“Goodyear Would Get So Mad” – Dale Earnhardt Jr Comes Clean on His ‘Hate’ Towards Denny Hamlin’s Next-Gen Stronghold

In the NASCAR scene, not all track surfaces are made of the same material. However, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not a big fan of one particular track surface. As it happens, his answer may not come as music to the ears of Denny Hamlin fans. In his Dale Jr. Download podcast, he admitted that he favored asphalt surfaces more than concrete.

Junior cited that Dover and Bristol are two of his favorite race tracks. According to him, two primary reasons put them high on his list. First and foremost, one of the tracks boasts a very steep bank, and both tracks are relatively short. He was especially appreciative of the Bristol Motor Speedway, back when it had an asphalt surface.

According to the former NASCAR star, Bristol used to boast of incredible races when they had the asphalt surface. Unfortunately, the asphalt threw up some major problems, like the track breaking up constantly. As a result, the track authorities elected to switch to concrete. Someone at Dover obviously thought that they were onto something because they elected to employ the same tactic.

Dale Jr. confessed that he hated the move because, in his eyes, both tracks never raced the same way ever again. He explained that concrete is consistent and smooth after paving. Although there are a few bumps, the concrete is simply one strip. Per him, there is a need to allow the surface to expand and contract in temperature, or it will crack.

He said on the Dale Jr. Download episode that was aired on July 3rd , "If you've ever drove on a stretch of interstate, that's concrete, your car is like bouncing over these bumps. That's the way the cars go around a concrete race track. As you build air pressure, they start literally bouncing off the ground. I used to call Goodyear's tires basketballs when we'd go to Dover and Bristol. They would get so mad at me for complaining."

DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 22: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, speaks with the media without a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series patch on his firesuit during the Daytona 500 Media Day at Daytona International Speedway on February 22, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jerry Markland/)Further emphasizing Goodyear's reaction after hearing what Junior said, he still couldn't stop but say, "I'm like, 'These things suck! They're like basketballs! Or hockey pucks!' Hard as a hockey puck. Concrete just isn't as good. I can go to Nashville, Dover, and Bristol, and I can see an amazing race there today. We will see great races at those race tracks. I know where the potential is if they were asphalt. I know how much we're missing."

Additionally, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the one driving the car, and he would hardly lie about what he feels in the car. However, it appears that Goodyear isn't too fond of accepting criticism, so they were often annoyed at him. However, the former NASCAR driver still believes that the concrete surface is the culprit.

What made Denny Hamlin so good at concrete tracks, as per Dale Jr.? The NASCAR Hall of Famer touched upon Denny Hamlin and his affinity for concrete tracks. He acknowledged that the Joe Gibbs Racing driver simply likes the feeling of driving a car on concrete. However, there are a lot of other factors that come into play, like the team, crew chief, air pressure, setup, and more. Even something like searching for grip can differ for a driver, depending on whether they are running on a concrete or asphalt track. And Denny has found that.

Dale Jr. also spoke of his own team and their fortunes at a particular race track. According to him, JR Motorsports almost always ran well at Nashville, irrespective of how the rest of their campaign went. Coming back to the issue of asphalt versus concrete, he pointed out that repaving is an expensive process.

However, he believes that a point in asphalt's favor is that modern technology should allow the surface to be more durable. What also helps is that the current generation of cars won't be as destructive towards the track as their '80s and '90s predecessors. He lamented that fans would probably never see asphalt return to those tracks, and they would be robbed of better racing.