Dale Earnhardt Jr., one of the most popular NASCAR drivers in history, is still active in the sport despite his retirement over five years ago. Earnhardt Jr. co-owns JR Motorsports, a NASCAR Xfinity Series team, and commentates with NBC Sports during their portion of the schedule.
Some drivers simply fade away from the spotlight after retirement but that has been the opposite for him. In fact, Earnhardt Jr. might be in the spotlight more in his retirement than during his driving career. That is only a positive for NASCAR fans.
With that added spotlight, the 48-year-old owner and commentator has a major voice when it comes to NASCAR. This is what makes Earnhardt Jr.’s recent comments after the 2023 Daytona 500 even more intriguing.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes NASCAR should scrap overtime
Earnhardt Jr. was not on the call during the 2023 Daytona 500 that ended in two overtimes; however, it does not mean he didn’t take notice and have an opinion on the finish like everyone else.
The Great American Race went to two overtimes and finished under caution like the other two NASCAR races at Daytona International Speedway last weekend. This prompted opinions across social media on if yellow-flag finishes are the right thing for NASCAR.
Catchfence’s Chris Knight stated his desire for NASCAR to mandate a green-flag finish, just like the ARCA Menards Series. However, Earnhardt Jr. replied with his own opinion on Monday night.
“I (100%) respect your opinion. Mine is the opposite though. I don’t think there should be an overtime at all. If a caution ends it, so be it. No (green-white-checkered finish) was fine with me for most of my life. It hasn’t had a profound affect on my enjoyment of racing since being implemented.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. on NASCAR’s current rules for finishing events
This is the same proposal that was covered by Sportsnaut on Tuesday afternoon. NASCAR does not need overtime for superspeedway tracks and the advertised distance of 500 miles, in this scenario, should be the furthest the race goes overall.
Earnhardt Jr. spent four seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series without overtime so his opinion is extremely noteworthy. Plus, NASCAR teams and drivers are better off with no extra racing that elevates the risk of torn-up equipment and violent wrecks.
The safety of NASCAR drivers should continue to be the No. 1 priority moving forward. The idea of extra race time has run its course as it is only used for the value of entertainment.