Dale Earnhardt Jr. states what NASCAR needs to make it more entertaining: "You don't know what's going to happen"

Following the Cup race at Kansas, Dale Earnhardt Jr. gave his take on the importance of having negative personalities in NASCAR. The Hall of Famer took the mic on his podcast, the Dale Jr. Download, to shed some light on why the sport needs different types of personalities to keep it engaging.

Earnhardt Jr. claimed that he likes when drivers 'race like s**t.' He admitted that while he has criticized drivers like Carson Hocevar and Ross Chastain in the past for their aggressive driving styles or questionable moves, he still wants 'more of those guys.' He explained how when he was behind the wheel of a racecar, he was selfish and took actions based on what was good for him.

But Dale Earnhardt Jr. mentioned that being selfish may not translate to things that are always good for entertainment and for the fans. This was one of the things which he claimed he learned after retiring as a driver and joining the booth.

"Having a wild card or two or three or four or five out there that you're not quite sure what kind of decision they're going to make down in the next corner is kind of good, having that guy that's like, 'Hey, man, he's a loose cannon.' It's kind of good when you're entertained and if it's the unknown. You don't know what's going to happen and you want to watch because of that," Dale Earnhardt Jr. elaborated. [44:00]

Earnhardt added that the sport needs the personalities both on and off the track.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. claims NASCAR needs the heroes and the villains to make it more entertaining

Further sharing his thoughts on the subject of personalities in NASCAR, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said that the sport needs the good guys as well as the villains. Moreover, Junior mentioned that the driver who 'just can't get it right' and the one who is fast but makes bad decisions are all required in the sport.

"Throw them all in the bucket. Put them in the cage and see what happens. That's my perspective as a viewer," he said. [45:50]

He claimed that when he was a driver, he wanted everyone to not run over him and stay away from him. However, now he has realized that it is 'kind of boring.'

This led to the incident of Carson Hocevar downplaying showing a middle finger being raised to Dale Jr. However, he said drivers have been 'programmed' to never own up to doing wrong in the last few years.

Earnhardt added that Carson Hocevar not owning up to showing a finger didn't bother him as much because by owning it, he could've made himself vulnerable against action by NASCAR for the same.