NASCAR is a widely growing sport, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been at the forefront of it. From starting his podcast after retiring from racing to becoming one of the most important figures of American racing, Dale Jr. is one of the prime spokespersons for NASCAR. Fans who follow Dale Jr. are unique compared to most of NASCAR’s following, as they take the icon’s statements with great regard. So what is Dale Jr. up to this time that he has made headlines again?

As of now, NASCAR hosts races at 42 different tracks in the U.S. and Canada. However, more venues are being touched on as the sport flourishes. For fans who don’t have the opportunity to drive a race car, many turn to simulation racing. With NASCAR extending its reach, Dale Earnhardt Jr. came forward to endorse the inclusion of another raceway in the popular race car simulator, iRacing.

Recently, Dale Jr. put out a post on X and Instagram where he spoke about including more real-life tracks in the simulator. As Berlin Raceway finally won the battle, the venue’s official X page made a post stating, “The love for Berlin is special. The racers put on an incredible show. The passion and excitement are palpable throughout. It doesn’t get much better than this. Thank you, all.”

As a response to this, Dale Earnhardt Jr. retweeted the post and wrote, “We need an @iRacing scanner to visit you next.” While the Berlin Raceway has not been scanned by iRacing, its historic significance cannot be forgotten. The track first opened in 1950 after it was renovated from being a horse track during World War 2.

The Raceway is situated at Marne, and before the town was called so, it was named “Berlin.” However, that changed during the anti-German sentiment that followed World War 1, but in the end, the circuit continued with its original name. It was Chester Mysliwiec and the family that started a racing tradition at the track, initially known as an oval dirt track located within the Berlin Fairgrounds.

It officially opened for its first season in 1951. Later in 2008, the track was sold to businessman Michael Blackmer and underwent multiple renovations throughout the years. It was in 2016 that it became a NASCAR-sanctioned home track and has hosted six point divisions as well as multiple traveling series such as CRA Jegs, ARCA Super Series, and VROA.

This was not the only venue that Dale Earnhardt Jr. wanted to see in iRacing, as his other tweet dictated; he would like to see a one-mile dirt oval and Winchester Speedway make their way into the simulator. But guess what fans are already praising Junior for his approval.

One fan wrote, “Agreed this track races so good, and their fans def are some of the best in the country! Cmon @iRacing please make it happen!” One fan went on insisting Junior and NASCAR look at another track as he wrote, “Can you get IRacing to scan Nazareth to please. That track shouldn’t have been dropped from both NASCAR and IndyCar.”

And the demands didn’t just stop there, another user went on to add Talladega to the list, as he wrote, “I’d love to have Talladega Short Track, @tsthornetsnest, available on @iRacing some day. I raced there many times, from my preteen days into my early 20s, when it just became too expensive to race without stable sponsorship each week & a family to feed.” It is clear that fans do believe Junior has a say as well as an influence when it comes to decisions in NASCAR. Taking a similar sentiment, one fan went on to make a bold demand, and wrote, “We need a nascar E series that focuses exclusively on racing on tracks outside the US. Could call it the King of the Road series or something “

However, only time will tell if NASCAR, even via iRacing, will make an overseas debut or not. But this is Berlin’s moment. And, recently, at The Battle in Berlin, the Michigan-based Carson Hocevar won the race while beating Erik Jones. And here’s what the Battle at Berlin winner had to say about his performance.

Carson Hocevar’s take on his Berlin 250 win

The fact that a Cup-series rookie won the race has left everyone surprised. Carson Hocevar this year, has been a driver who made it into the spotlight a few times, but for all the wrong reasons. Hocevar found himself in hot water after a costly incident at the Ally 400 on June 30 as he was hit with a hefty $50,000 fine and docked 25 points for making contact with and spinning out Harrison Burton under caution. It’s not the first time Hocevar has been in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. The young driver has already built a bit of a reputation for controversy, with a history of on-track penalties during his three years in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

And, being a rookie driver with no Cup series wins might have left him disheartened. It was only after the Berlin 250 that Hocevar realized where he stood against other Cup-series drivers, as he managed to take out some experienced Berlin veterans.

Following the race, Hocevar spoke to Racing America, where he disclosed, “It’s pretty special to win here, and the biggest win of them all, here. Ah, it’s so big. This car was so fun to drive. Racing with Erik [Jones] and Bubba [Polard], obviously, those guys are super, super talented and their cars are really good.”

He further broke down his experience of the race and said, “I was just trying to hold off Bubba as long as I could to maybe keep myself on the front row for the last restart. When he gave me the bottom, I was shocked because I was like, ‘Maybe if I could just slide up and take his line away, I might be able to clear him,’ and that’s exactly what happened.” 

This win is not only huge for the driver, but Spire Motorsports also has a reason to celebrate. Do you think that Carson Hocevar can use this momentum to bring in a win in the Cup Series?