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  • Dale Jr. on the Days of Thunder Sequel, the Suarez-Trackhouse Split, Petty's Atlanta Praise, and More

Dale Jr. on the Days of Thunder Sequel, the Suarez-Trackhouse Split, Petty's Atlanta Praise, and More

Welcome to Hoot in the Oval — your all-access pass to everything NASCAR. From Denny’s clutch finishes to Ross’s wild moves, Chase Elliott fandom to Bubba’s bold takes — we’ve got the stories that fuel the track and the timeline. Fast, loud, unfiltered. Buckle up, y’all. 🏁

The latest edition of our newsletter covers :

  • Dale Jr.’s thoughts on the Days of Thunder Sequel

  • Timing of the Split between Daniel Suarez and Trackhouse Racing

  • In-season tournament report after Atlanta

  • Kyle Petty praises Atlanta as the best track

🏁Inside the Oval

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Reveals What Will "Make or Break" the Days of Thunder's Sequel

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has his own views on what a potential Days of Thunder sequel needs to get right. Speaking on a recent episode of Dirty Air, he emphasized that the success of the second installment of the 1990 classic hinges on keeping Tom Cruise behind the wheel.

Junior stressed that a sequel without Cruise racing would fall flat. He compared it to the Rocky franchise, where Sylvester Stallone eventually moved into a mentor role in Creed — a shift that was tough for long-time fans to accept.

“Tom Cruise not in a race car for the entire movie doesn’t work for me… So he can’t be an owner… I would bring back all the original cast members and have them at least make a brief appearance in the movie if not have heavy roles,” said Dale Jr.

Junior acknowledged that new faces will be inevitable, drawing parallels to other sports films. “I feel like we are going to have to accept some younger cast members… There’s going to be this young driver… very similar to what we are seeing in this F1 movie, where you have the old guard and the new guard, right? I just can’t see any way around that. That will be a part that either makes or breaks the movie.”

For Junior, the sequel’s success will rest on balancing nostalgia with fresh energy — without sidelining its original star power.

🏁Insider Take

Why This Was the Perfect Time for Daniel Suarez and Trackhouse Racing to Part Ways

Like a rumored divorce, the signs were there for most of the first half of the 2025 NASCAR Cup season: Daniel Suarez and Trackhouse Racing were heading for a split.

On Wednesday, what many had expected to happen finally did, as both Suarez and Trackhouse released statements that they would go their separate ways at the conclusion of the current season.

Former crew chief turned broadcast analyst Steve Letarte hopped did a nearly 11-minute special edition NASCAR Inside The Race LIVE podcast on the breaking news. He believes the split would help both sides, although it’s still unclear where Suarez will land for the 2026 season (whether he will sign with another Cup team or return to the Xfinity Series).

Suarez was with Trackhouse from its start in 2021. His stint showcased NASCAR’s efforts to promote diversity and inclusion. And when singer/rapper Pitbull joined the organization as a part owner, it elevated Trackhouse even further. Pitbull left the team at the beginning of this season, which many saw as a prelude to Suarez’s eventual departure as well.

Letarte read part of the statement from team owner Justin Marks, which described what Suarez brought to the organization both on and off the track. He was instrumental in attracting a large Hispanic fan base.

"Justin Marks says the role that Daniel has played in the Trackhouse origin story and its first five years will remain a valued part of the company's history forever. He goes on to say that they are proud of his wins, his success, the growth of his brand, and his emergence as a valuable athlete in America's greatest motorsport. But most of all, Justin says that he's proud of him as a friend. I'm truly excited to see what awaits in the next chapter of his amazing career," said Letarte.

“Suarez [also] put out a statement. Suarez said that he's had some of his best years in the Cup series at Trackhouse. They've won races together, and he has gained some incredible friends. He goes on to say that he wishes Trackhouse nothing but the best. This 99 team will always be special to him, and as always, Daniel says the best is ahead,” added Letarte.

The split between Suarez and Trackhouse wasn’t necessarily a big surprise. Suarez said several weeks ago that he felt he would not be returning to Trackhouse, and also criticized how his team was performing. Fellow NASCAR analyst Mamba Smith joined Letarte and added his two cents.

“I think we all kind of knew this was coming,” Smith said. “We had Daniel Suarez on the Kevin Harvick Happy Hour podcast and he talked about this and he was like, it kind of seemed like he was ready for it to be over. So, I think this is kind of just a good way to part ways for everybody.”

