The Dale Jr. Download - Becoming Earnhardt 1980 Vol. 4 - Jake Packs His Suitcase

Episode Date: December 22, 2025

Imagine being a sophomore, leading the NASCAR points with Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough breathing down your neck. That was Dale Earnhardt’s reality in May of 1980. He and the Osterlund Team are fresh off back-to-back wins in hot pursuit of more trophies, but the competition is heating up. The young outfit gets a lesson in stock car excellence from Buddy Baker and Waddell Wilson, as Dale has a rematch with the Gray Ghost at Talladega. After a quiet race at Nashville and an engine failure at Dover, things begin boiling over in the 2-car’s garage.As the Cup Series returns home for World 600 weekend, there was a tension you could cut with a knife between team management and legendary crew chief Jake Elder. The decision is made to turn their focus away from their Cup program to run the Mello Yello 300 Late Model Sportsman race, and Jake declares he’s had enough. To make matters worse, the weekend proves disastrous when a cut tire dashes Dale’s hopes of a hometown victory and slashes his points lead in half. The next day, Dale and the Osterlund team get a harsh reminder of why they call Jake Elder: “Suitcase”.FanDuel: Must be 21+ and present in select states (for Kansas, in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino) or 18+ and present in D.C. First online real money wager only. $5 first deposit required. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable bonus bets, which expire 7 days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG. Call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat in Connecticut, or visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit GamblingHelpLineMA.org or call [phone] for 24/7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8HOPE-NY or text HOPENY in New York. Check out Dirty Mo Media on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DirtyMoMedia  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The following is a production of Dirtymoe Media. This episode of Becoming Earnhardt is brought to you by Bass Pro Shops, North America's premier outdoor and conservation company. Plan your next adventure at a Bass Pro Shops near you or online at BassPro.com. Later in the episode, my sister Kelly shares her unique perspective on life with dad away from the racetrack. Now buckle up. Here's a brand new episode of Becoming Earnhardt, presented by Bass pro shops.

Richard gets got on me a little bit last year about Michigan and and it was, I took it very well and it was very, you know, he was in the right when he said something to him about it. And it's more or less like a father talking to his son. So it made me feel good if the man respects me enough to let me know what I do wrong. At this point in our story, that might be second guessing the price of starting. The man's like him. He's an exciting new driver. He doesn't waste any time back in the field.

Now, he's fresh off a run-in with Richard Petty. Oh, Petty gets bang, two cars. All of a sudden, Dale will come in and hit me pretty hard. And the pressure of running well on a weekly basis is setting in. It is a tough break indeed for Dale Earnhardt and a bitter pill to swallow this afternoon after having one of the best seasons ever for a young sophomore driver. On track mistakes, pit road blunders, engine failures. They've reduced his points lead to just 61 points.

The team desperately needs. a rally to finish the season on a strong note. Earnhardt is running 16th and he is 12 laps down. The car is running, but it is missing very badly, and that is smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. Roland Wallatica, the team manager, Porter just throws his hands up. But Dad and the Oshelan team are about to face their greatest challenge,

and they're going to get a grim reminder of why Jake Elder earned the nickname suitcase jake i feel more lax you know because uh i feel like i got a driver has got the spirits and he comes in to have me what the car is doing then i can go ahead and fix it you know and uh so right now i think everything's gonna be all right you know if we can run competitive in competitively in the top five and win our share of races this year the points will come you know so we don't we're not really worried about the points that much it's nice to be leading them or nice to be up front in the top one or two. But if you're not, we're not going to worry about it until it gets on down and end of the season,

then you can take a look at him because all the, you know more of what's going on with the last of the season and everything. So right now we've got races to win and run right now, and the points, you know, they'll come to him. Dad may be leading the points, and he's got a couple of wins, but it hasn't been an easy road so far. Just diving on the pit road a moment ago with smoke trailing from the car. Dale Earnhardt and get in the brakes, but back off. Erdard slides on the pit road.

We thought if anybody would come back in, it would be Baker. You may remember times when the pit crew came up short and crucial moments, such as the final stop at the Daytona 500. The crew, Ostraland crew, swarms over Ernard's car. Now back on pit road for left side tires and they continue to fill the car up. The team also has had some engine failures, which wasn't uncommon back in the day, but if you wanted to win a championship, you had to limit those as much as you can.

