The Dale Jr. Download - Becoming Earnhardt Vol. 6 - The Silver Fox And The Young Gun

Episode Date: December 19, 2025

It was a rookie season of the ages, until it wasn’t. A cut tire and Pocono’s unforgiving steel boiler-plate walls left Dale Earnhardt with two broken collarbones and an open-ended timeframe for recovery. The NASCAR Cup circuit would then roll on as he began to mend in an East Stroudsburg, PA hospital. The progress he made in the stock car ranks and his grip on the 1979 Rookie of the Year award would be tested as his closest competitors in the freshman race would continue onward. Even worse, his own ride and future could be in jeopardy, as the Osterlund Racing team makes a call to one of the greatest drivers in history to fill-in during the interim. On this episode of Becoming Earnhardt, our exploration of the 1979 NASCAR Cup season unpacks races 20 through 24. Our main character will wrestle with watching from the sidelines as his blue and yellow number-2 gets driven by a NASCAR legend at some of his favorite tracks. The Cup contingent returns to Talladega, Michigan, Bristol and Darlington. When the Osterlund crew finds victory lane without him, Dale makes a miraculous return to the driver’s seat, defying his doctors, the press and the rest of the NASCAR garage.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. Now there's the kid to watch. This kid Earnhardt and the Austerlund number two, the car out of California, the driver from North Carolina, second generation driver, his father, one of the most famous short track drivers in American racing history. The well-known Ralph Earnhardt, his kid looks good today. It's been a rookie season for the ages. Through the first 18 races of 1979, Dad has seven top five finishes, including that monumental

win at Bristol. And despite a couple of crashes, some mechanical failures, he's fifth in the season points destined to make a big enough splash in his freshman year to assure that he'd have a place in stock car racing for years to come. That is until July 30th. Here's my dad's sister Kay, who was driving home from work at the time. I was listening on the radio going home and there was a commercial, and when they came back from the commercial, there had been a wreck.

Trouble and turn, Joe, it's luck out. He is all the way around the wall, all the way around the second turn. Here's my aunt Kathy, who was also home and got a phone call. You know, they said, you know, Dells had a wreck. He's heard. Well, how bad, I don't know. He was walking. He, you know, he got out of the car.

I said, well, then he's okay if he got out of the car. The outcome of the spectacular crash of Pocono, his left dad, with broken collar bones and other injuries. And after chasing stock car glory week after week, he's suddenly relegated to the sidelines for the foreseeable future. I'm Dellenhart Jr. And on this episode of Becoming Earnhardt, the 1979 NASCAR season carries on.

And our main character will be watching from the couch at home as his grip on the rookie of the year crown slips away. And even worse, his confidence and character is tested when one of the greatest stock car racers in history is tabbed is his replacement. This episode of Becoming Earnhardt is presented by Chevrolet. To keep up with all of Team Chevy's winning race programs in NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA, and MSSA, visit Chevrolet.com slash motorsports or follow Team Chevy on all social media platforms.

Coming up later, I will share with you my family's deep history with Chevrolet, but for now, let's get on with Chapter 6 of Becoming Earnhardt. Welcome back to another episode of Becoming Earnhardt. As we pick up right here, we're at race number 20 at Talladega for the Talladega 500. Dad's out injured and the series is going to start a stretch of nine races in 10 weeks. Remember, this is a 31 race season, but it's a bad time to be injured. Any other time during the year, it's dotted with multiple off weeks. So getting an injury during this particular stretch,

that means missing a lot of races. I have a feeling that that particular situation made Dad's eventually return even more urgent. There have been some big surprises, some complete new developments in stock car racing here this week at Talladega, Alabama, and Jackie Arood, I guess the racing world was just as stunned when David Pearson suddenly announced that he would run here this week as they was when he split with the Woodrothers back in February or in April down at Darlington. David Pearson, do you remember him? Well, he's been having a lot of fun on the short track circuit. ever since he was let go from the Wood Brothers earlier in the season.

