NASCAR has a problem that is not immediately visible when the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series cars line up for a race. The competition remains strong, but the machinery underneath those familiar bodies is getting harder to maintain. Finding replacement parts has become a growing concern, and NASCAR is now weighing what the series should look like in the years ahead. Dale Jr. believes the answer does not require starting over.
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“I proposed to SO and others that we do this: Keep the current car, but made with new parts from NASCAR specified companies,” his latest X post reads.
Earnhardt’s suggestion, shared on X, comes as NASCAR examines the future of its second-tier series. The organization has been looking at how long it can continue using the existing cars and what platform should replace them. However, the JR Motorsports co-owner wants NASCAR to preserve the basic design rather than introduce an entirely different machine.
His reasoning comes from the history of stock car racing. The current O’Reilly car uses a traditional setup, with a steel tube chassis, solid rear axle and truck-arm suspension. It is far removed from the Cup Series Next Gen architecture. Earnhardt traces the underlying concepts to older American stock cars.
“The general concept of a NASCAR cup car is a mid 1960s Chevrolet Chevelle front clip and a mid 1960s pickup truck suspension in the rear,” his post also added. “NASCAR teams spent decades refining this technology.”
Rather than discard that engineering knowledge, Earnhardt wants NASCAR to have designated manufacturers produce standardized replacement components. His list includes trailing arms, upper and lower control arms, spindles and other suspension parts. Teams would retain familiar mounting points and geometry while receiving newly manufactured equipment.
The transition would not have to happen overnight. Dale Jr. suggested phasing the components in over five years, giving teams time to replace older parts without absorbing the cost of an entirely new car at once.
There is also a bigger opportunity beyond the O’Reilly Series. Earnhardt believes the same components could eventually serve the Craftsman Truck Series, ARCA and Late Model Stock racing. A shared supply chain would give manufacturers a larger market while helping smaller teams find parts that are becoming increasingly difficult to source.
That concern is not limited to the older cars. Earnhardt also pointed to a problem created by the Next Gen introduction in 2022. Cup teams once had a market for used hubs, suspension components, and drivetrain parts after those pieces reached the end of their Cup careers. The newer car disrupted that traditional route, leaving fewer opportunities for older Cup components to continue competing elsewhere.
He recognizes why some people might want the other national series to adopt Next Gen components. Cup teams would gain another market for their used equipment. However, Dale Jr. fears that approach could push the O’Reilly Series away from the architecture that gives it a distinct identity.
Steve O’Donnell addressed the question during NASCAR’s November 6 State of the Sport press conference. He confirmed that John Probst and his team are studying available parts, their long-term supply, and the economics of whichever platform NASCAR chooses. The work has involved discussions with teams over the past two years, but O’Donnell said there was no direct answer yet.
He also stressed that NASCAR wants to avoid the expense of another car generation. His comments suggest the organization is looking for a sustainable path, not simply a new design. Dale Jr.’s five-year proposal gives that discussion a concrete alternative: keep the familiar car, replace what is becoming scarce, and let the same parts support racing beyond the national series.
For now, NASCAR has made no decision. But the question is no longer just how to build the next O’Reilly car. It is whether the sport can modernize its existing machinery without losing the stock car foundation that made the series recognizable.