This happened in the twin 125s. During Atlanta qualifying, they had some problems, and at Darlington and April during the race. You speak of Dale Earnhardt. We've caught him here for just a moment before the green comes out. Dale's a tough break there today. Yeah, it was.

The car's running real good. I wasn't really pushing the car right then, and all of a sudden it just something broken in. It's really bad for the team. And then there's Dad, whose aggressive driving style has annoyed the competition and at times cost the team some opportunities at good finishes. The bumping and bagging started on the opening green flag when Dale Earnhardt got a little hard into the first turn.

He got into Richard Petty and eight cars went around. As we roll into the month of May, Dad and the Australon team are looking for a reset after a rough April. At Talladega, a rematch from the Daytona 500 is going to unfold. Buddy Baker and the Grey Ghost versus Dad. and his young, number two, Austerlund Oldsmobile. Well, good afternoon, everyone, from Alabama International Motor Speedway. It's the Winston 500. It's fast becoming the most exciting stock car race in the world, and it's no wonder.

Going into the Winston 500 today, it's a close one. Dale Earnhardt leads Darrell Waltrip by 61 points. Now, that sounds like a lot, but it could be wiped out this afternoon, should Earnhardt have a bad finish, and Walter have a good one. The fourth starter is the Winston Cup point standing leader. Earnhardt of Canapolis, North Carolina. Outside front row position in number two, Buddy Baker, Charlotte, North Carolina will start

the Napal-Ridal Rydelsmobile, and that is a starting field for the 11th annual Winston 500. We are 200 yards from the start of green in the Winston 500. Here it is. As they dive into the first turn, Buddy Baker, David Pearson, lead them down into the corner. Now Yarborough will drop back into fourth place

as Dale Earnhardt takes third. First lap, Baker goes all away to the bottom of the racetrack, and he will lead the first lap for the Winston 500, Earnhardt scoots to second, bonnet challenges for third in turn one. We see them pushing Darrell Walter's car back down pit road. So trouble for the Gatorade Oldsmobile of Darrell Walter. He has not been happy here all week. The car has not performed to expectation.

Last year's winner of this race, Bobby Allison is not going to be racing anymore today. Bobby, what's the problem? Well, a clutch store up in the car, which is a very unusual situation. Richard Petty is on pit road. Let's go to Jerry Punch. Dale Limit and the penny crew are working around the STP Oldsmobile. They've raised the hood on the car. They also raised the deckle.

And now they've told Richard to cut the engine off and they're pushing the car slowly back up pit road. And right now, Buddy Baker and Dale Earnhardt have set sail and pulled away from Cale Jarborough by about four seconds. The two cars fall tooth and nail into the late stages of the race. Now, on lap 155, both cars are going to make their final pit stops. Leaders are on pit road. Buddy Baker and Dale Earnhard down pitting nose.

to tell here on pit road Baker's crew going to the right side of the machine and will change the right side rubber on the Napa regal right old bill as well the Earnhardt car changing right side rubber in is down and away Baker's crew will change the left side tires as well but Earnhardt is away 15.4 seconds. Jake Elder will elect to take two tires to win dad the race off of pit road and give him a lot of track position whereas Waddell Wilson kept Buddy Baker on pit road for a full four-tire stop Buddy Baker says, I got to admit I was a little upset about changing four when I came out of the pits and Dale was nowhere in sight. Let's go to the pits and Ned Jarrett. Barney, we're standing by behind the pits of Dale Earnhardt.

I asked Jake Elder with the crew chief on that car, why just two? He said, well, we can run as fast on the worn left side tires as we could if we put all four on. He said we wanted to break away from him, break that draft if we could, says he can go the rest of the distance now without making another pit stop. And right now with Earnhardt holding the commanding advantage, should Baker be able to chase him down, there might only be a lapar so remaining. Standing five with Wadale Wilson, the crew chief on that car. It looks like he's gaining a little bit on Dale at this point, Wadale.

