What’s Happening?

While NASCAR ramps up changes, both major and minor, for the 2026 season, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a warning for anyone wondering if these will steer the sport back in the “right direction.”

Throughout the 2025 season, NASCAR has been open in acknowledging the wants of its fanbase and garage area.

These efforts included an in-depth examination of its championship points system, one that appears increasingly likely to change for 2026, as well as an increase in horsepower. Though the new playoff or points system has yet to be announced, the sport has confirmed that horsepower will increase to 750 in 2026.

NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell informed fans of this shift in horsepower last week on Dale Earnhardt Jr’s podcast The Dale Jr Download. While it would be easy to assume that fans would be excited about this, the announcement did see some pushback.

What’s Happening?

NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell has confirmed the long-rumored increase to 750 horsepower for the NASCAR Cup Series at select…

“A Decade or Two”

Despite NASCAR officials’ cautioning fans throughout the season that the increase would likely be to 750 hp, some fans were still adamant that the real effects of an increase would not be seen until this number rose above 900.

In the latest episode of The Dale Jr Download, Earnhardt agreed, saying, “we’re not gonna see it when we watch,” reminding fans that this is a move in the right direction.

This claim was part of a monologue from Earnhardt, which addressed fans who, he claims, he had seen asking in regards to changes such as the shift in points and the increase in horsepower, “Well, what if they make these changes and nothing happens? What if they make these changes and the sport doesn’t rebound immediately?”

This narrative is not new to the sport, especially in the past decade, though, with recent declining ratings, fans have shifted their tone from concern to worry that the metaphorical ship is sinking and in need of quick repairs.

From Earnhardt’s perspective, these changes are long-term investments for NASCAR to return to what the sport once was—a period in time, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, that fans and industry members often refer to as “Peak NASCAR.”

In his eyes, he says that it is “unlikely that there is anything that changes next year that delivers results,” as NASCAR’s build-up to its peak was a very, very, slow process.

NASCAR’s peak was a process of 40 years, 50 years of development, change, of evolution, and they must have done a lot of things right,” Earnhardt said. “Was everything right? I don’t know, probably not, probably unlikely, but they did a lot of good things to get us to a peak.”

So, if it took that long to get to that peak, what could NASCAR correcting course look like to get back to that level? In Earnhardt’s eyes, the sport needs to be prepared for a gradual build-up to get back on track.

“Whatever change they make to try to correct course will be a process. To turn this thing around, if you want to call it that, you’re not gonna see those results out of the gate. You won’t see them next year. You won’t see them the year after that. If you’re trying to get this sport back to where it was in its peak or anywhere close, that’s gonna take your ass a decade or two.” — Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The Issue of Change

Of course, no two individuals will agree that the sport is in dire need of change, with others often pointing to factors beyond on-track issues, such as a lack of star power or the excessive frequency of changes to the sport.

For example, Earnhardt cites changing the playoff system as another step in the right direction in this episode, but, in the eyes of other industry members, changing the controversial format is seen as a reactionary change. Take veteran reporter Danielle Trotta as an illustration of this side of the argument.

We will, but don’t think anyone is listening, sadly. Huge case of tail wagging the dog. Why are we changing something to make it worse? Boggles the mind. 🫠 https://t.co/V5bdnPg9vD

— Danielle Trotta (@DanielleTrotta) October 15, 2025

While some support the system’s continuation for more direct reasons, similar to Trotta, others also worry that making yet another dramatic change to a NASCAR Chase/Playoff system could be the wrong move. Of course, since the first Chase System was introduced in 2004, it has undergone numerous variations until the current format was introduced in 2014.

However, in this case, Earnhardt’s suggestions, emphasizing patience rather than instant results, mean that what could be a major risk for the sport — something NASCAR rarely shies away from — could be a very slow yet positive catalyst in a revival.

What’s Happening?

NASCAR is publicly seeking a new Playoff or even Championship Points system for the future. This story will unfold…

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