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By Alex Harrington
Sports Contributing Writer
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Dale Earnhardt Jr., former NASCAR driver and current analyst, recently addressed the criticism surrounding last weekend's Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.
The event, which returned to Bowman Gray after 53 years, drew plenty of attention, bringing praise, but also criticism from sports fans Despite its success in terms of viewership and attendance, the clash was followed by mixed reviews, which led Earnhardt to discuss his frustration during his podcast, the Dale Jr. Download.
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Bowman Gray Stadium, known as "The Madhouse," is the oldest NASCAR weekly track, hosting since 1949. Its return as the host of the 2025 Clash saw it replace the previous year's LA Coliseum event.
This appearance helped NASCAR reconnect with its roots and drew an impressive 3.08 million viewers, a substantial increase compared to the 1.51 million who tuned in for the 2024 event at the LA Coliseum. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was one of many advocating for the event to take place at Bowman Gray.
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During his podcast, Dale addressed the mixed reactions.
"So the race is happening. I've got me and you were in a group text with some friends, right? These are friends that have been race fans for years, years," he said. "And I was really surprised by the reaction that they had, and I tend to take these little examples and assume that this is not just isolated to this text message.
"Maybe there's a lot of people that feel this way," he said.
These reactions included complaints that the race was too rough and took too long, especially the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ), which featured multiple cautions and chaotic driving.
"Now I know there were a lot of people that loved what they saw. But I know there were some people that were a little bit shocked.
"They were saying that it was too rough. Too rough. Too many laps. It took too long to run the last chance race," he added.
To some, the main event was too dull, with long stretches of green-flag laps leaving little room for excitement. Dale noted:
"Then you got what you wanted, I guess, in the main event because the majority of the back half of the main event was nothing but just green flag laps and cars just kind of (going)."
His frustration boiled over as he addressed the unrealistic expectations:
"What the f**k do you want? This ain't walking in and have it your way, motherf**ker. All right? This ain't Burger King."
The move to Bowman Gray seemed like a move to blend nostalgia with current expectations. Yet, as the LCQ issues showed, critics were divided on how well this approach worked.
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"I am so annoyed. This was like the perfect example of, 'Oh, I don't like that' and that's like the two extremes happening in the very same weekend.
"And both the same group of people complained about how silly the last chance race was and how boring the back half of the feature was.
"I'm like, gah man, can't win. You've got to take the good with the bad," Dale vented.
In an attempt to guide fans to a balanced perspective, he continued:
"Be like me, all right? Be like me. Let me tell you, be like me. I didn't love the main event. I wanted them to be more physical. I wanted that. They weren't.
"But I'm not going to poopoo on the whole thing because I didn't get exactly what I wanted in the main event."
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