Still time left. I don't know if we can continue cutting it down like we are or not just. He chose to change only two tires. You changed all four. After he went back out and you had that deficit, did you think that maybe you made a mistake? No. If I had to do it over again, I'd do the same thing

because I knew we could go the distance on four tires and two was questionable, and I'll not take a chance on a driver's life. With the laps that remained, the question is whether or not Buddy Baker can run down Dale Earnhardt. You can throw the binoculars on the two cars and get both cars in the view right now as Buddy Baker cuts it to 15 car lanes. Make it 14 and now down to 10 car lanes on the back straightaway. And forget the interval because Baker closes in turn three. Youth versus experience, Earnhardt, a much younger driver than Buddy Baker who's done this so many times before.

Here comes Buddy Baker. Buddy would come out 16 seconds behind Dad, but he would track him down, and with two laps to go, pass Dad to win by a few hundred feet. A challenge to the lead. Off the number two turn. Buddy Baker goes downstairs, side by side with Dale Earnhardt.

Midway down the back, straight away, still two abreast. Earnhardt is right there. Baker, then Earnhardt by a car link as they go for the finish line. Buddy Baker will have to drive in the rearview mirror as much as he does in the front. Here comes Earnhardt down to the bottom of the racetrack as they come across the line. He's there, but he misses by just about a half of car length. Dale Earnhardt finishing second. Give this young driver all the credit in the world. He put everything he had in it.

Just couldn't do it of just about a three feet separating first and second as they came across the line. Dad's going to have to settle for another discouraging runner-up finish to the gray ghost. Dale, do you feel like that you could have caught buddy? I tried my best. He just had a little more horsepower, I reckon. My car was working good as he was, but I just didn't have enough to get back by him once he passed me. Do you feel like you should have started your acceleration earlier and tried a little harder? I was accelerating all the way around or I never did let off of it.

It's remarkable, though, that the Austin crew can find so much Super Speedway speed to be able to match Wadell Wilson's creation. Waddell has years of experience from working at Holman Moody and has built some of the fastest cars in NASCAR history. As we roll into Nashville the next week, it's another quiet weekend, if you will, Dad finishing sixth. Richard Petty would win again, though,

keeping himself alive in the points race. And then the teams are going to go into Dover, and Dad is going to suffer. offer another engine failure. Dale Earnhardt falling well off the pace down to the inside of the racetrack. This is number four on the season, and this happens with 26 laps to go in the race. Good puff of blue smoke, and that could be signaled in the end for Dale Earnhardt. And to make matters worse, the king, Richard Petty, is going to finish second to Bobby Allison.

Bobby Allison coming home victorious. Richard Petty will finish in second spot. It seems like Bobby Allison, Richard Petty, Kell Yarborough, and Dare Walsher are able to to capitalize on dad's bad days at the racetrack. And I know this probably is weighing on dad's mind as he leaves Dover. The final race of May is the World 600. It's a massive race because it's right here in our backyard, our family, all want to come and see what's going on and be a part of the weekend.

So you know everyone in Canapolis is bugging dad for tickets and trying to see if they can get out there to see Dad perform. It's a great racetrack that I spent a ton of time at growing up. The Earnhardt family and its friends, the Uri's and so forth, would always camp in the infield towards turn one. On part of the road course, there's a big, large hill that we would all get up on top of with our campers to be able to give ourselves the best point of view during the race. And me and all the other kids would race our toy cars down that hill.

So a lot of pressure on Dad, I think, as he's going into the Charlotte race, it's where he made his first start, all the families in town. But it's going to be a 600 weekend to forget. It's also going to have a major impact on Dad's championship effort. The problems might have begun when the team elected to run the Meliella 300 sportsman race on Saturday. Mechanic Larry Penn was supposed to work on this sportsman car, and then Jake Elder obviously is supposed to oversee it. Larry apparently never shows up.

When Jake Elder asks where Penn was, Roland Velaka, the team manager, says he quit. But Jake says Larry Penn didn't quit, and he goes on to say, Roland lied, and I don't like anyone to lie to me. Jake says I told Roland that I was going to try to win both races, then quit after the checkered flag fell on Sunday. I had had it.

Jake felt that working on this sportsman car was a distraction from the Cup program, which they desperately needed to get back on track. Jake was vocal with his frustration saying, there are too many good jobs around to have to put up with this frustration. I don't want to have a heart attack over this thing, but if I don't slow down, I'm going to be in the ground. You know, Jake was Jake. Jake gets mad, Jake's throw stuff.

