Sports
Dale Earnhardt Jr Furious and Now Dragging NASCAR Over Their Reluctance on What Happened to Denny Hamlin
Dale Earnhardt Jr Furious and Now Dragging NASCAR Over Their Reluctance on What Happened to Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin indeed jumped the start, veterans and drivers were left with major concerns over the consistency of such penalties in the future. But perhaps the most perplexed is Dale Earnhardt Jr, who believes NASCAR needs to tread carefully.
With perhaps the most influential voice in the sport, if Junior has a problem with something, isn’t it in NASCAR’s best interests to treat it seriously? After all, it’s not every day that someone as calm and collected as the JR Motorsports owner has to address something with such intensity.
Dale Earnhardt Jr ramps up his rant against NASCAR officials
Throughout last weekend, NASCAR struck the controversy iceberg once more when fans pointed out Hamlin’s jump start over Truex Jr. So when the #11 JGR driver revealed his focus was on the #19 and the #5 instead of the restart line, many pointed out a flaw in NASCAR’s enforcement of the zone’s permissible area.
With drivers such as Joey Logano already holding NASCAR accountable and demanding consistency, the silence from officials over Hamlin’s jump-start had left the balance of power hanging by a thread. On the latest episode of the Dale Jr download, the veteran revealed all of his grievances against the decision-making over the weekend. He stated, “We used to have painted lines on the walls, and exactly where the zone began and ended was debatable. But when they painted the lines on the track, that suggested a defined area.”
For Dale Earnhardt Jr, painted lines on the track itself left no excuses for drivers and teams to make when combined with the rulebook’s wording. This left the veteran with one conclusion, “When you do that, along with the wording of the NASCAR rulebook, you have a clear definition of a good or bad restart, and Sunday was a bad restart.” For Junior, stepping on the throttle before the restart line was a major no-go. But that wasn’t all.
After Elton Sawyer revealed Hamlin’s jump start, the officials also gave reasoning for not penalizing the #11 that didn’t fit well with Junior. The VP felt that the sport would’ve taken a different decision if the incident had occurred earlier in the race and not at the deciding moment. Still, this explanation didn’t answer all of the community’s questions, prompting Dale Earnhardt Jr to express his anger further.
He shared, “Listen, man, going forward, we need clear messaging from NASCAR and that’s not helpful, right? That’s muddying the waters even more.” For Junior, settling misunderstandings was the priority. He concluded, “They’ve got to come out and they’ve got to say, ‘We didn’t get that one right. He went early. We’ve looked at it, we do believe he went early, we missed the call. The results are staying. But that is a bad restart. That will get you a black flag.’….Or whatever they wanna do. They’ve gotta react. They can’t just let it go.”
While it’s safe to say Dale Earnhardt Jr was rather straightforward about his disapproval of NASCAR’s decisions at Richmond, the veteran also pointed towards some solutions that could be implemented to avoid this altogether.
Earnhardt Jr’s solution to NASCAR’s restart zone dilemma lies with technology
It’s not just motorsport that faces the dilemma of enforcing rules of competition that are decided by a line or mark. So when sports like soccer can develop goal-line technology to eliminate the human element in penalty decisions, why can’t NASCAR do something similar? That’s precisely the question Dale Earnhardt Jr is asking.
Continuing his rant against NASCAR’s decision not to penalize Hamlin’s jump start, Dale Earnhardt Jr believes the sport needs to make better use of modern technology. The veteran stated, “Look, we’ve got all this technology on pit road that without a human can designate somebody that has an infraction or penalty on pit road. We got all this technology, if we have the sh** for this restart zone, that technology should have been here already.”
Referring to the commitment line on the pit road, Dale Earnhardt Jr felt NASCAR needed to transfer that judgment toward the restarts too. If a driver misses the pit entry line by even an inch, they are usually reprimanded for a dangerous pit entry or exit. Junior believes this should be the case for restart zones in the future.
He concluded by sharing his frustration, “If you clip it (pit commitment line) they’re getting your a**! So if they’re gonna have that line on the racetrack, I see that as a defined area. That is not a suggestion, that is a rule. So just come out and say ‘The rule is you go inside the zone. Don’t make us come after you.‘”
THERE IS COMMENT BOX AFTER THE ADS, SHARE YOUR THOUGHT WITH US
A former Ferrari engineer has criticised the decision to bring in Lewis Hamilton and thinks the Brit’s presence will mean “a lot of potential for drama”.
At the age of 40, seven-time Formula 1 champion Hamilton will form a formidable driver partnership with Charles Leclerc. His big switch comes at the expense of Carlos Sainz, who has performed well for the Italian squad but who was axed so they had room for their blockbuster new signing.
