Speculation is the name of the game this time of year in NASCAR during a time where racing should be at the center of it, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. is adding more fuel to the fire.
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The Indianapolis Road Course looks to have run its course, and now it is time for a return to the Oval. A number of drivers and media members have made it clear that a return to the oval is what is needed. This became quite a big point on the Dale Jr. Download Podcast, as Dale Earnhardt Jr. pushed for the return to the oval.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway track has always been hollowed ground, and when NASCAR had its first race at the track in 1994, it became one of the more important races on the calendar.
When NASCAR went to a lower horsepower package with a big spoiler on the back of the car, it hindered the racing more than it helped and NASCAR decided to move to the road course in 2021.
Now with the next-gen car, many around NASCAR believe it is time to return to the oval. Earnhardt Jr. is one of those people, and he truly believes they are fortunate to race at Indianapolis, and the oval needs to be on the schedule.
"We just bailed on the track altogether, a track that we were so lucky to get to."- @DaleJr
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"We just bailed on the track altogether, a track we were so lucky to get to," Earnhardt said. "We are blessed to even have that on the schedule."
A lot of history has been made at Indianapolis, and with so many competitive drivers in the series, it only seems right that Brickyard 400 return. So many drivers have made their name at the Brickyard, why keep that from the rising stars of the sport?
Earnhardt Jr. and co-host Mike Davis agreed, that just because the racing was rough the last few years on the oval, it doesn't mean the track itself was to blame.
"Let's stick with something, let's figure it out and stick with it," Davis said. "If we are going back to the oval like most think we are, then let's stick with it. If there is a problem with the racing don't incriminate the race track, figure it out on the cars."
Earnhardt Jr. may have never won at Indianapolis, but he knows how special the place really is, and like Daytona, Charlotte, and Darlington, all four of those tracks are important. They aren't the homes of crown jewel races for nothing.
A historic track like Indianapolis belongs on the schedule, and no not the road course, the oval.