That's Doug Richard. He would get something on his mind. He just didn't like it and he'd blow up. He went on to point out that the other major runners in the Cup series like Petty and Kale, they weren't running the Sportsman Series race and for good reason. Now in the Saturday sportsman race, Dad's going to qualify second and get swept up in an accident completing only 99 laps to finish 24th. So in Jake's eyes, he was right about that being a waste of time.

Good afternoon, everyone. Speedway, the cars are on the Speedway, and just one more time around, they'll cut them loose for the start of the World 600 here this afternoon and what looks to be Mike Joy, the biggest crowd the Speedway has ever enjoyed. Earnhardt, really shining here at the Charlotte Motor Speedway this afternoon. And in the World 600, Dad's going to blow a tire on lap 276 and cause a major crash with Bobby Allison, David Pearson, and Kale the Arbor. Trouble up in time number four. Earnhardt and Allison is a spin and crash Yarbrough spinning. Pearson and Yarbrough both smash into Ernhart. They run into the barrier right over the tunnel.

Allison backs it right into the guardrail at the entrance of Pitt Road. Four of the top cars have hit the wall and spun up in turn number four. Jake Elner has taken the crew over into the garage area. They had the car up on the jacks. They're using the cutting torches, cutting away sheet metal. I just like to mention that Earnhardt's crew, the Austerlund crew, came up and down the pit road. They were borrowing equipment. They borrowed a set of torches and tanks to cut away some of the sheet metal.

medal from the junior Johnson crew. They were going from crew to crew down to the House Elgin crew, borrowing, I think, a hammer or two or some pry bars. Now, Benny Parsons and Darrell Waltrip would go on to have one of the most thrilling races for the finish in NASCAR history. This is absolutely my favorite finish in racing history in terms of swapping the lead and watching two cars sort of engage with each other. It was incredible.

Back at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, Darrell Waltrip has been up, down, and sideways all over. Benny Parsons looking for the lead. 13 laps to go. Trying to cross Benny up and Benny downstairs, Walchip upstairs. Side by side and turn number two. Now it's Waltrip right alongside. It says even Stephen Paddle, down the back straight away. They are still side by side in turn three, turn four. Here they come.

There's absolutely dead even coming off the turn. We've been here six and a half hours, but nobody's complaining. Waltrip, though, just tagged Parsons a bit and got the car. Almost sideways coming off at turn four as he applied the bumper. Waltrip is right down on the apron. He is working up on the left rear quarter of Parsons. He's trying to move to the inside. Out of the corner.

Benny Parsons leads Darrell Waltrip down to the start, finish line, and he will win the 21st annual Whirl 600. Benny is going to come out ahead in the end and win the race. The bad news for Dad, King Richard is going to come home in fourth place. And the points lead is now cut to 45. It's the lowest it had been since Richmond earlier in the year. The next day, Jake Elder will pack his suitcase. He goes to the shop, hands in his keys and credit cards to Roland, and he walks out.

I don't feel like I felt like there was tension about to the point of where he was going to leave, right? Because most people don't leave with success. Jake was old school. He played the kind of enforcer. And, you know, if he said, hey, you need to put this right front spring in there, that's what he wanted to do. This is Tim Brewer,

who served as co-crew chief for Kale Yarborough in 1980. At some point in time, I think Jake was just a little bit old school for the new regime. And, you know, the young kids from California, they were, well, you know, well, you know, they can take care of this. They can do this.

and, you know, they can still win with Dale Earnhardt. And Jake, he just, he didn't want to hear about it. The Oshland crew are sorry to see Jake go. This guy's a legend. He knows his stuff. Builds great race cars, makes them go fast. But the company, the team, they're optimistic that this is not going to disrupt their season. Dad's going to say, I think the world of Jake and I highly respect him, and I hate to see him go.

A race car driver likes to feel stability. in the team. He wanted people that he knew had his back. So anytime there's team changes like that, Dale was not happy, particularly if he had believed in that person and felt that person was essential to his success. Roland says that the problems had been brewing way back since the Bristol race in March. And he also said, this is not a one-man team. No one-man quitting this team will make any difference. There's a strong opinion. Roland goes on to say, I like Jake, but he needs a break. Take six months off.

