Dale Earnhardt Jr. warns against "risks or chances" in push to make North Wilkesboro's NASCAR evolution

Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared his thoughts about a points-paying race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, which has been a hot topic in the NASCAR world lately. The iconic racetrack was revived and brought back to the schedule in 2023 as the venue for the All-Star race.

After hosting the annual exhibition race, which pays $1 million to its winner for three seasons, many insiders have wondered if there should be a points race at NWS. This was a major subject in the buildup and aftermath of last Sunday's All-Star race, as many drivers were asked about their views.

During a recent episode of the Dale Jr. Download, the podcast's co-host, TJ Majors, also asked Earnhardt Jr. whether North Wilkesboro could become a 400-lap race. The NASCAR Hall of Famer replied:

"Honestly, man, that's the only I hate to risk that not working for your first points race at Wilkesboro."

Earnhardt Jr. further expressed his openness to stage cautions and said that they help because sometimes, when there's a dull race happening, stage cautions can inject some action into it with a restart. He added that sometimes stages are 'too short,' which is why he didn't necessarily love them in the Xfinity Series or Truck Series.

The 2x Daytona 500 winner mentioned that North Wilkesboro was a short track, and except for the Cup Series, where the runs are long enough in a stage, it's 'terrible' with 35-40 lap sprints.

"I just think that if you're going to take a Cup race to Wilkesboro that you don't take any risks or chances. Let the race kind of go and be with the protocols we have in place in terms of stage caution and so forth just to make sure you don't screw up the very first points race back," Dale Earnhardt Jr. added.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. further mentioned that while the idea of a points race with only natural cautions could work out, NASCAR needed to get its 'confidence up' to do it. He wondered if the governing body was willing to take that risk on North Wilkesboro because the racetrack tried for 'three decades to get back', and now that it's back, there shouldn't be any unnecessary risks taken with it.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. felt racing at North Wilkesboro after 27 years was 'surreal'

After 27 years of seeing no NASCAR action, the premier form of stock car racing returned to North Wilkesboro in 2023. And a big part of its revival was Dale Earnhardt Jr., who led the track's repave and the facility's restoration with Marcus Smith of SMI.

Speaking about the moment when 'the cars started rolling' at North Wilkesboro again, Dale Jr. recalled:

"Everybody was just so happy to be there, and as soon as the cars started rolling, everybody was like, you know, sort of this surreal moment where you’re thinking, ‘Man, I can’t believe that this is happening.'"

Dale Earnhardt Jr. claimed that after the race, he couldn't believe he 'actually raced' at North Wilkesboro. He also appreciated the great crowd turnout, hoping that in the future, all the success at Wilkesboro would multiply.