Dale Jr. predicts lots of "slipping and sliding" at Richmond

“You’ll see guys really have a hard time getting the throttle down off the corner and looking for grip. It’s going to be as worse as it’s been in a long, long time and I think that’s great,” said Earnhardt, who won Saturday’s Xfinity Series race.

“I think that is going to create more opportunities to see more racing instead of all the single-file stuff where guys drive around and can’t really pass each other.”

I feel like I’m sliding all over the place, steering the car and driving the hell out of it

Dale Jr. on racing with the new aero package

Improved quality of racing

Sunday’s race is the first scheduled day race at Richmond since 1998. Last spring’s night race was postponed until Sunday afternoon by rain and several drivers – including Earnhardt – expressed their belief the quality of racing was better during the day.

“I think you’re going to see a lot of guys struggling for grip and some will be struggling much, much worse than others. The fast guys, when they’re up front, they’re going to be hard to pass,” Earnhardt said. “You’re going to have to take the good with the bad.

“There is going to be a lot of moving around and coming and going in the middle of the pack and maybe inside the Top 10. If we get a good, strong competitor with a good car out front, he’s going to be difficult to catch and run down. But they’ll be some good racing and passing and slipping and sliding throughout the pack.”

Earnhardt, who owns three career Cup wins at Richmond, said although few drivers found success with it in Saturday’s race, he expects several of his Cup competitors will try moving up the track to the top groove in search of more grip.

“You’re going to have some guys who can move around and some who can’t,” he said. “That’s going to create some opportunities for guys to make passes and make gains on each other and make passes on each other. It’s going to be slick.”

On the edge of control

Earnhardt has also been one of the vocal proponents of this season’s new low downforce aerodynamic package.

While he believes quality of racing has definitely improved, he understands the difficulties faced by drivers on the track may not be readily viewable by race fans watching on TV.

“I’ve been talking about this with some of my friends. At Texas and Bristol, I felt like I’m swatting at bees inside the car. I feel like I’m sliding all over the place, steering the car and driving the hell out of it,” Earnhardt said.

“Then you watch it on TV and it’s hard to see the movement of the car and how challenged the driver is as he drives the car through the corner. One of the cameras that captures it really well is the roof cam. You’re watching the guy in front and you can really seem him challenged and seeing him struggle with the car.”