He's worked awful hard. I can't say anything bad about him. This job got to be a little bit too much for him. The pressure was getting to him. We have a dynamic team. We're not backing off. It's full steam ahead. Roland is an SOB and very jealous of anybody that knows more than him,

which is about everybody. That's engine builder Lou LaRosa. He come out of California and his refreshing was laying carpet, not racing. He come here and he found out he wasn't nothing and started hiring good people. Rowan wouldn't make a pimple on Jake's ass. Unconfirmed reports to Stock Car Racing Magazine even had Jake being dismissed by Australon if Jake didn't quit. Jake, however, was far less kind, saying Roland could screw up a five-car funeral. Roland is jealous because he knew if the car won, I'd get some credit.

Dave Marcus told me I'd never be able to get along with him, and he was exactly right. And since Earnhardt got some money, you don't even know him. He's as cocky as they come. I wish I'd never gone there. They never appreciated a thing I did. Problem started back at Atlanta. No team is a one-man team. I had three good people but five who couldn't care if the car blew up every race.

There are four things you must have to have a winning combination. You don't cut corners. You all pull together like a football team. If you get a good crew chief, you treat him like a human being. And if he doesn't do the job, you fire him. You don't mix alcohol and dope with business, not with somebody's life on the line. Man, Jake. He was an opinionated guy.

Throughout the year, people have different temperaments. Once you figure them out, they're a whole lot easier to work with. Don't push their buttons. Don't do something intentionally just to make them mad. I think that's a big part of it. He was the backbone, so to speak. And when he came around, Earnhardt, Earnhardt understood what Jake was telling him.

And I mean, they made a tough combination. I found this part maybe to be the most fascinating point of the season. You know, Jake was very opinionated and didn't mind telling you exactly what he expected out of dad or what he thought and he was critical, but seemed somewhat fair. But man, when things got ugly, he got ugly. It was wild to see him making these public comments into the media. And Jake Elder and the crew have more concern about him kind of wearing himself and his equipment out and not having anything left for the last 50 or 60 miles of this race.

Now, a week later, Jake's going to walk back a lot of these harsh comments and even apologize to Rod Osterlin and Roland Vlaca. Jake says, I called Rod Osterlin to apologize to him. I want to apologize to Roland Vloplauca too. A lot of things I said were true But a lot of them didn't come out the way I wanted I'm man enough to eat those words And I take back a lot of what I said

I was upset because a wheel broke Or we might have won the sportsman race On Saturday And a tire exploded or we might have won the World 600 The next week Jake's going to write a letter To the editor of the Grand National Scene The Grand National Scene is kind of like the New York Times for NASCAR And in that letter

it's going to say the entire story was completely blown out of proportion and that Gene Granger who is the writer for the article in which Jake said

all of those nasty things owes Jake and Australon Racing an apology. Jake denies calling dad cocky or mentioning anything about dope or

alcohol and says his comments about Rod and Roland were twisted around and then the next week on June 19

Robert E. Griggs, the publisher of Grand National Seen, publishes an article defending his editor, Gene Granger. Griggs is going to write, Jake Elder is a man whose character has been finely tuned by his experiences, both in his personal and professional life. His reputation is larger than life. The old cliche fits. The record speaks for the man.

Nothing will serve as an. excuse for Elder's letter last week in which, in effect, called Gene Granger a liar. The record of Jake Elder still speaks for the man. Shame on you, Jake. You're a better man than your actions showed. Man, that is just wild. So I'm going to go off script here for a second. You know, Jake, again, I get he's got a volatile personality and he leads with emotion. All the time. We've heard it back when he and dad won at Bristol during dad's rookie year.

Jake's comments post-race, he leads with emotion everywhere he goes. And a lot of times speaks on that emotion before he thinks about the repercussions from those comments. And when he was pissed off about how Australin or Roland Blakka were running the team and the decisions they were making, and he just wants to up and quit. You know, I'll just quit. I'll just go do something else. That was his reaction to any type of situation that he was frustrated with,

thus the nickname suitcase Jake. It was a fun nickname, but not entirely flattering towards Jake. No question. He has an incredible record. And absolutely no question. and does he build fast race cars and win races? But man, it just seems like back then it was just people just couldn't talk things out.

