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Dale Earnhardt Jr. welcomes tire management challenges at Bristol

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Jonathan Howard | Last updated 3/17/24

There is one NASCAR Hall of Famer who loves this racing at Bristol, Dale Earnhardt Jr. just can’t get enough of this tire management. Throwing a wrench into the plans these teams had, the tires just won’t hold up on the Bristol concrete.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a man who loves himself some short track racing. He’s a co-owner of the CARS Tour for a reason. And this NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol is starting to look like a CARS Tour race as these drivers manage tires as best they can.

As the marbles build up, drivers slip and slide – Dale Jr. gets more excited. So do I! This has been great racing and if you like old-school NASCAR racing, this is your day.

“Bravo Goodyear,” Earnhardt tweeted. “These drivers have got to be smart with these tires today. We will see who can balance pushing toward the front vs. killing their tires. This is fun to watch.”

Bravo @GoodyearRacing

These drivers have got to be smart with these tires today. We will see who can balance pushing toward the front vs. killing their tires. This is fun to watch.
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) March 17, 2024

He also tweeted about the “challenge” of the tire management.

“I’m all for adding an old challenge back into the drivers’ hands. It’s been missing for quite some time.”

I’m all for adding an old challenge back into the drivers hands. It’s been missing for quite some time. https://t.co/0pMC37avDk
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) March 17, 2024

You cannot tell what is going to happen in this race. Drivers are going to have to be smart and not just put the pedal on the floor. Managing tires is a true skill in racing, especially stock car racing. Let’s see who has the best management and speed mix to get the job done.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. enjoying the racing as a fan

One cool thing about Dale Earnhardt Jr. is that he’s just as big of a NASCAR fan as anyone else. He wants these races to be entertaining and to be a challenge for drivers. In his tweets and posts, you get an idea that he almost wishes he could be out there.

There have been a few drivers that are strong today. Ty Gibbs won both the opening stages. Denny Hamlin has led laps, Ryan Blaney is a contender. Josh Berry was doing great, led laps and was in the top-10. Shortly after Lap 300, Berry lost grip in his rear tires and spun around 360 degrees.

Dale Jr. knows good racing when he sees it. He’s going to call a Spade a Spade. Right now, he’s loving what he sees on the TV, and I do too. We have not seen racing like this in a long time, especially not in the Next Gen era.

For all of the complaints recently about horsepower and this and that, this race shows that good old-fashioned tire fall-off is worth a lot.

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

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