Dale Earnhardt Jr. slams NASCAR for wild-card race-packed 2024 playoffs, says it might produce ‘fluke-ish’ race results
Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t impressed by NASCAR's decision to have Atlanta, Bristol, and Glen in the R-16.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Credits: IMAGO)
NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. has pointed out that the sanctioning bodies’ decision to have three wild cars races, Watkins Glen, Bristol, and Atlanta, in the playoff Round 16 is too wild. The 2024 Cup Schedule playoff has four races that can reduce uncertain results. The Road Course events at Glen and Roval, along with the Superspeedway events in Atlanta and Talladega, is a wild mix.
The two-time Xfinity Series champion cautioned NASCAR, saying these calls will cause the loss of purity and make the races crazier. He said via Dale Jr. Download, “I would caution NASCAR, whoever it is that is making these decisions for these rounds, I would caution them to have some purity. We’ve got some crazy races that can go into these rounds.”
He pointed out that adding a Superspeedway race to the post-season is already a bad idea, but the R-16 race set for the 2024 season has taken it to another level of craziness. The HMS legend cautions NASCAR about producing end-race results that would be flukish. He is confirming that weaker teams might win and derail the charge for the championship of some deserving drivers.
“A Talladega or a Daytona in any round is a wild idea. But Atlanta, Watkins Glen, and Bristol, that’s like a lot happening in one moment. I would caution them not to get too wild because the end result could be a fluke-ish sort of vibe,” the Junior Motorsports racing team co-owner added.
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Denny Hamlin isn’t a fan of new playoff races as well
Another NASCAR legend who was quick to express his frustration over the races in the playoffs was Denny Hamlin. The JGR driver, who also does podcasts for Dale Jr., didn’t mince his words about the radical changes. He pointed out that the changes are not a good idea.
“There were some moves by NASCAR in the playoffs that I didn’t agree with either. I didn’t see many that thought this was a good idea in the spirit of competition,” the three times Daytona 500 winner said via Action Detrimental podcast.
Hamlin’s primary issue is reducing the sample size of races there to find the champion. He has been vocal about limited races in the current schedule, and adding Atlanta and a second RC course reduces it further. Luck being a significant factor for wins in the wild-card races is the issue NASCAR needs to tackle.
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Justin P Joy
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