We saw this with even the great David Pearson and the Wood Brothers. Who knows what went on behind closed doors? If this was going on publicly, who knows what was happening in the office when these guys got in there and got to cussing at each other? just wild. But Jake's done, and this is a time of uncertainty for the Austerlian team. Who's going to lead them? Who's going to replace Jake's experience?

Now, there are some rumors that the Australand team is trying to grab Travis Carter from Junior Johnson's championship operation. And without a seasoned veteran on top of the pit box, the NASCAR media have declared Dad's championship hopes to be over. We'll be back with more becoming Earnhardt presented by Bass Pro Shop soon. But first, here's my sister Kelly with a little something about my family's long history with Johnny Morris. My earliest memory of meeting Johnny was around, you know, the time that he started sponsoring my dad's race car. In 1998, we did the gold Bass Pro car for the Winston.

And I worked at Action Performance, which, you know, was the company that made all the die casts and T-shirts and hats at the time. And so the Winston paint scheme was always a really big deal with my dad. You know, it started in 96, I think, with the silver car that was a hit. And my relationship with Johnny really did it, you know, start till later when we started having a relationship with him here at Junior Motorsports. I know that Johnny, you know, holds my dad in a really high regard. What is the story behind the man black? I mean, what drives the owner?

Even most recently with this documentary, you know, Johnny, called Del and I and, you know, just told him what it meant to him to watch the documentary, not just about my dad, but about relationships with Del and I and relationships with other people. And, you know, Johnny is like family first faith and being outdoors. And so when you interact with him, it's very personal on a personal level. You know, he doesn't call to talk to you really about business or anything like that. and everything that he does has a very personal relationship connection to it. He just really holds my dad in a very high regard.

I think that, you know, in the years that they were able to work together, they got to spend a lot of time together, and my dad was made up of those same things. You know, they had a lot in common in terms of the things that were important to them and what mattered to them. Johnny just is like a mentor. Interactions with Johnny are, relational. He comes at it from a passion and from an enjoyment of things he does. So, you know,

whether it's NASCAR or whether it's my son racing or whether we're talking about, you know, we go out to Big Cedar to his place in Missouri or things like that. Like everything is, all the little details matter and how you're enjoying your time matters to Johnny. So, you know, he just, uh, I tell him, sometimes I just like to share things with him because it's almost like you're sharing it with your dad, so to speak. Like he's a mentor and you look up to him and, you know, he's just somebody that you're able to share, you know, some special time and special meanings because he makes you feel that way. The Earnhardt family has always relied on Bass Pro Shops for our outdoor adventures.

And that tradition continues with me today. I grew up shopping there and now it's a place I love sharing with my own family. Gearing up together for everything from weekend getaways to fishing in the pond. I'm also incredibly grateful for the support Johnny Morris and the entire Bass Pro team have shown across our business ventures. From the race team to Dirty Mo Media. They believe in what we're building and they've stood behind us every step of the way. They're not just great partners, they're great people. I also admire Bass Pro's unwavering commitment to those who serve our country.

Their legendary salute program is one of the many ways they show support, offering a 10% everyday discount to active duty military, veterans, and first responders. It's their way of saying thank you to the heroes who protect our freedom and way of life. To learn more and see full details, visit basspro.com backslash legendary salute. This isn't the end of Jake Elder, though. And soon after, Degard hires him to serve as Daryl Waltrip's crew chief. Now, Daryl loved Jake Elder. It's just a deal where I know his abilities, and I know what he can do for a racing team. I think our Australian team is a good indication.

I think Jake built that team to the caliber it is right now. They had a great pass together, having worked together in the early to mid-70s. So once Jake was clear out of the Australand garage, Darrell goes vocal to the gardeners who own DiGuard Racing to make this hire. He's that kind of person. He's a hard worker. He wakes up at 2 o'clock in the morning thinking about a race car. He's called me in the past when he used to work for me at 2 o'3.

progging in the morning, so I've got to change that race car. I'm just not happy with it. That's the kind of person I like working on my car. He's thinking about it all the time. He's interested in it. I think it's going to be a beautiful combination. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the season. You might recall that things aren't exactly peachy over at the DiGuard team, so a crew chief change was well in order. Buddy Parrott was already fired once during the offseason, taking the blame for the 1979 championship collapse. but Darrell Walschup convinced the gardeners to rehire Buddy Parrott for 1980,

so he's back on top of the pit box at the beginning of the season. But things didn't improve, and after the early engine failure in the Daytona 500, the first lap, actually, when I took the green flagging, actually started missing. Daryl's quoted, saying,

all I can say is this team isn't any better than when I came from, here in 1975. Boy, that's a dig. That's four or five years. He said they ain't any better in four or five years. And Darrell, he was rough. I know that Darrell was very unhappy.

