NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. has reacted to reports that the sport will move back to having two oval races at Charlotte this year.
The Athletic report that the 2018 decision to run the season's second Charlotte race on the road-oval hybrid track will be reversed, giving the Charlotte Motor Speedway a second oval race, with fans responding positively to the news.
The decision means that there will only be four road courses on the 2026 schedule, down from six last year with the Roval and Mexico City off the calendar, and the Chicago street race being replaced by a special race at Coronado Naval Base.
It also means that there will not be a single road course in the 10-race Chase this year, with the final road race of the year being held on the last weekend in June at Sonoma, with the entire second half of the season being oval races.
Dale Jr.: Take advantage of oval popularity
The 1.5 mile Charlotte oval has become increasingly popular with fans since the introduction of the Next Gen car, while the Roval has fallen increasingly out of favor with viewers and drivers.
Earnhardt took to social media on Monday after the report came out, backing the move and admitting that he doesn't especially care that the Chase will be free of road courses.
"The Roval will always be there when they want to bring it back," he said. "The oval has been solid recently. No reason not to take advantage of that.
"One may complain about the lack of road courses in the Chase. It makes zero difference to me either way."
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