EXPLAINED: Dale Earnhardt Jr Reveals Why NASCAR Cars Have Imitation Headlights

NASCAR is one of the most popular sports in the United States. As a stock car series, there is a lot of emphasis on the ‘stock’ factor. Often during races, there are times when the races run into the night, or they start at night itself. In this kind of scenario, there is a concern about visibility, so the tracks are quite well-lit.

However, it does beg the question about the need for headlights that are present on the car.

According to Dale Earnhardt Jr, “They’re not lights, they’re decals that look like lights but they do little things that will make the NASCAR cars look like real cars so fans will eventually go to the dealership and buy a Ford or a Chevy because they’ve seen them winning. They say “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.”

Why does NASCAR engage in this practice?

As Dale Jr put it, one of the manufacturer’s primary aims is to sell cars. The NASCAR stock cars practically resemble the average road car, and the headlight stickers fulfill that very purpose. While the NASCAR cars are completely different beasts under the hood, they are the same as their road counterparts, physically.

So when the sport sees drivers and teams win a race or the championship, the respective cars receive a big boost in sales. Since the speedways have floodlights lighting up the track, car headlights are a little redundant. Additionally, in the event of a wreck or the cars bumping into each other, the lights may break. This will obviously create a hazard on the track and there is a risk of punctures.

Another factor pertains to the cars’ weight, and the lights add unnecessary weight. So in order to try to save weight, the lights have to go, and the stickers are a good compromise. This also applies to the Xfinity and the Truck Series cars as well.

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