He's going to get a call from Austerlund to fill in for dad while dad's out injured. The assignment would reunite David Pearson with Jake Elder. Jake is his former crew chief from his Holman Moody Days, where they both won two championships in 1968 and 1969. At the onset, David explains it as a one-race deal. There's a lot of articles with a lot of comments and quotes. We're going to go over those. Pearson's going to fly his own plane to Charlotte near the team's shop and fit the seat for the race car.

And Pearson says, I know it's a first-class car and the opportunity is just what I was looking for. If I can help Dale while he's hurt and carry on for a team that needs a driver, then I'm happy to do it. I don't want a full-time job. I may drive for him again after Talladega. I hadn't planned even on coming back this year. Jake and I go way back, and I was also friends with Dale's father many, many years ago. It's an opportunity to help some old friends. I have to imagine if anything positive is coming out around this time for Dad,

it was hearing David say those words. David wasn't there to take Dad's ride. At least that was the message points to the media. You'd have to believe, because David hadn't ran full-time since 1970. You know, he was with the Wood Brothers on purpose, right? He was with them for nearly a decade because of their abbreviated schedule and the potential to win any race that they entered. So David's the perfect substitute right here,

and the team would continue to improve even while Dad wasn't behind the wheel. A team spokesman from Osterlin added, Dad's job wasn't in danger. The team was still building all of their plans around a future with Dad, and they were also working firsthand with doctors. on a rehabilitation program to get Dad back in the car. For any concerns about how all of this might impact Dad's Rookie of the Year title chances, you need to remember that the rookie points were a total of a driver's best 15 races.

And even then at the end of the year, there is a vote of a four-person panel that justifies these results. So if the race is kind of tight and maybe the driver that's not ahead has a win, Maybe this four-person panel votes in favor of the driver they thought performed better throughout the year. But Dad, he still has a shot at winning the rookie year title, but Joe Milliken, his closest competition, now they have an opportunity to maximize their results while Dad's out of the car. Practice for this weekend at Talladega is going to be a brief affair. Remember the nationwide energy crisis that sort of gets talked about from time to time? Well, teams were only allowed five gallons of fuel.

So some of them go out there and they only run about three laps around the track preparing for the race. Kyle Petty, he's back in NASCAR trying to make another cup start, his first, and one of his dad's old dodges from last year. His father's done moved on to the new Monte Carlo, and those old dodges are sitting in the corner of the shop, and Kyle trying to get one of them into the race. He'd crashed at Charlotte and at Daytona into two prior attempts. Going 18th, 19-year-old Kyle Betty.

of Raddleman, North Carolina. Yes, indeed, after three tries, he's finally made it into Winston Cup Grand National Competition. The third time, it would be the charm. Kyle's going to qualify 18th and finish ninth, a top 10 in the first race for the son of the king. He'd even complain after the race of a sore bottom, saying he needed a lot more padding in the seat for the next race. You remember coal miner Kenny Chilters with his number 12 Chevrolet? Well, he's fired Lenny Pond leading into the race, and he's tabbed short track ace, Jack Ingram, to drive. for the weekend. Jack is going to fall out early with mechanical problems.

I bring this up because Lenny for me is one of the oddest characters in NASCAR, maybe somewhat because of his demeanor. And mostly because of his career, he was the 1973 rookie of the year. He wins a race and gets 25 top five finishes in a three-year span. I mean, that to me is a great career start that it's going to turn. into something long term, but he only gets two more top five results in the remaining years of his career before retiring. It's just odd to me.

Like some of these things don't seem to work out, things that seem like they should. I actually got to race against Lenny one time. Yeah, I got to race it. In 1994, he shows up to a late model stock event at East Carolina Motor Speedway. He wasn't even racing late model stocks. Just a one-off. Lenny Pond comes out there, and we actually got to race door to door a little bit. at that date.

