NASCAR president Steve Phelps has major plans in motion to bring in a new manufacturer to the sport, increasing the tally to four. While there hasn’t been any official announcements about the same, Phelps has adopted a “no bull****” approach when it comes to the plan’s execution. But for Dale Earnhardt Jr., the approach rings a cautionary bell.
Speaking on “Dale Jr. Download,” Earnhardt revealed that he thought the NASCAR president wasn’t bluffing. The same thinking has the 50-year-old worrying about how the sport will evolve.
Steve Phelps’ Approach Has Dale Earnhardt Jr. Worrying About Future
Per Earnhardt, given the sport’s prestige, more manufacturers will undoubtedly want to join the NASCAR grid. The on-track exposure would also play a vital role in selling production cars, adding to an Original Equipment Manufacturer’s (OEM) cause.
But the “main worry” lies in what the sport is willing to do for them. Earnhardt continued, “Oh man, I’m not going to like any of it. Is it hybrid engines? Is it less horsepower? Are those changes they would like? They’re probably not going to be changed that we want as fans.”
Phelps made his intentions clear when he spoke to Adam Stern in an earlier interview. The 62-year-old made it abundantly clear that they were having “robust discussions” with several OEMs about hitting the right thing with the right organization.
So far, he doesn’t know when or with whom the agreement will come — which is something the NASCAR president has said for quite some time. But this time, Phelps added that there was “no bull**** in the comment I just made.”
While Phelps refrained from giving a deadline to the addition of a new manufacturer, John Probst, NASCAR’s chief racing development officer, spilled the beans in an older interview.
Speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Probst claimed that the time for a new OEM addition was “somewhere in the 18-to-24-month period.” He added that the decision takes time because they need to ensure the new entrant complements those who are already competing in the field.
Currently, Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota are the only three manufacturers in NASCAR, thanks to Dodge’s exit from the grid back in 2012.
