"It's fallen": Dale Earnhardt Jr. insists Daytona 500 has slipped from its perch as NASCAR’s Super Bowl

Two-time Daytona 500 winner, Dale Earnhardt Jr., is unhappy with the Daytona 500's fall from grace. While the revered event is still regarded as the crown jewel of stock car racing, the 50-year-old insisted that the racing on the 2.5-mile track has taken a beating, and the event as a whole has lost its charm.

The Daytona 500 has been the marquee event in the top league of stock car racing since the race made its debut on the NASCAR calendar in 1959. The race at Daytona went on to become the most looked-upon race in the fixture, despite it not carrying the Cup Series championship trophy alongside it.

However, in the past few years, the emphasis within the NASCAR realm has slowly witnessed a shift in preference towards giving the Bill France Cup more priority than the Daytona 500. Earnhardt Jr. explained in detail on the Dale Jr. Download podcast how the flagship event does not have the same aura as it had when he used to race in the field:

"I love Daytona... The racing there over the last few years has taken a beating. From critics, myself included. Drivers would even argue that is the Daytona 500 still the most important race of the year? It's fallen from that perch, and that is a problem for me."

"The Daytona 500, for all of my life has been compared to the Super Bowl of the NFL. Everyone did everything they could to try to find a way to win it once. It would even be compared to a championship. Would you trade a Daytona 500 trophy for a championship? No one's asking those questions now."

With critics, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., bashing the Daytona 500, one question is often thrown around in the NASCAR realm on how to help the race find its way back into the drivers' and fans' hearts.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. discusses the possible solution that could help the Daytona 500 regain its charm

Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the 2025 Pennzoil 250 held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Source: Imagn

Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Daytona 500 in 2004 and 2014, making him realise the value of taking home the prestigious trophy. Though the NASCAR Hall of Famer is discontent with how the race is losing its charm, he also proposed a way that the fabled event could regain its hold over the racing realm that it used to have in the previous decades.

Earnhardt Jr. revealed how removing the three-stage format from NASCAR races could help solve the issue, as he said in his podcast:

"Adding this fourth stage and making those races mean more from a points standpoint, it is the best solution? No. Fans will tell you, well get rid of the stages, don't tell them where you're gonna throw the yellows. Then they can't predict and plan. Great points. I don't think NASCAR is considering that."

Meanwhile, Dale Earnhardt Jr. participated in the Daytona 500 18 times. He started on pole once and claimed an impressive eight top-three finishes, of which he emerged victorious twice.