James Gilbert/Getty Images

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Has Heartbreaking Admission About NASCAR's Product

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated May 16, 2025 7:03 PM ET

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been around NASCAR well before he became a Busch Series champion in 1998. With that said, he's witnessed the sport drastically change over the past few decades.

Earlier this week, Earnhardt made an appearance on Kevin Harvick's "Happy Hour" podcast to discuss NASCAR's current product. During their conversation, the two-time Daytona 500 winner revealed the biggest change he's noticed.

Whether people like it or not, drivers need to be well funded in order to enter a NASCAR race. That wasn't always the case.

"I have been around long enough to remember that if you and I just woke up one day and said, 'Man, we’re going to enter a Cup car in any race we want,' we can go find us a car, find us a driver, get all the parts and go do it, right? Now, there’s some couple hoops," Earnhardt said. "You’ve got to get licensed and got to enter the car, pay the money, the entry fee, all that good stuff. But it was pretty much an understandable challenge. Today, to just get out there and compete, you need that $50 million charter, and that charter is going to be $100 million and $150 million and $200 million — it’s going to go to the moon over the next several years."

Earnhardt then made a comment that might break old NASCAR fans' hearts.

"The world, the NASCAR that I knew, in terms of just being able to field the car and go race, doesn’t exist anymore. That’s hard for me to just believe, that we’re in that — for me to go run an open car isn’t realistic. It’s not realistic for anybody to do it every single week."

Even though Earnhardt believes it's tough to stomach this reality, he said it's great for NASCAR and Jim France. And while his personal feelings may not fall in line with the current leadership group, he remains an advocate for the sport.

Do you think Earnhardt's concerns about NASCAR are warranted?

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: