Dale Earnhardt Jr Joins the Next Gen Conversation: “It’s Not a NASCAR Stock Car, but It’s Here”
What’s Happening? Following a “frustrating” race weekend at Iowa Speedway, NASCAR Hall of Famer and TV analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr. aired…
During the latest episode of The Dale Jr. Download, Dale Earnhardt Jr. responded to Kyle Petty’s viral clip lobbying support for the NASCAR Next Gen car, in which Petty said NASCAR has not raced ‘stock cars’ since “about 1958.”
Following a difficult showing for NASCAR’s Generation Seven race car at Iowa Speedway, last week’s episode of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s podcast, The Dale Jr. Download, featured the second-generation driver discussing his issues with NASCAR’s current Cup Series car.
During this rant, Earnhardt voiced his frustration with aspects of the car that many deem untraditional, such as a rear diffuser, single lug-nut wheels, and better brakes. Perhaps the most heated quote from this rant was Earnahrdt saying, “I don’t love the Next Gen car…. It’s an IMSA car. It’s a sports car.”
“I want to say that I don’t love the Next Gen car, but it’s here. I don’t love the Next Gen car…. It’s an IMSA car. 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. Everybody’s invested. There’s millions of dollars already way down the road and the car’s here. It’s on the track. It’s not changing. It’s not going anywhere… It doesn’t do me any good to sit here and bitch about the f****** lack of tire fall off or the inability to pass. It’s frustrating.” — Dale Earnhardt Jr., The Dale Jr. Download, Aug 5
What’s Happening? Following a “frustrating” race weekend at Iowa Speedway, NASCAR Hall of Famer and TV analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr. aired…
These words echoed into yet another lackluster showing for the car at Watkins Glen, and, unsurprisingly, Earnhardt’s comment re-emerged, this time via an unlikely source.
During the Aug. 11 episode of PRN’s Fast Talk, fellow second-generation racer Kyle Petty responded to Earnhardt, saying that he doesn’t feel like the Hall of Famer’s comments are “deserved,” and “we have not raced stock cars since about 1958,” Petty said. “We don’t race stock cars. We race NASCARs.”
People have always resisted modernizing the NASCAR stock car platform, but Petty claimed that the Gen Seven car is “years ahead” of the “antiquated” cars of the past. The 65-year-old closed by saying, “We’re seeing some spectacular stuff on the racetrack, and I think it’s only gonna get better.”
What’s Happening? Kyle Petty does not think Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s recent criticism of NASCAR’s Generation Seven Race car is “deserved,” saying…
During this week’s episode of The Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt responded to Petty, saying, “I really, really respect Kyle, I think the world of him, and I appreciate his opinion,” Earnhardt said. “But I would just disagree that the car doesn’t produce what I expect.”
Earnhardt again mounted his soapbox, suggesting that if he had a say in fixing the car, he would continue searching for the right changes to “achieve f****** amazing great racing” at short tracks and road courses.
“Again, going back 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,” Earnhardt said. “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 f****** amazing great racing at those style tracks.”
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Lionel Racing finally confirmed the first wave of 2026 NASCAR Authentics 1:64 scale diecast for Monday morning, with the line of retail-exclusive diecast featuring a new look for the new year.
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Chase Pistone, a former competitor on the short track racing circuit in addition to NASCAR’s National Series, has passed away. Pistone, now a successful Legends Car owner, was 42.
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Three races in, the 2026 season is finally starting to show its hand. COTA shifted narratives, exposed weaknesses, and raised new questions about contenders, pretenders, and everything in between.
From substitute drivers being forced into action to points gaps growing faster than expected, COTA delivered more than just a road course chess match. There were momentum swings, reputation hits, and at least one young driver stacking up enemies before stacking up results.
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