NASCAR’s golden years were defined by the raw style of “The Intimidator” himself, Dale Earnhardt Sr. Back in his heyday, the sport was booming, and a lot of that had to do with the freedom teams had in setting up their cars. One example? The spoiler angle. Teams could tweak it to their advantage, making things even more exciting for both drivers and fans.

But as safety concerns grew, NASCAR took control, and with that came more regulations. Spoilers, for example, became fixed for all teams. While the intention was to level the playing field, many fans and drivers—like Dale Earnhardt Jr.—feel it’s been more of a buzzkill than a benefit. Recently, Junior’s thrown some fuel on this fire, reigniting the debate about how much regulation is too much.

Check out the spoiler angle on Dale Sr.’s car

Parity has its benefits and losses. It brings the field so close that it might become difficult to pass the cars. So some might argue that we are losing out on the fun of racing and thrill. But at the same time, it also allows smaller teams to stay competitive and fight with the top dogs on a level playing field.

The reason we are discussing this is because a fan found a picture of the iconic Dale Sr’s #3 black and silver Goodwrench car. But what piqued his interest was the particular angle of the spoiler on that car. It’s much lower than what we are used to seeing nowadays in NASCAR. The caption on the X post read, “What is the angle of that rear spoiler set at?” Here, take a look:

Dale Earnhardt Jr., always the historian and voice of reason, jumped into the conversation. In a cheeky reply, he said, “They don’t let em have this kind of fun anymore.”

What Junior is referring to is the old days when teams had some wiggle room to adjust their spoilers. Back in the ’80s, they could even lay their spoilers flat on Superspeedways—though only during qualifying. By race time, they’d usually lift them back up. But the point is: there was a choice.

Through the years, NASCAR tightened the rules. By the ’90s, the minimum spoiler angle was 40 degrees. In the early 2000s, NASCAR mandated a 70-degree angle for tracks like Daytona and Talladega. That rule stuck, and we’re still seeing the same 70-degree spoiler today.

With today’s tech, even if NASCAR loosened up and allowed for adjustable spoilers, most teams would probably stick to the same setup to stay competitive. But the idea of having the option and the fun that comes with it is what’s missing. It would have been fun to see who can create enough grip in the cars to get away with a lower spoiler angle.

Since we are on the subject, did you know that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not a big fan of the spoilers itself?

Why doesn’t Dale Earnhardt Jr. like spoilers?

It turns out, Dale Jr. isn’t just against regulation. He’s also not a fan of the spoilers themselves. In an episode of his Dale Jr. Download podcast that aired in 2020, he explained how the giant spoilers lead to more aggressive driving and blocking on the track.

He had said, “[All the blocking we see in the races] is because of the giant spoiler on the car. I’m sorry. The spoiler creates such big runs from the guys behind them … The runs are so plentiful. The runs are so aggressive. The ability to push and shove because of the wake of the spoiler. You’re just running over the leader, really, and he’s doing everything he can to keep you behind him.”

But it’s not just the technical aspect. Dale Jr. doesn’t like the look of the spoilers either. “I’m not a big fan of the spoiler, the aesthetics of it. It’s just not fun to look at, and I can’t imagine being in a car and having to stare at that thing the entire race. It would just make me grind my teeth out of my head,” he added. In 2022, NASCAR announced a separate spoiler package for superspeedways and road courses as per the Next-Gen cars. The longer 7-inch spoilers were for tracks like Talladega, meanwhile, mile-and-a-half tracks could use spoilers up to 4 inches long.

What do you think about the spoilers? Should they be adjustable? Or should we ditch them altogether? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!