"New gimmicks" - Dale Earnhardt Jr. reacts to NASCAR reportedly allowing street races

NASCAR 2021 Hall of Fame inductee Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a die-hard supporter and promoter of the StockCar Association. His contributions on and outside the tracks can’t be ignored. Since his retirement in 2017 from NASCAR full-time racing, he has done a great job supporting the game behind the booth as an NBC analyst.

The Dale Jr. Download host has never been afraid to share his thoughts on matters relating to NASCAR. Following recent reports of the association having deep talks about launching street races in Chicago, Earnhardt Jr. has not been left out in speaking out what he thinks.

Before giving his thoughts on the Chicago street race in the Ask Jr. segment of his podcast, he had something to say about Xfinity Series racing in Portland. Earnhardt Jr. said:

“We’re getting back, not to our roots, but we’re not going to try to reinvent the wheel, I took it as we’re not going to try to introduce a lot new. We’re going to try to bring back some of the old ones. We’re not going to try any kind of new gimmicky thing. But it just seems like there’s a few new gimmicks coming down the pike.”

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. on racing on Chicago streets

It is a huge possibility that NASCAR will be joining the likes of IndyCar and F1 on the street come 2023. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is among those who have reacted to the reports.

In one of his podcasts, a fan asked what he thought about NASCAR hitting the streets of Chicago. In his response, the 47-year-old stated he doesn’t see any fun in cars racing on the streets. Earnhardt Jr. thought the races are somehow challenging, difficult and frustrating, saying:

“Watching the driver try to figure out how to navigate them, it’s fun because you see the drivers are struggling. It’s frustrating to sort of work around there.”

Earnhardt Jr. gave his thoughts reflecting on his previous experience in the virtual world of iRacing, which according to him was not exciting. He said he would prefer shorter races instead of street courses.