Dale Earnhardt Jr. weighs in on 20-year-old RCR driver's question on COT hate 

NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. took to X and answered Jesse Love Jr.’s question on COT (Car Of Tomorrow). The Richard Childress Racing driver wondered why the fans hated the COT because, clearly, he “didn’t get it.”

The COT was a project that began after the untimely demise of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s legendary father, Dale Earnhardt Sr., on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. The goal was simple: better driver safety, reduced racing costs, and improved competition.

Per reports, the COT chassis was used in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2007 to 2012. Reacting to a clip from a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Richmond in 2007, Love wrote,

“Someone explain COT hate to me plz I don’t get it.”

To which Dale Earnhardt Jr. replied,

“It had a splitter and not a valance would be number 1 on my list. That changed a lot of how much a driver could shape a corner or change his inputs. The car would have to be driven one way and you could not be as creative behind the wheel.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

@DaleJr

@jesselovejr1 It had a splitter and not a valance would be number 1 on my list. That changed a lot of how much a driver could shape a corner or change his inputs. The car would have to be driven one way and you could not be as creative behind the wheel.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has always been critical of the COT. Back in 2007, when he was driving full-time for Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI), the NASCAR veteran voiced his frustration over the Car of Tomorrow and its handling after finishing 13th in the fourth COT event of the year at Richmond Raceway.

“We had a car that just wouldn't handle. It was rough because I couldn't get it to go where I needed it to pass cars," Dale Jr. explained in a statement. “These cars handle terrible!”

However, Dale Earnhardt Jr. also mentioned that the COT was built like tanks; one could beat and bang around with them into anything and everything, and they would just bounce back and keep going.

Earnhardt Jr. is now retired but known for his strong opinions on all things NASCAR. Named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers, Dale Jr. is one of the biggest ambassadors of the sport.

The 50-year-old owns JR Motorsports, a four-car race team that operates full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and serves as a part-time crew chief for Connor Zilisch, driver of the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevy.

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Kyle Petty calls Dale Earnhardt Jr’s evaluation of the NextGen car “undeserving”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t exceptionally fond of the NextGen car, so much so that he criticized it on his Dale Jr. Download podcast. According to him, it’s anything but a NASCAR stock car.

“I don't love the Next Gen car," Earnhardt said. "It's an IMSA car. It's a sports car. It's got a diffuser. It's got low-profile tires, it's got big rims and big brakes. It's a sports car. It's not a NASCAR stock car, but it’s here. Everybody’s invested."

But Kyle Petty called Dale Jr.’s assessment “undeserved”. The way he saw it, NASCAR is headed in the right direction with the NextGen car, which made its official debut back in 2022.

“We have not raced stock cars since about 1958. We don't race stock cars. We race NASCARs. We have to adjust to it. This is the racing we have. Embrace it, enjoy it. We're seeing some spectacular stuff on the race track, and I think it's only going to get better,” he added.

Meanwhile, the NASCAR Cup Series is 25 races into the season, with just one race left until the playoffs kick off at Darlington Raceway. All eyes are now on Daytona International Speedway, which will host the last race of the regular season on Saturday, August 23.