With the 2026 NASCAR season underway following the Daytona 500 opener, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is out in front again with his concerns about the fuel-saving strategies Cup Series teams used at the Daytona 500 that bogged down races until the very end.
While calling the issue an “epidemic” on his recent “Dale Jr. Download” podcast, Earnhardt, a NASCAR analyst and JR Motorsports owner, offered some solutions he admits will be received with mixed reviews.
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It starts, he said, by bringing back the bonus point for drivers who lead the most laps in a race.
“I promise, if you put anything out in front of these drivers and teams, they will go for it,” Earnhardt said. “That is one small slice in a large pie that would push teams back toward pushing harder throughout the event. If you knew that if you could get to the front and lead at some point, you were going to get a point, you would do it.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. wants NASCAR points for most laps led
The problem goes beyond that, of course, because once a team has led a lap they it would be prone to revert to saving fuel again after that.
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“That’s fine,” Earnhardt said. “We found a way to get them to charge for a little bit. That’s progress.”
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 11: Dale Earnhardt Jr., owner of JR Motorsports, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 11, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
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NASCAR took the bonus point away in the new Chase format, which rewards fewer points for winning a race. That bonus point was replaced by a point for the fastest lap, which Earnhardt called “silly” and said no one pays attention to after a race.
To take lap-leading a step further, Earnhardt suggested going back to a bonus point for the driver who leads the most laps.
“Instead of having a point for the person who has the fastest lap, I think they should take that point and give it to the person who leads the most laps,” Earnhardt said. “You could still have the icon on the fun little rundown on the TV screen, and it could move as someone retakes that (most laps led) crown as the race plays out.”
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Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin want drag removed from Next-Gen cars
The other issue Earnhardt said should be addressed is the drag effect on Next-Gen cars, which slows the cars and leads to pack racing.
He said he discussed with NASCAR Cup driver Denny Hamlin, who is also co-owner of 23XI Racing with Michael Jordan, about the possibility of removing some of the drag from the cars by making the car more streamlined and reducing air resistance.
“What I propose to NASCAR is find out how much drag to pull off the car so that if I’m in a pack of cars that are running 60 to 70% throttle and I mash the gas 100%, I drive away from them,” Eanrhardt said. “I break the draft and pull away. And if I’m running wide open and I’m driving away from that pack, then I’m negating their advantage, and they’re going to have to chase me down.”
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How Dale Earnhardt Jr. would fix Daytona 500
