Sports
“Politics In NASCAR”; Dale Earnhardt Jr. Joined Fans on Thrashing NASCAR Over “Manufacturing and Manipulating” Results at Michigan
Imagine this: you are leading the last few laps of the race comfortably, certain to take the checkered flag. And then suddenly there’s a “late yellow” for something that doesn’t warrant it. Any driver would be frustrated!
The same was the reaction of Tyler Reddick at the recent Michigan race. Not just him, but the entire NASCAR community is calling out the decision. The question here is not about NASCAR throwing a caution. It’s about the inconsistency. A similar incident happened at the Indianapolis race when Austin Cindric spun and hit the wall, but NASCAR did not raise a yellow flag there.
Now, fans speculate NASCAR is doing this to manipulate things on track and increase the race’s dramatic value. Adding on to the discussion is NASCAR veteran Dale Earnhardt Jr. as he discusses the on-ground events on Dale Jr. Download and questions the quickness of the decision, emphasizing, “The quickness of it (the decision) is the only concerning part.”
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What happened at the Michigan race was a late-race caution that left Tyler Reddick frustrated. With a commanding lead and victory seemingly in sight, Reddick’s dominance was disrupted when Martin Truex Jr. hit the wall, nearing the end of the race. The ensuing caution erased Reddick’s advantage and forced the race into overtime. Many questioned NASCAR’s decision as the incident did not seem like it needed a yellow, and the race could have continued. Expectedly, Reddick lashed out at NASCAR too, saying, “Is this a f**ing joke? Come on. It’s bulls**t. He touched the fu**ing wall. … Good grief.”
However, in the end, Tyler Reddick won and surged ahead of William Byron, who finished in P2 on the second overtime restart, narrowly fending off both Byron and Ty Gibbs to claim victory. What is being questioned here is, why was Reddick denied a comfortable win?
In the August 20 episode of Dale Jr. Download, Junior agreed with the 23XI driver’s frustration. He said, “If I was driving the car leading the race, hell yes, I have the same reaction as Reddick, and maybe even you know running in the top 10 or the top five I might have the same reaction like what the hell?”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. further talked about how if he’d been in NASCAR’s shoes, he would have done things differently. He added, “If I was in the booth I would be like oh no, keep them going don’t throw the yellow, we’re almost to the finish. If we can avoid the yellow, that’s my mentality, in my mind.”
According to Dale Jr., this was a classic opportunity for NASCAR to increase the drama of the race, and they took it. Continuing his argument, he said, “I’m thinking though that for TV, they can deny it if they want, but for TV for the promoter, track owner, and possibly for NASCAR, they’re thinking, Oh hell yeah, late-race restart drama. Oh yeah, you know we’re trying to our audience is building all the way through the race right? So right there in the last 10 laps, you’ve got the largest audience you’ve got the most people paying attention to what you’re doing and can you give them something exciting?”
However, is it justified to just do this to increase the thrill of the race, or to increase the viewership?
The same wasn’t done at the Indianapolis race, where Kyle Larson took the win, even after Austin Cindric spun at the last moment. Dale Jr. in his episode tries to explain why NASCAR probably ruled differently in both cases.
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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.”
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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.
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