“Hope We Never Leave It”: Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Demand to NASCAR on Contentious Issue
Over the last few years, NASCAR has seen an increased emphasis on road course racing, with the addition of several tracks. One of the major arguments behind this is that road course races lead to a better product for the fans watching the event. With the rise in demand for the Oval’s return to Indiana, several have pointed to the racing aspect of things, and how the Oval should be given another chance, given the prestige around the track.
To this point, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. argues that having a bad race at a certain venue is not necessarily the track’s fault. He gave the example of Charlotte Motor Speedway and explained how he wished that NASCAR would never abandon racing at the Oval again.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. hopes NASCAR never leaves the Oval at Indiana again
Speaking on Dale Jr Download, Junior said, “So we left the Oval because the racing wasn’t good. It really wasn’t the track’s fault you know and we left, we don’t run two oval races at Charlotte Motor Speedway no more because the racing wasn’t good. And it’s not the tracks fault.”
“Now the racing with the Next Gen in Charlotte is one of the best races of the year. The last couple of two or three races in Charlotte on the Oval have been amazing.”
On the prospect of NASCAR switching back from the road course in Indiana, Earnhardt added, “I’m excited that we’re going back to the Oval and I hope we never leave it hope we don’t. We got.. we were so lucky. So so blessed to be able to be invited there to race there and we literally gave it away.”
NASCAR might bring back the Indy Oval next year
After having experimented with the road course layout at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, NASCAR is now thinking about bringing back the Ovals possibly next year itself.
Greg Stucker of Goodyear Racing mentioned that they were planning on taking the Next Gen cars onto the ovals and testing the new cars on the surface. Since the new cars have never raced there, he argued that they would have to test how the tire stood at the legendary IMS.
Furthermore, one of the primary reasons for NASCAR to move into the road course had been the lack of interest regarding the oval racing package among the fans. The races had limited passing opportunities and drivers had to wait for late-race chaos instead.
Now, several NASCAR drivers and the general community urged NASCAR to get back to the Indiana Oval. With the recent speculations, there might be a chance for the sport to return to the iconic Brickyard once again.