The NASCAR that I knew "doesn’t exist anymore": Dale Earnhardt Jr. in utter disbelief over the sport’s current landscape

There was a time when fielding a car in the NASCAR Cup Series was a relatively straightforward task, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes that world has faded into memory.

Speaking candidly on Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour show, the NASCAR icon shared his growing disillusionment with the modern Cup Series entry model's financial exclusivity and structural complexity.

In the early 2000s, NASCAR's Cup Series operated with a more open-entry system. Teams without a full-time presence could field a car at select races by satisfying basic licensing and financial requirements. Earnhardt referenced this era with nostalgia to Harvick:

"If you and I just woke up one day and said, 'Man, we're going to enter a cup car and any race we want.' We can go find us a car, find us a driver, get all the parts, and go do it. ... But today to get just out there and compete, you need that $50 million charter." (22:47 onwards)

That freedom has since been replaced by a locked-in charter system. The current NASCAR Cup Series operates under a charter system introduced in 2016.

With 36 charters available, teams that possess one are guaranteed entry into every points race. But these charters have become extraordinarily expensive, some rumored to be nearing the $40-50 million range.

NASCAR CEO Jim France presents Dale Earnhardt Jr. with his jacket during the 2021 NHOF. Source: Getty

Charters are mostly traded among teams rather than issued by NASCAR today, which makes it nearly impossible for smaller teams or new entrants to establish a presence without massive financial backing. Dale Earnhardt Jr. questioned the rising charter costs and limited avenues for open entries:

"It was a good time to buy it 10 years ago. I regret that I didn't, but it's become this place where only people with that kind of money can play. ... the NASCAR that I knew in terms of, just being able to field a car and go race doesn't exist anymore. ... That's just hard for me to believe." (23:23 onwards)

While nonchartered entries are still possible, Earnhardt clarified that they aren't viable regularly. He acknowledged the benefits for existing stakeholders like the France family NASCAR but lamented how the exclusivity cuts out passionate independents and hopeful newcomers.

---

"Cup level stuff is in the rearview mirror": Dale Earnhardt Jr. on JR Motorsports' Cup Series ambitions

Dale Earnhardt Jr. with Justin Allgaier after the Daytona 500 qualifying. Source: Getty

JR Motorsports has been a dominant force in the Xfinity Series, earning three championships and nurturing the careers of drivers like Chase Elliott, William Byron and Noah Gragson.

For years, there has been speculation about the Mooresville-based team's leap to NASCAR's top level. Yet, despite multiple opportunities, Dale Earnhardt Jr. seems focused on his current ventures.

"I had a real good opportunity years ago to get in as a Cup owner. I could've. ... But when we go to a Cars Tour race or if I sit down and buckle down and work on the CARS Tour for a day. ... I'm just as happy and rewarded. So, sometimes I think to myself maybe all that cup level stuff is in the rearview mirror," Earnhardt explained on Happy Hour (24:42 onwards).

JR Motorsports did dip its toes into Cup competition with a one-off entry at this year's Daytona 500 with Justin Allgaier in the #40 Chevrolet. While JR Motorsports had support from Hendrick Motorsports during the Daytona effort, Earnhardt made it clear that genuine challenges remain.

With Earnhardt set to return to the commentary booth with Amazon Prime for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte this weekend, his priorities appear focused elsewhere.