Dale Earnhardt Jr. says the All-Star Race has grown “too much” and argues for a throwback-style format—about 20 cars, no fan vote, and an Open that determines the field—while pushing to run it on the Wednesday night before the Coca-Cola 600.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. watched the All Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon and liked what it felt like—mostly because it played like a normal race, not as the complicated event its history is supposed to honor.
On Tuesday, the Hall of Famer and winner of the 2000 running of “The Winston” didn’t hide his frustration with how the weekend has evolved. “We’re doing too much,” Earnhardt said on his Dale Jr. Download podcast.
He pointed back to earlier versions—“The (1987) race is legendary. The (1992) One Hot Night was a legendary race”—and said those formats were built on simple structures: “All those were simple formats — 50 laps, 25 laps, 10.”
To him, the event doesn’t need to sprawl. “You have your Open and a support system, O’Reilly’s and Trucks, whatever. … That’s all it needs to be.”
Earnhardt’s proposal is a clear reshuffling of how NASCAR could use the calendar. He wants the All-Star Race moved to the Wednesday night before the Coca-Cola 600. creating an off-weekend in the process and leaving the focus where he thinks it belongs—on one marquee night that sets up the next weekend’s points race.
“In that case, you run the All-Star Race on the Wednesday night before the Coca-Cola 600,” he said. He also said the move would let Dover “back its points race,” bringing more weight to the track’s regular championship slate.
His envisioned field is smaller and tighter. Earnhardt said the format would include “20-ish cars,” with winners from 2026 and “maybe the back half of 2025.” He went even more specific: “You could can even do the last 20 winners, 20 car field, that’s it.”
The centerpiece would still be an Open—but with a restriction aimed at keeping it from turning into a popularity contest. “We’ll take the winner,” Earnhardt said. “Not fucking second or third — the guy who won the Open gets in. So there’s 19 locked in and the winner of The Open to go race for a million bucks. That’s all you need to do on a Wednesday night.”.
He described it as a way to keep drivers sharp without dragging the show out. “You don’t need the whole damn field out there. You don’t need to wear everyone out and beat everyone’s shit up. You have a couple of guys in The Open to go out there and put on a good race.”
For Earnhardt, the All-Star Race shouldn’t be treated as a standalone universe—it should be an appetizer for the Coca-Cola 600. “Earnhardt says this is an appetizer for the Coca-Cola 600,” the comments continued.
But the biggest line wasn’t about how it should be scheduled. It was about protecting it.
“I don’t want them to get rid of the All-Star Race,” Earnhardt said. “And you know why?. For everyone who won it, it’s a kick in the balls man. It’s like getting rid of the Daytona 500. Why would you get rid of the Daytona 500?. You wouldn’t. It’s a legendary race. If you get rid of it, all the history that goes with it becomes worthless.”.
Even in a sport that constantly adjusts formats, Earnhardt Jr. seemed to be drawing a line: keep the legacy race, strip it back to what made earlier editions feel special, and use the Open to earn entry—no fan vote needed—so the next weekend’s spotlight stays bright.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. All Star Race Dover Motor Speedway Coca-Cola 600 Dale Jr. Download NASCAR The Open throwback format