"Finishes the entire rebirth story": Dale Earnhardt Jr. ecstatic with 'badass' racetrack getting a new treatment for 2026

Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently spoke about one of the highlights of the 2026 NASCAR schedule. Instead of North Wilkesboro Speedway, the racetrack that has hosted the All-Star race fixture, it would be Dover which would host the million dollar paying exhibition race.

It's worth mentioning that Dale Earnhardt Jr. was instrumental in helping to restore the iconic NWS some years ago.

On the latest episode of the Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt opened up on Dover's All-Star date and NWS getting a points race.

"North Wilkesboro's getting a points race. North Wilkesboro getting a points race is badass. I think it finishes the entire rebirth story. It finishes the story and it'll be on in the broadcast window. I will be there to broadcast it. I'm thrilled that they're getting a points race and I'm happy that it's going to be in the middle of the summer because I think that track needs to be hot and it needs to be tough, right, for it to really put on the 400 mile race I think we want. Hopefully, we get that soft tire and all that good and that groove to move around. They gonna be right on the fence in one and two. It's gonna be awesome," Junior said. [27:30 & 28:30]

As for Dover, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said he had the same reaction as everyone about the racetrack hosting the All-Star race. He revealed he spoke to Marcus Smith, the head of SMI, as he reiterated that he's not on the payroll of NWS.

Earnhardt emphasized that no matter what happens to NWS, it would be of no monetary benefit to him.

---

Dale Earnhardt Jr. comments on why NASCAR can't skip All-Star race from the schedule

Speaking about the All-Star race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. revealed that NASCAR is obligated to make the race happen because of certain commitments. He said there are contracts with networks, who have contracts with other people, and so on, which is why Dover is going to be an All-star race.

Earnhardt said that just like they can't just make changes on the car without the relevant committee's approval, they can't do the same thing with a race like All-Star.

"The networks have a ton of leverage on really how that works out. I am shocked honestly that they were able to even switch Wilkesboro and Dover. And I'm shocked that Marcus was able to convince all the other people involved NASCAR and the networks to take the two tracks and flip them," Earnhardt said. [30:00]

Having said that, he revealed that he never thought Dover would land the All-Star race because of two main reasons. First, it doesn't have lights to hold a race at night. And for the second reason, Junior referenced Denny Hamlin's comments on the same subject.

He claimed that at Dover, there needs to be at least 400 laps for there to be a chance to have 'a good show.' On the flipside of that, the All-Star race is made of short segments of 20-30 laps.

Because of this, Dale Earnhardt Jr. claimed there wouldn't be a lot of change or passing as Dover needs at least 80 laps of racing to see cars moving around in different lanes and drivers having a chance to drive up.