Heading into Sunday’s street race in downtown Chicago, Suarez’s record at Trackhouse reads: Five seasons, 162 starts, two wins (Suarez’s first career Cup wins).

One of the likely key factors that led to his departure was how his average starting position (24.1) and average finish (21.2) this year have consistently dropped from one season to the next.

The averages are his worst since 2020, when Suarez had a disastrous year. The question now is who will replace Suarez? Trackhouse has a very deep bench of talent. But most observers already are saying one name: Connor Zilisch.

🏁 Trackside Trivia
(One stat. One year. Every edition.)

1982: NASCAR’s Greatest Imposter

In 1982, a mysterious driver named L.W. Wright bluffed his way into the Winston 500 at Talladega, claiming fake sponsors and racing credentials.

He qualified, started the race, and then disappeared — leaving unpaid bills and unanswered questions. To this day, his true identity remains unknown.

🗣️ Pit Politics

NASCAR In-Season Tournament: Which Drivers Are Left Standing After Devastating Round 1 at Atlanta?

NASCAR had such high hopes and expectations for the inaugural In-season Challenge.

The $1 million prize that would go to the driver who was the last man standing after the five-race (also called rounds) tournament concluded was expected to bring great publicity to the sanctioning body and the winning driver and team

Unfortunately, things did not go the way NASCAR officials had hoped. The first round of the tournament was held in Atlanta. Due to many major wrecks, including a 23-car “big one”, several of the sport’s top drivers were eliminated from the Challenge.

Among those who were essentially done were Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, William Byron, Ryan Blaney, and Kyle Larson. For those of you counting at home, that means that six of the top-10 ranked drivers were eliminated after wrecking at Atlanta.

While that’s bad for many of the sport’s big names, there’s also a good side: With most of the big names out, that leaves plenty of room for an underdog to come through the ranks and win the whole thing. Drivers like the two lowest Challenge qualifiers: No. 31 seed Noah Gragson or No. 32. Ty Dillon.

With 16 of the 32 drivers that began the Challenge now left to watch the outcome of the remaining four rounds from the sidelines, those still left in the hunt could go from zero to hero very easily.

Who are YOU picking? Will the 16 remaining drivers left in the Challenge be able to successfully navigate the Chicago Street Course race on Sunday? Who will be the eight drivers left standing after that race?

And yes, one other thing to mention: The first two editions of the Chicago Street Race were both impacted by weather — rain.

Guess what’s in the forecast for Sunday afternoon? Yep, you guessed it.

🎙️ Hoot’s Radio Chatter

Kyle Petty Hails Atlanta As the Best Track on the NASCAR Calendar

Kyle Petty isn’t afraid to challenge tradition. On the recent Kiss My A**phalt podcast, he called Atlanta Motor Speedway — now EchoPark Speedway — the “best track on the NASCAR calendar,” putting it above Daytona and Talladega despite his deep family ties to both.

Atlanta, once lumped in with the standard mile-and-a-half tracks, has carved out its own identity since its 2021 reconfiguration. “It busted out of its genre,” Petty said. “You don’t have to have 36 to 40 cars to have a great NASCAR race. In the final laps, we saw some of the best racing all year.”

The redesigned Atlanta offers a dynamic blend of pack racing and driver skill, forcing moves that aren’t possible at Daytona or Talladega. “This racetrack allows these drivers to do things here that they can’t do anywhere else,” Petty explained. “For me, the art of racing on this track is some of the best I see all year.”

Petty believes Atlanta now belongs in its own category entirely, distinct from both superspeedways and traditional intermediates. “Marcus Smith and those guys created a whole new category of racetracks,” he said. “They should race there every week as far as I’m concerned.”

Atlanta’s transformation may still divide fans, but for Petty, its rebirth marks the future of thrilling, strategy-heavy NASCAR racing.

🏁 Lap Back in Time: NASCAR Stat of the Year
(One stat. One year. Every edition.)

1973: Benny Parsons’s Lone Lead‑Lap Finish en Route to a Championship

In 1973, Benny Parsons won the NASCAR Winston Cup championship but only managed to finish on the lead lap in one race all season. His sole lead‑lap outing led to his only win that year.

His consistency throughout the season (15 top‑5s, 21 top‑10s) outweighed speed, leaving him as a champion with just a single lead‑lap race finish.