That's Buddy Perrin. Man, it was a job to me. My job was to prepare the car for the race and to try to, I mean, be up on that pit box and to make pit calls and win the race. That was my job. I wanted to go get a hat in Victor Lane, you know. Maybe Daryl's not believing in me. All of a sudden, I'm telling Daryl to please back off at a race.

We had the field lapped, and I'm begging him to back off. Oh, buddy, this thing feels so good. Sure enough, boom, hits the wall and takes the side of the race. Well, that was kind of the first of many problems. we had. So after an engine failure and a 26-place finish at Michigan, Buddy Parrott gets fired again, and Jake Elder is now the DiGuard crew chief. Well, that's the thoughts of Darrell walked up and I asked Jake how he felt about being back with Darrell. Yeah, I feel more lax, you know, because I feel like I got a driver and has got the spirits and he comes in to tell me what the car

is doing and then I'd go ahead and fix it. You know what I mean? And so right now, I think everything's going to be all right. Now, this did not solve DiGuard's problems, however. They'd suffer another engine failure in a 31st place finish at the Firecracker 400. This is Jake's first race in charge. Jake Elder just threw up his hands, told one of the other crew members. He's blown up. The first race ever fell out of in my life, but I'm not upset about it or anything because I had the best car on the race track.

At Michigan and August, Darrell Walter would blow two engines into two qualifying sessions and had to borrow a car from Joel Halpern to run the race. We blew two engines. Both times we were trying to qualify and we had two engine failures and we didn't make the race. To this, Darrell Waltrip said that he was fed up with DiGuard's team management and that he was no longer inspired,

again expressing that he wants out. of his contract. The situation continues to build, and things come to a head at Charlotte in October. Darrell Waltrip's quoted as saying, If I don't get away from these gardeners, they're going to drag me down the tubes with them. Bill Gardner arrived at the track

with Darrell Waltrip's contract in hand, announcing that he was looking for someone to drive their car in 1981, but he insisted that he intends to keep Darrell under contract and he would put him in lesser equipment unless Darrell gets in line. That's wild. What in the world? Well, most of the drivers and mechanics and crew chiefs that are here for the National

500 this weekend have made the comment in the last couple of days, how in the world can Darrell Waltrip keep his mind on running a race here at Charlotte this afternoon? There have been such a tug of war between Walter and his two car owners, Jim and Bill Gardner. Bill Gardner's going to even do a interview. on the broadcast pre-race of the Charlotte race with Bruce Jenner, who is an Olympic athlete and also a amateur racer. Bruce had gotten a telegram sent from Bill Gardner

inquiring about his interest in driving the 88 car for Daegard next year. A telegram also went to Johnny Rutherford and Paul Newman, among others. He has sent telegrams to world driving champion Alan Jones, Mario Andretti, Johnny Rutherford, Paul Newman, Bruce Jenner, and California driver Joe Rutman. Now, I believe that this was a bit of a publicity stunt to sort of threaten Darrell Waltrip into getting in line. I had this contract. It was irrevocable. And you couldn't put a value on it when I would try to

find out what do I got to do to get out of this contract? You can't get out of this contract. You are a rare commodity, and there's no way to put a value on this contract. And so it took some finagling to finally get around to what it took to get out of that contract. The saga would be resolved, though, at Atlanta, with a meeting being called and Darrell Walshap saying, I'm a free man. I'm committed to running the final races for them, but after that, I'm free. So it was $300,000. for me to get out of that contract.

So we go to the bank on Monday morning with, I had the $300,000, which is a, they're talking 1980, $300,000, a lot of money. So we go in, we sit down, we sign all the papers, and we get ready to leave, and Bill Gar said, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, you owe me $25,000 more, $1,000. I said, for what? He said, are you in the Bush Clash? I said, yeah.

