff format was way better than the elimination style that NASCAR introduced in 2014. The old playoff system meant the most points scored wins. Meaning, the Cup Series champion had the best statistics than anyone else.

But then, NASCAR brought about a playoff-type format to decide the champion. And perhaps, that was the beginning of a major problem. Today, one doesn’t need to fight their way up the scoreboard to make a playoff appearance. Don’t get us wrong, every race is as hard as it gets.

However, as per the current format, winning any seasonal race guaranteed a driver a spot in the round of 16. On that note, one could say that NASCAR doesn’t need a playoff format, as every race is a playoff.