In qualifying, David Pearson is going to put the Australon-Olesmobile 442 on the outside pole. And who is next to David on the pole? That is the Wood Brothers Ford of Neil Bonnet. David, did you feel that you had something a little extra to prove when you went out there to qualify, knowing that Bonnet was already qualified and was on the pole? Did you think that maybe you had to do a little bit extra to prove that you were back? No, I didn't, Jackie. I really didn't.

I knew that I was going to run as good as I could. and try hard, but far as having to prove anything, no, I did. In fact, I was surprised I run as fast as I did. Having Pearson back and in such close proximity to his old Woodbrother's ride had walk-up ticket sales on Sunday booming. 300 yards away, green flag, and the Talladega 500 is underway. Moving down into the number one corner, Bonnet jumps into the lead. Bonnet would lead a handful of laps early, having a very strong car but blows another engine,

70 laps into the race. Walter comes down in the trial to take the checkered flag and win the 11th annual Talladega 500, and here comes the battle for that third spot. Darrell Waltrip would lead the final 55 laps of the race and go on to win by a minute and two seconds at Talladega. David Pearson is going to drive Dad's car home in second place in his first race out in the Oswald and Chevrolet, but he's nearly a lap behind. They're pushing the car trying to get it in gear so he can get out of the pits. It will not go in gear.

That indeed has been a shifter problem on David Pearson's Lowe's hardware, Oldsmobile, and he gets it down pit road, but he's coming out there. You see, during the race, David would lose low gear in the car, having some clutch issues. He would have to get pushed out of the pits during several of his final pit stops. Crew Chief Jake Elder says they would have had the race won until the clutch issues cost them so much time on pit road. Pearson also experienced some radio issues. Couldn't hear the crew. They couldn't hear him.

He said everyone was congratulating him after the race for finishing second, and he thought it was really funny to be patted on the back for losing. And I think, Jackie, that we talked about it yesterday on our pit road preview show about David Pearson, and there was an awful lot of interest in what he would do here today. And I think today probably determined whether he would probably get out of Winston Cup racing or whether he will be back on at least a part-time basis and making a lot of the shows. If the man had anything to prove, he proved it today. Pearson was also glad to put the rumors to bed.

Remember earlier in the year, there was some talk that he might be afraid of the super speedways like Daytona and Talladega. And he agreed with all the veterans, a lot of them talking about how the speeds were maybe too high at those racetracks, but he never had a timid moment throughout his efforts all weekend. Finishing in third is Ricky Rudd. Richard Petty is going to finish fourth in this race and another short track late model ace, Jody Ridley. is going to finish in the top five. Rudd and Ridley are driving for the same car owner, Junie Don Livy. At the Alabama International Motor Speedway, after a tremendous charge by Neil Bonnet of the Purillator Mercury, the car,

starts slowing down in front of Mike Joy. We talked about pole sitter, Neil Bonnet, having engine problems. Bobby Allison would also have problems, Baker, Benny Parsons, and Kail Yarbrill. Engine troubles were common at a track like Talladega. And this would then the field out making Darrell's effort. It's pretty manageable to take the wind. Darrell, Walter, you've been out of the weather the last few days. Would you like to comment on that?

No, I wish I didn't have to. I don't know. It seemed like a lot of people that came home from Pocono, got here in Talladega and had a little bit of virus. I don't exactly know what it is. But I know it's taking its toll on me the last couple of days. Walter's weekend wasn't entirely smooth, as he had been fighting a terrible illness all weekend. and he wasn't even sure whether he'd be able to drive the entire distance of the race. You see, he had lost 10 pounds over the course of the weekend with a stomach virus.

Walter Lays Talladega with a 229 point lead over Richard Petty, seemingly in firm control over the chase for the championship in 1979. As the teams finish up the weekend at Talladega, Dad is finally getting back home in North Carolina. Remember about that extended state? in the Pennsylvania hospital? Well, it was credited to a concussion dad suffered in the Pocono crash.

Here are my aunts again. The only other thing I remember is mother and Randy decided to go to the Pocono. Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania to the hospital. And got up there and Dale checked himself out and took off home on a commercial flight and so Mama and Randy had turned right around and come right back home.

