Dale Earnhardt Jr. expressed his dissatisfaction with NASCAR’s decision to penalize drivers during the Brickyard 400 race. The racing community has been critical of NASCAR’s questionable penalty calls, particularly regarding former Cup champions from RFK Racing and Hendrick Motorsports who received penalties for a blend line violation at the Indianapolis Oval return.
In his Dale Jr. Download podcast, Earnhardt Jr., a Hall of Famer, shared his opinion on the matter. He specifically criticized NASCAR for penalizing Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski, stating that these penalties were the main things he wanted to criticize NASCAR for. He further explained the rule that NASCAR implemented for Sunday’s race.
Earnhardt Jr. emphasized that drivers have been using a certain move to gain more acceleration on the back straightway by swinging out and crossing the line. This maneuver has been a common occurrence at Indy for years, and NASCAR had previously never addressed it, even when drivers were being more aggressive than usual on certain occasions.
During the discussion, Earnhardt Jr., who is also a co-owner of JRM, pointed out that NASCAR’s communication and explanation to the teams were not clear enough. He highlighted the lack of a specific line that drivers should not cross, which caused confusion.
Both Keselowski and Elliott expressed their dissatisfaction with the penalty call. While the racers have moved on due to the ongoing Olympics break, NASCAR should not overlook the issue. They should investigate the matter to ensure that such incidents do not happen again.
