Dale Earnhardt Jr. does not want to see the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series go electric in the future.
In the wake of John Probst, NASCAR’s Executive Vice President, proposing the idea of the circuit going to a CUV-style body, Earnhardt Jr. had some strong comments about the situation.
During the most recent episode of “Dale Jr. Download,” the 15-time Most Popular Driver explained how a move to electric vehicles could ruin the identity of the series.
Dale Jr. on moving to electric cars: ‘Would destroy the series’
Earnhardt Jr.’s belief that the change to electric cars and the CUV-style body is “absolutely” something NASCAR is looking at as a possibility.
The former Hendrick Motorsports driver said the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series has a lot of positive things happening right now. Viewership is on the rise, he said, and the current O’Reilly car is one everyone can “relate” to.
Making a switch to electric cars would be a major detriment to all that, the JR Motorsports owner believes.
“I think making a switch to anything unlike what we have would be a massive, massive mistake,” Earnhardt Jr. said.
The retired NASCAR star doubled down on how the NOAPS is prospering. Along with the rise in viewership, he said the series has a great relationship with The CW, its TV partner, and excellent fan engagement.
With a switch to electric cars, Earnhardt Jr. fears for the future of the series. On top of that, Earnhardt Jr. made it known his organization would not appreciate the switch.
“I think any kind of change like that, dramatic as that would be, would destroy the series as we know it. I would not be interested in that [and] I don’t think JR Motorsports would be interested in that,” Earnhardt Jr. said.
NASCAR’s CUV-style body proposal: ‘On the roadmap to consider’
The debate surrounding the electric cars came after a statement released by Probst on Tuesday.
While no move to electric cars with a CUV-style body has been put in motion, it is something Probst said NASCAR is considering.
In a statement shared by Adam Stern on X, Probst explained how the electric cars would give the NOAPS its own identity.
“Long term, you see it as, we do have that CUV body that we developed for our electric vehicle. I’m not sitting here saying today we’re breaking news, it’s going to CUV, but these are the things that are on the roadmap to consider, so you’d have a Truck, a CUV, and a Cup, that’s three very different bodies that are relevant for our OEMs today to create that brand identity for each series,” Probst said.
The NOAPS has already been under a few major changes in the last few years.
Ahead of the 2025 season, The CW became the exclusive TV home for the series. Prior to the 2026 season, O’Reilly Auto Parts came aboard as the title sponsor for the circuit.
The series was previously the NASCAR Xfinity Series from 2015-2025. Before Xfinity, it was the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Dale Jr. Takes Issue With NASCAR’s Electric Car Proposal