Published 11/18/2022, 11:30 AM EST
Dale Earnhardt Jr has been one of the most popular drivers of his time in NASCAR. He sure knows a thing or two when it comes to convincing other drivers. Recently, during his interview with the former NASCAR boss, Brian France, Junior explained the method by which NASCAR should have approached drivers while developing the Car of Tomorrow and the Next-Gen cars.
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Junior said, “if you had had, you know, a handful of drivers in the room. They feel like they got involved in the development of this car, so they’re gonna go out and they won’t sh*t all over it because they actually were part of the process.”
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Further stating, “I agree with that in a sense like trying to anytime you’re kind of going to try a new thing, a redesign of a racetrack or come up with the format for an All-Star race, you should include the drivers, maybe one of the most opinionated drivers and allow him some influence.”
“So when he can walk out on that media stage and tell everybody that he likes it and then no one else, no other driver is going to step up to the podium and go, this is bullsh*t because none of them are gonna say that to that driver’s face. The drivers won’t go at each other in the media about you know, their opinion of the race car, their opinions of the format. Once you get one driver on your side, you almost have all of them in a sense.”
Perhaps, if France had used Earnhardt’s method during his time as the leader of NASCAR, the COT’s perception would have been different. In today’s environment, if NASCAR had to make the Next-Gen cars likable, they would have been better off trying to get Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin on their side.
How was the Car of Tomorrow perceived by drivers?
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COT is infamous for being the biggest dent in Brian France’s career. Mostly stemming from how the cars looked and how they drove. Multiple drivers didn’t hold back while explaining how the cars were in reality.
BRISTOL, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 17: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Toyota, waits in the garage area after an engine failure during the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 17, 2022, in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Famously, once Kyle Busch was asked about the Car of Tomorrow and he responded, “I’m still not a fan of these things, I can’t stand to drive them and they suck.”
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The COT was never a hit with any of the drivers. Probably the only thing that was good about it was its safety.