Even with all the rumors flying around about a potential change in the NASCAR playoff format as early as next season, on this week’s edition of the Dale Jr. Download podcast, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is still staying with the stage format in each race, no matter what.
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But there’s a caveat that Earnhardt would like NASCAR—and its fans—to consider: Have four stages rather than three at the four superspeedway races on the 36-race Cup schedule, namely both races each at Daytona and Talladega.
On a recent edition of NASCAR.com’s Hauler Talk podcast, when that very topic—adding an extra stage to each of the two superspeedway events—was brought up, fans did not like the idea. But Junior did.
“Fans did not like this idea,” Junior said. “I spoke of this myself on (a previous edition of his Dale Jr. Download).
“We were talking about how at the last restricted plate race, we had this first stage where everybody raced like hell. And it’s like, well, if we want to try to get that style of racing the entire time, maybe we take fuel (mileage) out of it all entirely – or as much as you can—and add a fourth stage. That doesn’t sound so crazy to me because we have a four stage in the (Coca-Cola) 600 and no one cares, right? I’m like, ‘All right, well, just it’s superspeedway racing.’
“The other thing that I like about it is it adds importance to those two races because there’ll be more points on the line. So the 600 has the extra stage and there’s that opportunity uniquely in that particular weekend where you can gain more points than your traditional race weekend.”
Earnhardt’s Idea Makes Sense And Could Cut Down On Late-Race “Big Ones”
Earnhardt’s idea makes sense and has merit. It also cuts down on fuel mileage racing in the final laps, which oftentimes leads to major multi-car wrecks because everyone is trying to get to the finish line before they run out of fuel.
And more often than not, they fail at that.
But the more Junior spoke about adding an extra stage to the two Daytona and two Talladega races, the more he sounded convincing.
“I love Daytona, I also love Talladega,” he said. ”I had a lot of success at both of those racetracks. The racing there over the last several years has taken a beating from critics, myself included, and drivers would even argue that is the Daytona 500 still the most important race of the year.
“Yes, everyone wants to win a Daytona 500, but is it the most important race? It’s fallen from that perch. And that is a problem for me. The Daytona 500, for all of my life, has been compared to the Super Bowl of the NFL. It has always been this very important event that everyone did everything they could to try to find a way to win it once.”
Has the Daytona 500 Really Dipped in Precedence? Earnhardt Believes So
Even if they’re terrible for most of the other 35 races, winning the Daytona 500 can make a team’s season. Look at what it did for Michael McDowell in 2021, Austin Cindric in 2022, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in 2023. That race defined both their season and their careers to date.
“(The 500) would even be compared to a championship to some drivers like myself,” Earnhardt said. “Would you trade a Daytona 500 trophy for a championship? That was a legitimate question you might get. No one’s asking those questions now because obviously, everyone would say, “I want that championship because the Daytona 500 and it’s in its solidified spot as the most important race, is no longer the case.”
In a similar fashion to how President Trump likes to tout the fact he wants to Make America Great Again, Earnhardt wants to make Daytona great again—and that’s why he proposes a fourth stage at both its races, as well as the two races at Talladega.
“So adding this fourth stage and making those races mean more from a point standpoint would also make the races again mean more from a competitor’s standpoint,” Earnhardt said. “Is it the best solution? No. Is it the perfect solution? No, it’s not. I’m sure fans will tell you, ‘Well, get rid of the stages.’“
“But I don’t know that’s on the table,” Earnhardt said. “I don’t think NASCAR is considering that, or else I would try to use whatever influence we have here to support that. But I think adding the fourth stage is maybe not the best idea, but it’s an idea, I guess, that [NASCAR is] contemplating.”
