Hendrick Motorsports star Kyle Larson was the class of the field in the night race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Starting on the front row, the driver of the #5 Chevrolet Camaro just outclassed his competition to grab his fifth win of 2024. It was indeed a dominant display as he led 462 of 500 laps, sweeping the stage and taking home the trophy.

However, the race, in particular, didn’t go down well with the fans, who were expecting rip-roaring action, beating and banging, and most of all, tire falloff. Unfortunately, the race didn’t produce any of this; rather, it was a one-way traffic of Larson putting his competitors a lap down. This race has sparked a huge debate online, leaving the race fans divided on whether the race was good.

NASCAR icon Dale Earnhardt Jr. was also put under the spotlight, and the community was eager to know his take. Weighing in this debate, Dale Jr. shared a dual perspective on how he would rate the Bristol race. But his take as a race fan is the one that stands out for all the right reasons.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares his definition of a good race

The bar was set high for the playoffs race at Bristol given how the spring event turned out. Excess tire falloff led to chaos among the drivers and teams. 40-50 lap runs resulted in blistering, and NASCAR had to intervene by allowing an additional set of tires so that the drivers could finish the race. However, the fall race was just the total opposite: no tire wear, no flat tires, and no differentiating tire strategy.

It was all Kyle Larson’s show, which came out as bland and stale. Of course, the HMS star had a rather different opinion after notching an impressive win. But for Dale Earnhardt Jr., this wasn’t a good race from his fan perspective. “If I’m watching a race, a good race to me is one where there’s real contact and drama. Somebody feels wrong; you know there’s a hero-villain kind of thing. Underdog all those things, any of that. But contact, beating and banging, I like that.” Dale Jr. said this on Ask Jr.’s weekly show via YouTube.

However, he did concede that he would have liked to be in Larson’s place if he were in the driver’s seat for the race at Bristol. “Oh, as a driver, I want to lap field. I want to like just pass everybody and dominate. I’m racing them while I go by, yeah, just crush them, everything.” Dale Jr. went onto add. But, as a fan, it was indeed a hard watch to see the cars just doing laps around the race track with no real purpose.

Larson, on the other hand, felt that the playoff race at Bristol was the one he preferred over the tire conservation event back in spring. “I was happy for sure because I know you guys probably think that the race in the spring was better, but as a driver, I would way rather run 100% all night long for 500 laps than run 50%. I don’t think that’s much of a race.” He said this after the race.

The fans unanimously voted against his opinion and termed the race as a bad NASCAR event. Only 27.2% felt that the race was good on Jeff Gluck’s pole he put out on X. But Larson clapped back at the fans, highlighting the real reason for a rather uneventful NASCAR race at the world’s fastest half-mile.

Kyle Larson takes a dig at the Next Gen car as Bristol tire talks overshadow his win

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The issues with the short-track package date back since NASCAR rolled out its newest invention, the Next Gen race car. One of the big criticisms of the car was the lack of passing opportunities; this was evident from the race in Bristol. NASCAR has tried to put a bandage on this wound with tire experiments, but there’s been little progress.

Seeing the fans trying to pin the blame on Goodyear, Larson was quick to shut down the noise, stating Bristol has been a tough track to pass, regardless of the tire change. “Bristol’s ALWAYS been tough to pass. Speed on pit road, and most likely there’s a good chance you’re going a lap down on the next run. That’s the way it is and has been for a very long time.” He shared this on his X account.

He even suggested that the spraying of PJ1 or resin didn’t alter the course of race. “I don’t have the answer to fix what we currently have and neither do you but please stop blaming Goodyear. It’s not a tire problem. And also, have any of you ran around Bristol with or without PJ1? Or resin for that matter. Yeah that’s right… so 🤐 Temper your expectations. We’re driving spec race cars.”

It will be interesting to see how NASCAR tackles this persisting issue with the short-track package. Any major changes or tweaks will be next seen at Martinsville.