Dale Earnhardt Jr Selfishly Demands Alterations in NASCAR’s Latest “Big Ticket Item,” Inspired by Compatriot Denny Hamlin

“I think it’s gonna catch on like wildfire”—that’s what Dale Earnhardt Jr had to say about Denny Hamlin’s Bracket Challenge last season. Citing that this ‘sh** was about to go off’, Junior was a firm believer in the mid-season tournament. Fast-forward to 2024, and his predictions have certainly come true. NASCAR recently announced an official in-season competition for their new media rights deal starting in 2025 with TNT.

Apart from giving fans a glorious treat in Atlanta, the competition will bestow one talented (and lucky) driver with a reward of $1 million. That being said, Dale Earnhardt Jr wanted to test out his luck with predicting the future of the in-season tournament before it even began, listing out a few thoughtful suggestions.

One piece of advice for NASCAR’s ‘phenomenal’ idea

When Denny Hamlin surprised the NASCAR world with his bracket challenge and gave rise to a new format, many fans expected the sport to catch on sooner rather than later. And it seems like that is certainly the case. As it turns out, NASCAR has not only taken inspiration from Hamlin but also from his 23XI Racing co-owner, Michael Jordan. With many parallels to the NBA and soccer leagues that host in-season tournaments, NASCAR will kick things off with the last three races of the Amazon Prime Deal.

Over these races, 32 drivers will be seeded for the bracket tournament, which is set to begin at Atlanta Motor Speedway (the first venue of the TNT leg). Throughout the next five races, these drivers will be put head-to-head in brackets in an elimination setup. Which means it’s winner-take-all. This is what Dale Earnhardt Jr believes is the biggest factor that fans should look forward to.

He shared on SiriusXM’s NASCAR Radio, “I think that’s phenomenal. A million dollars is a lot of money. Before this, we had one chance at a million dollars for the All-Star event. Outside of the championship, that was the big ticket item on the table for the drivers, and now we’ve got two of those. So it’s creating opportunities for the drivers to find some motivation in other areas outside of just going for this championship at the end of the year. So I think it’s really cool.”

That being said, Junior also highlighted some areas for improvement. Apart from the significant monetary benefits that the tournament comes with, Junior feels that NASCAR needs to raise the stakes even higher. He added, “My hope, selfishly, is that in years to come, this would allow a driver a first-round buy-in into the playoffs or something sort of tangible that he can use in the playoffs. That would really make this tournament more important for the teams and owners as well. So, it’ll be fun to see how it plays out too.”

According to Junior, adding an element of playoff points or a guaranteed spot would make things more interesting for both fans and teams. With not just a million dollars but also important points on the line, teams and drivers would need to prioritize one or the other. This, in turn, would create a far better strategy in those five races, making it a mini-series of sorts. With that being said, Junior is highly anticipating the in-season tournament next year.

As for the fans, TNT and NASCAR’s media rights deal has granted one of the most requested wishes of the community.

Atlanta Motor Speedway officials are pleased to embrace the moonlight

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After a year of absence, night racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway will finally be back in action next season. According to reports, Atlanta’s Quaker State 400 is scheduled to take place at night during the summer and will also serve as the first race of the In-Season Tournament. But that’s not all. 2025 will also be the first time Atlanta Motor Speedway hosts a playoff race, which will be held in September with the Ambetter Health 400.

That being said, the talk of the town has been Atlanta’s return to night racing. While the officials had been trying their best to accommodate a night race, the perfect opportunity didn’t arrive until the TNT media deal was announced. According to Executive Vice President and General Manager of AMS, Brandon Hutchison, the deal allowed the speedway to answer the community’s call.

Hutchinson was quoted by NBC: “We’ve heard our fans loud and clear. We know that they wanted the night race back. We were excited to even be able to consider being able to give that to them. Then with TNT — a hometown broadcast partner, home track, the first season of the in-season bracket tournament, and the first time that’s ever been held in NASCAR — we feel that … June 28, 2025, is going to be a very exciting time to be at Atlanta Motor Speedway.”

And it wasn’t just the executives who showcased excitement for the coming race. Kyle Larson also reportedly looks forward to the million-dollar prize, citing that it will be a major priority for the HMS teams. That being said, do you think Dale Earnhardt Jr’s wishes to see a more tangible reward will be granted?