"Isn't NASCAR": Dale Earnhardt Jr. echoes Richard Petty's opinion on road course racing

On the latest episode of 'Dale Jr. Download,' Dale Earnhardt Jr. supported seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Richard Petty's opinion on road course races. After the Mexico City race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Petty mentioned that road course races are not the true form of stock car racing.

The former NASCAR Cup Series champion answered a fan's query after the 100-lap race event at the 7,100-foot above-sea-level track. After being questioned about the current NASCAR racing status, Petty gave his opinion on road course racing. He stated:

"You're making a championship situation by winning a road course, which is not really NASCAR to begin with. From that standpoint, I think they're going to have to jockey around and change some of this kind of stuff."

Reflecting on Petty's verdict, Dale Earnhardt Jr. agreed with the former Cup Series champion's claim about road course racing and told his co-host, TJ Majors:

"I agree with Richard: road course racing isn't NASCAR." [22:15]

Earnhardt Jr. further explained Richard Petty's mindset behind his verdict and stated:

"I think that's where Richard's coming from when he says, you know, road course racing isn't really NASCAR because anyone that ever wanted if you wanted to be a racer in NASCAR, if you wanted to get to NASCAR, you raced a short track somewhere locally. You went, you know, you ran, you ran stock cars, you ran late model stock, you ran the Bush series or the sportsman cars back in the 80s, you raced full-bodied cars around ovals—yeah, ovals, right? It was a very known understood that was the route." [24:09]

The New Zealand-based driver Shane van Gisbergen took home the 2025 NASCAR Viva Mexico 250 title and a $12,561,250 reward. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell finished as the runner-up, while Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott was third on the list.

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"I like that too": Dale Earnhardt Jr. backs Mark Martin's idea of returning to the Winston Cup Series format

On the same podcast, Dale Earnhardt Jr. backed up NASCAR legend Mark Martin's idea of switching to the Winston Cup Series format. However, Earnhardt Jr. pushed for a slight tweak at the end of the season.

The 26-time Cup Series race winner suggested determining the champion from the last two to three final races. He further claimed the number of races would depend upon the top-performing drivers throughout the season.

Reflecting on the same, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stated:

“Mark Martin wants a 36... full season, traditional, 2000-era... he just wants a full season, run all the way to the end, crown the champion with the most points. He wants the traditional system... and I like that too,” he added. [29:31 onwards]

The Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, scheduled for August 31, 2025, will mark the beginning of the NASCAR Cup Series playoff season. The drivers still have ten races to secure their berth in the playoffs to compete for the championship title.