He said, well, you'll probably want it, and I want my head. half now. So I had to give me $25,000 more dollars, $325,000. So the dramatic saga of Darrell Waltrip and Daggaard Racing seems to have an end point. And where Darrell goes from here,

we'll learn later in the story. All of this crew chief turmoil that we talked about with Jake Elder quitting the team really doesn't help Dad all that much. At Texas in June, Kale Yarbril is going to pick up another win. and Richard Petty is going to finish second.

As they come down the line, Cale Yarborough will win. Now, Dad was in contention at points in this race, but he suffered from some heating problems and had to settle for 9th. And it's going to cut his points lead down to just 18 points. Dad's going to bounce back with a quiet fifth place finish at Riverside, following Darrell-Waltrop and Cale Yarborough to the finish line. And at Michigan, Dad's going to lead at several points during the race. but he'd suffer mechanical problems and fall three laps down, causing him to finish in 12th.

He has the hood up on the car, so he must have lost a cylinder or something badly wrong with that car. And he'd leave Michigan with only a 13-point lead over King Richard Petty. At this point, Rod Osterlin is going to make a major gamble on the team's future. On June 17th, he decides to promote 20-year-old front tire changer, Doug. Doug Richard, up to the crew chief position. Leading is the Earnhardt crew, headed by 20-year-old Doug Richard, a relative newcomer to the racing circuit. About the only thing anybody, well, first of all, nobody could figure out how to spell his name and then how to pronounce it. Who's this young kid from California that suddenly is Dale Earnhardt's crew chief?

His personality was so opposite from Jake's. Roland Vlodka told Stockcar Racing magazine Doug's young but that doesn't mean he's inexperienced He was just a kid If he'd have stood and learned from Jake He'd have been a superstar too

He had the ability I mean I learned a lot from Jake You know Jake was one of them guys that He had a lot of experience At a lot of other places You know prior to coming to us So absorbing that kind of knowledge just by being around it. So there's 15 races left to go in the 1980s schedule.

And with the points lead at a razor thin margin, Dad and the Australand team are going to need a major boost in performance to stay ahead of the king and Kale Yarborough to lock up this championship. Earnhardt takes the moment to look over the new situation. And Kale Yarbrough really put on a show here for the last. the band. Crew Chief Jake Elder leaves Dad and the Osterlin crew high and dry with a falling points lead in a room of broken injury.

Jake Elder, Waltrip's Gatorade crew chief, is on the headset and communication with Daryl. Smoke from behind, Earnhardt, entering the turn. Earnhard now takes the car to the middle crew, hangs on tight with smoke billowing from behind. With half the season left to go and no season veteran to run the ship, Rod Austerland makes a gutsy call to promote young Doug Richard to take over. Let's talk to 20-year-old Doug Rockert, who has done a beautiful job, Doug, congratulations. He's the crew chief on this car.

Hey, you, Dan. Doug, with just a handful of years of experience, we'll have to find a way to rally the Australand troops and help defend a 13-point lead with two of the greatest stock car racers in history charging in quickly. At Turnhart to the inside, heading to the outside. That's the way they work, turn number three.

Enter side by side, but Waltrip takes the lead. Earnhardt tries to follow him, but kale shuts the door on Dale Earnhardt. Becoming Earnhardt is a Dirtymo Media original podcast series. It is written and produced by me, Dellenhart Jr., with Bobby Marcos and Colby Bass. Sound design by Alex Timms, production assistants, Tiff Powers, Mike Davis, Michael Codwell, and Evan Veckia. This project is in partnership with MRN, the Motor Racing Network, and the Appalachian State University Stock Car Collection. Special thanks to SiriusXM, Silver Tribe Media, NASCAR Man, and Bob Ellis.

For additional dirty-mo media content, visit our YouTube page and follow us on all major social media platforms. Thank you to Johnny Morris and Bass Pro Shops for bringing us another episode of Becoming Earnhardt. They are such a great friend and supporter of everything we do, so remember to gear up for all your adventures at Bass Pro Shops, North America's Premier Outdoor and Conservation Company. Thank you.