“Every fan of NASCAR is going to feel like a winner”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. gives an elated reaction to the ‘big news’ in the 2026 schedule

Former NASCAR Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently shared his thoughts on the 2026 Cup Series schedule. On Wednesday, August 20, 2025, the governing body unveiled the Cup Series schedule for the next season, with some key tweaks to the lineup.

The 2026 Cup Series season will kick off with the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on Sunday, February 1, 2026. This will be followed by the first points-paying race of the 2026 season, the Daytona 500, on February 15, 2026, at Daytona International Speedway. The destination of the All-Star race has also been changed from North Wilkesboro Speedway to Dover Motor Speedway.

This change made the race at the North Carolina-based track a points-paying race. Reflecting on the same, Dale Earnhardt Jr. expressed his excitement for the race and stated (via X):

"The big news for me on the 2026 @NASCAR schedule is @NWBSpeedway getting a points race! I can't wait to call 400 laps of night racing there on July 19. It's massive for the surrounding community, and every fan of NASCAR is going to feel like a winner next July."

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

@DaleJr

The big news for me on the 2026 @NASCAR schedule is @NWBSpeedway getting a points race! I can't wait to call 400 laps of night racing there on July 19. It's massive for the surrounding community, and every fan of NASCAR is going to feel like a winner next July.

The North Wilkesboro Speedway race is scheduled for Sunday, July 19, 2026. Additionally, NASCAR also introduced two off weeks during the regular season. The first off week is scheduled after the Martinsville Speedway race on March 29, and the next week will be given after wrapping up the Indianapolis Motor Speedway race on July 26, 2026.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. got candid about disagreeing with Kyle Petty's verdict on NASCAR's Next Gen cars

Earlier this month, former NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. talked about Kyle Petty's comments on the NextGen cars on the Dale Jr. Download podcast. During the episode, Dale Jr. revealed that he "disagrees" with Petty's verdict on the same.

On the podcast, TJ Majors highlighted that Petty claimed the seventh-generation cars are producing satisfying results and feel "good." On the other hand, Dale Jr. stated that the NextGen cars are not up to his expectations.

Reflecting on Kyle Petty's take, Dale Earnhardt Jr. explained (via YouTube):

"I don't know, man. I mean, Kyle, I really, really respect Kyle. Think the world of him. Um, and I appreciate his opinion, but I would just disagree that the car doesn't produce what I expect. Again, going back to 75 years. I know Kyle's been around a long time. The car doesn't produce the kind of racing that I know we are capable of at road courses and short tracks." [01:21:08 onwards]

"The car does not produce the type of racing that I think should be our standard, and I know what we're capable of at road courses and short tracks. And I would not stop at trying to achieve amazing great racing at those style of tracks until we achieved it. I wouldn't stop trying to get there. And I don't think we're there. And I think it's mainly due to the race car," he added.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. secured 26 wins, 149 top-five finishes, and 260 top-ten finishes in 631 starts during his 19-year stint in the Cup Series. Despite having impressive stats, Earnhardt Jr. never won a Cup Series championship title in his career. However, he won two championship titles in the Xfinity Series in 1998 and 1999.