Dale Earnhardt Jr. Takes Strong Side In NASCAR's Number Debate

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Mar 25, 2026 5:06 PM ET

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had some things to get off his chest about the number placement debate on the NASCAR Next Gen cars.

On this week's episode of his Dale Jr. Download podcast, the former NASCAR star asserted that there should be fewer restrictions on where numbers can be placed on the vehicles. He pointed out that NASCAR's efforts to achieve "consistency" with number placement is silly if it hurts the aesthetic of the cars and limits the ways the cars can look.

“Why would anyone say, ‘No, they shouldn’t move the numbers back for Darlington’?” Earnhardt said. “Why the restrictions? Why are we shackling ourselves, tethering ourselves to some — for brand consistency? I don’t know, what are we talking about? I thought, ‘Man, if they move the number back for one race and everyone sees how good it looks,’ it’s just going to open up a big can of worms.”

Dale Jr. pointed to the widely-praised design used by Carson Hocevar at Darlington this past week, which paid homage to Dale Earnhardt Sr. He praised Hocevar and his team for a stellar design.

“I think a lot of people would say that Hocevar’s group knocked it out of the park,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I’m biased… That’s my favorite design of the Wrangler car that he ever raced, for sure.”

Meg Oliphant/Getty Images

NASCAR at Darlington

The marquee event at Darlington this past week was the NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400. Tyler Reddick took the checkered flag in the Goodyear 400, overcoming early struggles after experience electrical issues to secure his fourth victory of the 2026 season. He started from the pole and held off a competitive 37-car field, with Brad Keselowski second and Ryan Blaney third, showing a strong performance on the historic egg-shaped oval. The result bolstered Reddick’s position in the early championship points as the regular season reaches its quarter mark.

The Sports Clips Haircuts VFW 200 of the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series saw Justin Allgaier emerge victorious. Prior to that, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Buckle Up South Carolina 200 saw Corey Heim get the win.

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

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