Without question, this has been one of the more interesting NASCAR regular seasons. With the growing drama on a week-to-week basis, it creates a lot of excitement around the sport. And even though some races have ended in strange ways, Dale Earnhardt Jr. says fans need to embrace the style of racing.
Denny Hamlin caught a lot of criticism for his win at Pocono Raceway a few weeks ago. He pushed Kyle Larson up the track coming out of a turn late in the race, forcing Larson to hit the wall.
While Larson and his supporters expressed a lot of frustration towards Hamlin, Earnhardt says this style of racing is good for NASCAR.
“Look, I know if you’re a Kyle Larson fan you’re pi--ed off about that race. You think that was a s--- deal. You’re mad,” Earnhardt said on the Dale Jr. Download. “But your sport, that you love, is thriving. And, if you can, take a little comfort in just being a little happy about what kind of growth we’re seeing, what sparks we’re creating, what kind of conversations we’re starting.
“We need exactly what we got — we need that. We need that villain, we need contact, confrontation. When it ain’t there, good lord it’s boring. I’m sorry.”
The Hamlin-Larson drama wasn’t all, either. Austin Dillon launched his helmet at Tyler Reddick’s car following an incident at Pocono. Later, Ryan Preece confronted Corey LaJoie after a late-race collision.
These are the drama-filled moments that Earnhardt loves. The fact that none of it is staged only makes it more intriguing.
“What we got right now, it ain’t scripted,” Earnhardt said. “This is real, this is authentic.”
Earnhardt also referred to the days when his father raced in NASCAR. When the younger Earnhardt grew up, drivers got the most of that “bumping is racing” phrase.
After all, Dale Sr. didn’t get the nickname “The Intimidator” for no reason.
“I grew up in the 80s watching dad run over everybody. And we loved it! ‘Hey, he’s catching that guy. Watch him but the bumper to his a--.’ We freaking wanted it. We expected it. … Couldn’t wait for it. And man, when he passed them without hitting them, it was disappointing.”
So, while it’s never fun to see your favorite driver get pushed into a wall, these drama-filled moments do seem to be helping the sport. At the very least, it adds to NASCAR’s entertainment value entering the playoffs.
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