$300M-worth Dale Earnhardt Jr. voices frustration over NASCAR's inaction on short tracks after Martinsville stifling competition

NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. was livid over the NextGen cars' short-track package following recent races in Richmond and Martinsville.

Following up on the race weekend at COTA, NASCAR returned to short-track racing action with consecutive races at Richmond Raceway and Martinsville Speedway. However, barring rare moments of thrill, neither of the two Cup races could generate an exciting viewing experience for fans.

Partly to be blamed for the subdued racing atmosphere is NASCAR's Goodyear tire package introduced in the NextGen cars. In a bid to level the playing field and obtain parity in the competition, NASCAR stressed to introduce tires that severely lack degradation. This, in turn, made life difficult for the drivers, blocking them from overtaking.

Following the race, Dale Earnhardt Jr., a $300 million worth NASCAR legend (according to Celebrity Net Worth), delivered a furious rant on the tire situation and the lack of action from the sanctioning body despite early signals. In a recent episode of the Dale Jr Download podcast, Earnhardt said:

"Everybody wanted to take a date away from Richmond last week. Silliest sh*t I've ever heard in my life. But now, we're finally urging about getting the short track package right.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. criticized the notion of removing race dates from tracks like Richmond, emphasizing the importance of getting the short-track package right.

"I'm about to get pissed off," he said. "It really made me angry that we walked out of Richmond and said 'man, that track don't need no second date, we need to go to somewhere else.' That's not true."

"And then we have the race at Martinsville, and now everybody hit the panic button. Dude, I was hitting that fricking button a year ago. It's beyond panic time alright? It's panic time last week when you're taking about taking a date away from a racetrack."

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Denny Hamlin puts forth a "solution" involving Dale Earnhardt Jr. to address the tire package situation

In a recent episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin suggested a move that could help NASCAR address the issue while generating publicity. The 43-year-old said:

"I have a solution that I think will fix it."

Hamlin suggested enlisting the expertise of Dale Earnhardt Jr. himself to test and select tires for short-track races. By involving Earnhardt in the process, Denny Hamlin believes NASCAR could generate valuable publicity while ensuring that the tires meet the standards demanded by drivers and fans alike. He said:

"NASCAR has their own Next Gen car, one they originally started with. You need to get NASCAR and their team. Get Dale Earnhardt Jr., and get ’em to go to Richmond, and get ’em to go to Martinsville, and test tires. He gets to pick out the tire that we run."

The Cup Series veteran added:

"It would be great publicity, this is Dale Jr.’s tire, let’s see how it does. I think he would sign up in two seconds to go out there. He’s angry about the tires as much as I am. We clearly are missing the mark."

It remains to be seen if and when NASCAR will address the challenges posed by the current tire package.