"They’re just not willing to do the work" - Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the "disappointing" state of racecar drivers in today's era

Dale Earnhardt Jr. feels that just raw talent alone doesn't deliver success in the competitive arena of NASCAR today. The Hall of Famer believes it is the work that a driver puts in throughout the week that ultimately matters, and that not everyone is willing to put in the effort.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a semi-retired stock car driver based in Mooresville, North Carolina, and the son of the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. Dale Jr. won 26 races in the Cup Series which ranks him 32nd on the all-time wins list alongside Fred Lorenzen. Junior is also a two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion (1998, 1999).

In a recent episode of his podcast, Dale Earnhardt Jr. spoke with Josh Wise about the current state of race car drivers. Wise currently serves as a trainer for Chevrolet's development program and also mentors development drivers at Pinnacle Racing Group in the ARCA platforms.

"Performance is important," Junior told Wise. "The pure ability and talent has to be there of course, but I got no time for somebody who doesn't live it on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. When you're not determined and serious and trying to figure out how to get better during that part of the week... there's too many that are willing to do it."

"So the ones that even have all this raw ability but just don't give the work in are getting challenged now. It's disappointing. You'll find these guys; they're just not willing to do the work, but you really like this guy. And you really can see what he's capable of if he'd pull it together. So, it's heartbreaking sometimes," he added.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. co-owns JR Motorsports with his sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller and Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick. The three-time Championship winning team fields four full-time entries in the Xfinity Series. JRM's Justin Allgaier won Saturday's (August 17) Cabo Wabo 250 at Michigan International Speedway.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. defends NASCAR following controversial Richmond finish

Austin Dillon wrecked Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin and Team Penske's Joey Logano en route a win in last week's Cup event at Richmond Raceway. Many considered Dillon's move to be egregiously wrong, and NASCAR subsequently made a decision on the matter.

As per Wednesday's announcement, the Richard Childress Racing driver was allowed to keep the win but his playoff spot was taken away. Moreover, he was docked 25 points and his spotter, Brandon Benesch, received a three-race ban.

Although NASCAR received a lot of criticism for how long they took to deliver the final verdict, Dale Earnhardt Jr. saw nothing wrong with it. The 49-year-old said on his podcast:

"We criticize NASCAR often about decisions they make, and I know everybody was wondering about why this was taking so long. There are a lot of things that are involved in making a decision like this. Not only do you have to feel like you're making the right decision in the moment, but you also have to think about the collateral damage or the ill-intended repercussions of this decision."

"So, I think it's wise for them to take their time to make sure they get it right instead of trying to rush to the decision that they believe the public demands," he added.

Richard Childress Racing has appealed to NASCAR to revoke the penalty and return Austin Dillon's playoff spot. NASCAR has confirmed that the appeal will be heard on Wednesday.