But not everyone of a Ferrari persuasion is convinced that it will go well. Ernest Knoors, who spent many years as an engineer at Maranello, specialising in power units, worries that Hamilton’s presence could do more harm than good for a team that is finding its groove under Frederic Vasseur.
“A big name like Hamilton also brings a lot of politics and if politics within Ferrari are not managed well, then there is a lot of potential for drama,” he told Formule1.nl. “Hamilton has the tendency that if things do not work out, he turns his whole car upside down and starts experimenting.
“Ferrari believes very much in the big personalities and will follow him. But Hamilton is just someone you have to guide a little bit and not give the freedom to rebuild the whole car, because then it will go completely wrong. So I do not know if it is such a smart move, but of course it is nice for the sport.”
News of Hamilton’s planned move broke on February 1, coinciding with football’s Transfer Deadline Day. That the back pages of many newspapers were dominated by the decision of Hamilton to swap Mercedes for Ferrari was testament to the magnitude of the announcement.
Sainz was not surprised as he had been informed by his team of the plan ahead of it being made public. But the Spaniard responded well with two victories to date this season and five further appearances on the podium, on the way to what looks likely to be a fifth-placed finish in the championship – two spots and 54 points ahead of Hamilton.
Sainz has signed for Williams next year and, after several years of running at the front of the grid, will focus on his new challenge of helping restore one of the grid’s most historic teams to its former glory. But Knoors believes he should have been kept on by Ferrari instead.
The Dutchman added: “I see Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari more as a PR move. With all due respect, Hamilton is not going to take that Ferrari from P6 to P1. He will get the most out of it, but what Ferrari has to do is make that car faster. And if you make that car faster, you can easily drive at the front with the current line-up.
“Besides, as a team you have to look further on the horizon. If Hamilton becomes champion in the coming years, he and Ferrari will become immortal. But if you want to build a team with talent for the next five years, are you going to build on Hamilton? No, because he will really be finished after two or three years. That is why I would have kept the very strong line-up that Ferrari has now.”
THERE IS COMMENT BOX AFTER THE ADS, SHARE YOUR THOUGHT WITH US
Chase Elliott had a front-row seat for one of NASCAR’s most bizarre moments of the 2024 Cup Series season. At the start of Stage 2, the pace car dove onto pit road in front of Elliott; however, it was a tad too late. The pace car made contact with the sand barrels at the entry of pit road and caused a red flag for cleanup.
Initially, there was some speculation on the NBC Sports broadcast, even from the No. 9 team, that Elliott made contact with the pace car. Fortunately, the pace car didn’t slide across the No. 9 car’s nose, but it undoubtedly provided one of NASCAR’s craziest red flag moments in recent memory.
Below, you can listen to Elliott and the No. 9 team react to the pace car crashing into the sand barrels on pit road at Phoenix during Championship Weekend!
Reflecting on the recent retirement of 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., Earnhardt didn’t mince words about the toll NASCAR takes on its drivers. Speaking candidly, the two-time Daytona 500 winner admitted that the pressure to perform every week left him feeling miserable for most of his racing career—a sentiment he believes is shared by many of his peers.
“Right or wrong, racing made me a miserable person 90% of the time,” Earnhardt confessed. “And him too. I mean, ask Kyle Busch, ask anybody—unless you’re winning, you’re not happy.”
For these elite drivers, the sport is a relentless grind. A podium finish might bring temporary relief, but anything short of victory is often a source of frustration. The immense effort poured into preparation and execution rarely feels like it pays off unless the checkered flag is theirs.
Earnhardt highlighted the mental toll of falling short, explaining how the relentless focus on winning can overshadow the joy of simply competing. Even a solid performance feels hollow compared to the euphoria of a win.
“Unless you’re winning, you’re not happy at all,” he said. “You’re okay with a good run, but for the most part, all the effort it takes just to run good—it doesn’t weigh out.”
For drivers, the stakes are sky-high every week. Sponsors, fans, and teams demand nothing less than excellence, leaving little room for error or personal satisfaction in anything less than a dominant performance.
Earnhardt also shared insights into his friendship with Martin Truex Jr., who recently announced his retirement. While the two often spend time hunting together during NASCAR’s off-season, Earnhardt noted that the stress of racing even creeps into their leisure activities.
“When I’m with him during hunting season, it’s always in the back of his mind,” Earnhardt said. “It’s that stressful part of the year when he’s as miserable as he’s going to be.”
Now, with Truex stepping away from the track, Earnhardt looks forward to seeing a lighter, happier version of his long-time friend. Without the weight of weekly competition hanging over him, Truex might finally be able to relax and enjoy the outdoor lifestyle he cherishes.
“It’ll be fun to see him loosen up,” Earnhardt added.
THERE IS COMMENT BOX AFTER THE ADS, SHARE YOUR THOUGHT WITH US
