Dale Earnhardt Jr. outlined RAM’s path to the Cup Series with their strategic signing of Tony Stewart. The three-time NASCAR champion has been tapped for a Truck Series ride with Kaulig Racing at Daytona International Speedway.
Dodge RAM has filled three of its five-car lineup with Kaulig Racing, while the fourth seat is kept for a rotating roster of All-Star drivers. The OEM has also taken a unique approach for its fifth seat, leaving it up for grabs in a reality tryout show, Race for the Seat.
RAM has now announced its first all-star driver in Tony Stewart, who’s slated to drive Kaulig’s No.25 truck. Stewart shared that he agreed to the ride as he hadn’t driven a truck at Daytona.
On the latest episode of Dale Jr Download, Earnhardt called it a wild move on Stewart’s part, citing that he would’ve chosen a much slower track for his return. Nonetheless, Earnhardt believed it was all part of a broader vision.
“this is what Dodge wants to do,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said, “They want to create noise. They want to create a splash. This doesn’t work for Dodge by just building trucks, cars, going out and winning races.”
“They need the story. They need to be the big deal on social media. They need everybody talking about this. This is a start. That is the way that they’ll get their board and everybody at Dodge to help support financially what’s going to be required for them to get all the way back through the Cup Series,” he added. [39:00 onwards]
Tony Stewart also shared that RAM’s Free Agent Program will help him ‘stay sharp’. Notably, Stewart is also partnered with Dodge in his NHRA pursuits.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. credits Mark Martin for NASCAR’s return to ‘The Chase’
On the same episode of his podcast, Dale Earnhardt Jr. lauded Mark Martin’s effort to bring back a long-form championship format. Martin originally wanted a 36-race championship, but NASCAR found a middle ground to satisfy both ends of the spectrum.
Both Martin and Earnhardt voiced their opinions in the playoff committee, where they faced heavy opposition to the classic points system.
“Mark Martin obviously put his foot down right away,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said, “36 races is the way to go. There’s a credit given to Martin and it’s deserving because right away he was like this is the best way to do it and he never let off the gas. If Mark hadn’t been so adamant and stayed the course I don’t know that we would’ve gotten this far.” [13:30 onwards]
On his part, Mark Martin called the new championship format his ‘biggest win’ in NASCAR.
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