In NASCAR, overtime isn’t just extra laps; it is drama, strategy, and often chaos. Instituted to ensure caution-free finishes, the green-and-white checkered rule has ripped unpredictably into the closing moments of many races. Yet, as the sport evolves, so does the debate about whether this extension still serves its purpose in today’s high-stakes environment.
Some view overtime as the ultimate curtain call climax, a chance for redemption, heroics, and edge-of-your-seat action. Others view it as an unnecessary cost, a spectacle that prioritizes conflict over tradition and safety. As the 2025 season unfolds, one voice in particular stands out in questioning overtime’s merits, and that is none other than Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s.
Dale Jr. sounds off on overtime finishes in Xfinity and Truck Series
Overtime finishes in NASCAR, often referred to as a green-white-checkered finish, were introduced to allow races to end under green-flag conditions, maximizing competitive closure for fans. The modern system allows for unlimited restart attempts, a rule finalized in 2017 after critics decried earlier versions with capped ties or arbitrary overtime lines on the track. Under current rules, if caution emerges just before or during the final scheduled lap, the race extends beyond its advertised distance. The next restart leads to a white flag and the checkered flag, but only if the leader crosses the start/finish line clearly. Any crash before that point triggers another attempt.
The most recent Cup Series overtime drama occurred at Dover’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400. Denny Hamlin held off Chase Briscoe in double overtime, navigating two restarts to secure his fourth win of the season. The extension transformed a race schedule for 400 laps into a 407-lap marathon, underscoring overtime impact on strategy and outcome. However, in the Truck Series, the 2025 Mission 176 at Watkins Glen went into a thrilling triple overtime. Corey Heim held off fierce pressure through three nail-biting starts to claim his 6th win of the year, a dramatic reminder that overtime can turn already tight competition into high-stakes battles. And Dale Jr. is able to see the difference.
Speaking on his Dale Jr. Download, Jr. didn’t mince words. He came straight to the point and said, “So off overtime finishes. If I was in charge, I would not have overtime finishes in Xfinity or Truck. I don’t think it serves any real purpose other than presenting more opportunities to crash and tear up more stuff. The race cars and the trucks—those are $150,000 to $250,000 vehicles. And I think we lose sight of that.”
Wrecks in the NASCAR Truck Series often carry a heavier financial toll for teams compared to the Cup Series, largely because most truck teams operate with smaller budgets, fewer backup vehicles, and limited sponsorship. While Cup teams, backed by multimillion-dollar operations, can absorb damage costs and quickly rebuild or replace cars, truck teams may face repair bills that threaten their season plans or even their ability to compete in future events. The cost disparity is magnified by the fact that a single wreck can wipe out a significant portion of a truck team’s annual budget, making crashes far more devastating at that level than in the Cup Series.
Dale Jr. adds on, saying, “You can still have something in the Cup Series because we’ve had some messy Cup races, too. Wrecks are going to happen even without overtime finishes—big wrecks in the middle of races happen all the time. I think there’s a compromise. Personally, I don’t love overtime finishes at all. I like a race to end at the designated distance. It’s 400 miles; it ends at 400 miles. I’m very traditional, but I understand not everybody feels that way.”
Another factor driving up the relative cost of Truck Series is the limited availability of specialized parts and equipment, which can be harder to source for smaller teams. Many of these organizations rely on hand-me-down chassis or engines from larger Cup or Xfinity teams, meaning a heavy crash might require sourcing replacements that are already in short supply. Travel costs and resource allocation also hit harder; if a team’s primary Truck is totaled, it may have to skip a race entirely, forfeiting prize money and valuable championship points.
Moreover, the 50-year-old concludes his point by saying, “But I believe that for the Trucks and Xfinity, they could remove them entirely. In most cases, the Truck and Xfinity Series are companion events to the Cup Series and serve as a proving ground—a learning process for young drivers, mechanics, engineers, and everyone involved. It’s not a place where we need to be piling up and destroying half the field in the last handful of laps in the name of entertainment.”
Dale Jr. has offered his very strong opinion on this, amid Jr.’s driver making bold claims about the Next-Gen car. And speaking of Next-Gen cars, Jr. and Kyle Petty do not see eye to eye on that topic.
Dale Jr. and Kyle Petty’s disagreement about the NASCAR Next-Gen cars
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Petty each carry their family legacy and personal achievement in NASCAR, the sons of drivers who have carved out their own marks on the sport. Junior manages JR Motorsports and leads the media brand Dirty Mo Media, while Petty is celebrated for his racing career and heritage. When these two influential voices disagree, their exchanges naturally draw attention from fans and insiders alike.
Their latest clash revolves around the NASCAR Next-Gen car and its impact on competition. Speaking on the PRN Live podcast, Kyle Petty praised the current Cup Series cars, hailing their advanced design and the excitement they bring to their races. The 65-year-old said, “The NASCAR Next Gen car is a huge leap forward, so let’s embrace the change. Why cling to antiquated tech when the racing is only getting better? We’re seeing some spectacular stuff.”
But many drivers, media members, and fans have grown frustrated with the Next-Gen car, especially after recent events like Iowa Speedway’s NCS race, criticized for its lack of passing and on-track drama, and Watkins Glen, where Shane van Gisbergen cruised to victory with an 11.1-second lead for his fourth straight road course win. These results have fueled concerns that the car has hurt short-track and road course competition.
Junior, speaking on the Dale Jr. Download, echoed those criticisms. The 50-year-old openly admitted, “It’s a sports car, it’s not a NASCAR Stock Car. I read a lot of the dialogue online from people I respect. I believe what they say, and I see what I see with my own eyes. I want to say, I don’t love the Next-Gen car…but it’s here.” He has pointed out specific design elements, the diffuser, large rims, and low-profile tires, as making the vehicle feel more like an IMSA entry than your traditional NASCAR machine.
Petty, however, pushed back on that view. The counter says, “We don’t race stock cars, we race NASCARs. They’ve complained all along as the progression of the cars.” He knows that change has been a constant in the sport, and the critics have always voiced concerns through every era of car development. The public divide between Junior and Petty has amplified the fan debate over the Next-Gen car’s role in shaping NASCAR’s future.
For some, it represents innovation and a necessary step forward; for others, it is a departure from the essence of stock car racing. The disagreement mirrors NASCAR’s largest struggle to balance technological progress with preserving tradition, a conversation likely to remain at the center of the sport for years to come.
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