Heading into the race at IMS, a lot of fans and big names from the NASCAR world were excited and curious to see how some of the international stars like Shane Van Gisbergen, Jenson Button, and more would do in the race. But as it turned out, there was no Chicago 2.0 at Indy. They all fared reasonably well for their talent and background, but an outsider did not outshine the Cup guys this time around. And yet, Dale Earnhardt Jr. wants the international stars back for more races.
Advertisement
The Hall of Famer recently claimed that he would like to see stars such as SVG, Kobayashi, Button, and Kostecki back for more races in NASCAR. Junior also shed some light on the sub-textual element of these drivers’ performances and what fans should get expect regarding SVG.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. explains why he wants the international drivers back for more
During a recent episode of his podcast show, Earnhardt Jr. explained that while the international drivers didn’t play “a massive factor” in the result of the race at IMS, he was thrilled with their performance nonetheless. In fact, Junior claimed he was hoping they would have successful runs and now, he wants them to come back for more races.
He described, “The reason why I wanted them to do well was because I wanted more people to come. It was pretty exciting to have them there. It was a great storyline, and it was compelling to think about, ‘Man, how good can they go?'”
Earnhardt claimed SVG ended up running decently and that it was the lack of cautions during the race and the “inability” to close the gap that hurt their opportunities. He also revealed that he would look at the lap charts during the races and made some interesting observations.
“Kobayashi and Brodie, SVG obviously, they were all running at times, some of the fastest laps, some of the top 5 lap times during the race. So the speed and the pace is there. They didn’t stink,” Earnhardt claimed.
Junior admires drivers such as Kyle Larson and SVG taking on ‘monumental tasks’
Later in the podcast, Earnhardt emphasized that he hopes more people from the outside come and race in NASCAR. He likened that for NASCAR fans to a situation they will face next year with Kyle Larson.
“I hope more people will try to race with us. I like it. I enjoy seeing, just as I will enjoy when Larson goes to INDY. I mean, it’s going to be a challenge. How good can you go? I enjoy seeing drivers take on monumental tasks such as coming into a new discipline or a new series,” Earnhardt said.
As for Shane Van Gisbergen, Earnhardt said fans should “get used to his name.” He claimed they will see him again and that the Kiwi will be around more from next year in NASCAR.
