“They’ve complained all along”: Kyle Petty bluntly opposes Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s ‘undeserved’ criticism of NASCAR’s NextGen car

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr., (inset) Former NASCAR driver and race analyst Kyle Petty (via Getty)

Following the Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway, which was held on August 3, Dale Earnhardt Jr. expressed his take on NASCAR’s NextGen car. According to the Hall of Famer, what the Cup regulars drive today is more like a sports car than a real stock car.

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Earnhardt Jr., who might come off as a traditionalist, doesn’t like the car’s non-traditional, sports car-like aspects, such as the rear diffuser, and the lack of wear on its tires. However, there’s no going back as the teams have invested millions of dollars in the car.

“I don’t love the Next Gen car…. It’s an IMSA car,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said in a statement. “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.”
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However, former NASCAR driver and analyst Kyle Petty thinks otherwise. The way he sees it, NASCAR has not been racing stock cars since 1958, back when the Cup Series was known as the NASCAR Grand National Series.

Reflecting on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s comments, Petty said (via PRN),

“I don't think that criticism is deserved in a lot of ways. We have not raced stock cars since about 1958. We don't race stock cars, we race NASCARs. This is the NASCAR car that we have today.” (0:10 onwards)
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“People complained in the 70s when they went to tubular chassis, they complained when we went through radial tires, they've complained all along as the progression of the cars,” he added.
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That being said, all eyes are now on Richmond Raceway. The 0.75-mile, D-shaped racetrack in Richmond, Virginia, will host next week’s race. Named Cook Out 400, the 400-lap event will be televised on USA on August 16 (7:30 pm) with radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.


Dale Earnhardt Jr. is all for NASCAR limiting its Cup Series drivers from competing at the Xfinity level

Dale Earnhardt Jr. loves the fact that there are limitations on NASCAR Cup Series drivers running races at the Xfinity level. Being a team owner in the Xfinity Series, the legend thinks that it’s good for the drivers, the team owners, and the sponsors.

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A fan (on X, formerly Twitter) was debating with another fan whether NASCAR Cup Series drivers should compete in more Xfinity races than they are currently allowed to. Responding to the fan, Dale Earnhardt Jr. wrote,

“Since the limits have been placed on cup drivers competing, our cars have won more races and our sponsors have enjoyed that success. There was a time when the regular owners/teams of the series felt undervalued. I’m not saying the current situation is perfect, but it’s better.”
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As per the rules, Cup drivers with more than three years of full-time experience will be allowed to run only five Xfinity Series races annually. The limit used to be seven before, but the 2020 guidelines trimmed it down to five.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

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Edited by Anisha Chatterjee
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