Dale Earnhardt Jr. has proposed a major overhaul of the NASCAR All-Star Race format.
The Hall of Fame driver shared his ideas on his podcast following the recent exhibition event at Dover Motor Speedway.
Earnhardt believes the current multi-stage formats have become too complicated.
He advocates for a return to shorter, historical structures like those used in the 1987 and 1992 races.
Proposed Changes
Under Earnhardt's plan, the main field would shrink to about 20 cars. These would primarily consist of recent race winners.
The remaining drivers would compete in a last-chance qualifying race, called the Open, for the final starting spot.
Only the winner of the Open would advance.
“You could even do the last 20 winners, 20 car field, that’s it,” Earnhardt said on the Dale Jr. Download podcast.
He also suggested moving the event to a Wednesday night before the Coca-Cola 600. This would give the racing industry an official off-weekend.
A support system featuring lower-tier national series would provide additional entertainment for the midweek event. Earnhardt noted that a limited entry list would prevent unnecessary damage to equipment.
“You have your Open and a support system, O’Reilly’s and Trucks, whatever. … That’s all it needs to be,” he said.
Strict Qualification
Earnhardt specified that the advance criteria should be strict. He wants to eliminate secondary transfers and fan-voted elements that currently alter the grid.
A single transfer position would create better on-track desperation during the preliminary event, he argued.
“We’ll take the winner,” said Earnhardt. “Not fucking second or third — the guy who won the Open gets in.
So there’s 19 locked in and the winner of The Open to go race for a million bucks.
That’s all you need to do on a Wednesday night.”
He emphasized that maintaining the long-standing tradition of the race is crucial for preserving the legacy of past winners.
Dropping the race entirely would diminish historical achievements.
“But most importantly, I don't want them to get rid of the All-Star Race,” Earnhardt said. “For everyone who won it, it's a kick in the balls man.
It's like getting rid of the Daytona 500.”
Earnhardt also defended the quality of racing at Dover, pushing back against harsh media critiques. He said the format has been a problem for years, not the track.
“The format is a failure every year,” he said.
“The format has sucked for a while because they won't ever go back to 1987 which is the best format.”
The 1987 format used a 75-50-10 lap breakdown, keeping drivers in constant sprint conditions.
Earnhardt believes simplifying the rules should extend to other non-points events like the Clash.
