Dale Earnhardt Jr. sits down with NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer to discuss the current state of NASCAR officiating, the NextGen car, tires, and more while also taking A deep dive into Sawyer’s own career as a driver. The conversation begins with Sawyer’s early days behind the wheel and the story behind meeting Elton’s now wife and former race car driver, Patty Moise. The two discuss his time racing in the Busch Series, along with his shortrun racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. Sawyer breaks down the end of his racing career and his transition to working on the competition side of the sport.

Sawyer then provides a “peek behind the curtain” and shares what his daytoday looks like as the SVP of Competition. Sawyer explains the role of a race director, how NASCAR evaluates penalties, and how the appeals process works. He also breaks down what caused the tires at Bristol to react the way he did, shares what they hope to achieve with multiple tire compounds at the AllStar Race, and reveals the potential of Hybrids breaking into the sport.

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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and Background
02:05 Transition from Racing to NASCAR
03:05 The Challenges of Short Track Racing
06:21 Racing Stories with Patty Sawyer
08:43 Tension in Racing
11:35 The Decision to Focus on Racing
13:27 The Finesse of Short Track Racing
15:54 The Dedication Required in Late Model Racing
50:13 Transitioning from Race Car Driver to Managing Director
54:05 Understanding the Sport and DecisionMaking Process
56:30 Challenges of Working in Race Control
01:00:45 The Role of Communication and Teamwork in Race Control
01:03:36 Making Difficult Decisions as a Race Director
01:05:15 The Role of the Appeals Panel in NASCAR
01:08:08 The Development of the NextGen Car
01:08:37 Collaboration Between Stakeholders in the Industry
01:15:14 The Potential for New Manufacturers and Hybrid Technology
01:16:41 Challenges of Officiating and Making Decisions in NASCAR
01:27:36 Improving Short Track Racing Through Tire Management and Track Treatment