{"id":1331033,"date":"2021-03-05T14:07:42","date_gmt":"2021-03-05T19:07:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1331033"},"modified":"2023-09-27T16:35:45","modified_gmt":"2023-09-27T20:35:45","slug":"dale-earnhardt-jr-and-martin-truex-jr-dont-hide-their-feelings-on-how-the-crop-of-young-drivers-is-dramatically-affecting-nascar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/dale-earnhardt-jr-and-martin-truex-jr-dont-hide-their-feelings-on-how-the-crop-of-young-drivers-is-dramatically-affecting-nascar\/","title":{"rendered":"Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Martin Truex Jr. Didn't Hide Their Feelings on How the Crop of Young Drivers Has Dramatically Affected NASCAR"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If there was ever any question about a youth movement in NASCAR<\/a>, Chase Elliott definitively answered it in 2020 when he became the third-youngest driver<\/a> ever to win the Cup Series championship just days shy of his 25th birthday. Then, during the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, two of the three races were won by drivers in their mid-20s: Christopher Bell and William Byron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dale Earnhardt Jr.<\/a> retired from full-time competition in 2018. Before he left, he could see a growing wave of youth entering the ranks. During a 2021 episode of the\u00a0Dale Jr. Download<\/em>\u00a0podcast, Earnhardt offered his thoughts on how the youth movement has dramatically affected the sport from top to bottom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2017 Cup Series champion, Martin Truex Jr. — a NASCAR old-timer at just 40 at the time — was asked about the younger competition in an interview. He provided some interesting thoughts of his own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dale Earnhardt Jr. part of youth movement, grooming young drivers in Xfinity Series<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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