Didn't get to see him. No, and they drove. They did not fly. Yeah, I didn't even know about this concussion until I dug into these articles in the scrapbooks. I knew about the broken collarbones, but an entire week in the hospital, you must have really rung his bell. But the time off to allow the collar bones to heal was probably a little. a blessing in disguise. Knowing what we know now today about concussions,

those several weeks off were paramount for that concussion to have time to heal properly. Had the collarbone injuries not happened, it's a foregone conclusion that Dad would have probably raised hurt, risking serious injury while doing so. Before we head to the next race, let's take a quick break to hear from our sponsors. Hey everybody, Dale Jr. here. Let's take a minute to talk about Chevrolet.

As you know, the Earnhardt fan. family is a Chevy family. I drove Chevroletes all my life, and my dad's relationship with Chevrolet is well documented. I would go as far as to say that Dad's connection with Chevrolet is as much a contributor to his legacy as anything else. And if you don't believe me, consider this. Dad's career spanned across several race teams, car numbers, paint schemes, and nicknames. But not a single one of his seven championships came without a Chevy bow tie on the hood. That's a fact.

Our connection with Chevrolet wasn't confined just to the racetrack. That had a Chevy dealership in Newton, North Carolina, and in fact, Delinhart Chevrolet is still thriving today. I also had a Chevy dealership down in Tallahassee, Florida. Delenhart Jr. Chevrolet is something I'm super proud of. So do me a favor before you buy your next new or pre-owned vehicle, whether it be a car, truck, or SUV. Check out Chevrolet's lineup of durable, safe, stylish, innovative, award-werelict.

winning performance focused models. You'll be glad you did, and we'd be honored to have you in the team Chevy family. Hello, everyone from Michigan International Speedway, one of the most popular tracks on the Winston Cup racing circuit with both drivers and the fans, two miles of track that produces some of the most exciting racing in the world, and we'll see it again here this afternoon. Next race up after Talladega is going to be at Michigan for the champion's spark plug 400. And heading into the Irish hills of Michigan, Darrell Walter controls. a big over 200-point lead with Richard Petty's second points.

It's pretty much come down between Daryl and Richard, and there's only 11 races remaining. Many felt that the Diagard Gatorade No. 88 team was out of reach. Kale Yarbril's way back in third, more than 300 points back. No position to win his fourth straight title, and Bobby Allison's faded to fourth, even further behind. He was battling nose-to-nose with Waltrip during the first half of the season, but he's just struggling having all sorts of problems in the Budmore Ford.

David Pearson is smiling ear to ear in the Michigan garage. You know, he finished second in his first drive for Australon and relief for dad. And now the yellow and blue Chevrolet from the Austerlin racing stables and nearby Charlotte, North Carolina is being rolled to its post position. The pole belongs to the super sub, as they call him now, David Pearson of Spartanburg, South Carolina. He was also able to win his sixth straight August, Michigan. Poll Award. And who did he beat? He beats the Wood Brothers and everyone else in qualifying. There's some humorous irony to the rear bumper area of your poll winner, David Pearson's car.

It's carrying the traditional yellow bumper that signifies that Dale Earnhard as a rookie on the circuit for 1979. Kind of isn't jest, Barney. They've elected to leave that yellow bumper on, and Pearson's been the subject of a lot of kidding about that. They call him the oldest rookie ever to attempt to run in Winston Cup Grand National Competition. Well, we saw the little yellow stripe on there yesterday when the car was in the garage. It is a brand new car. First time in competition for the machine here at Michigan or any place else. And he was talking to Jake about taking it off. And Jake said, no, I think we ought to leave it on there for you.

Pearson's message points to the media were clear. He was there to help. He had no interest in a full-time competition. But the fantastic results had fans and media salivating at a possible return of the Silver Fox to NASCAR competition. Dad, on the other hand, was chomping at the bit, way back at the house. He's doing training and conditioning drills, anything to stay in racing shape and waiting for his broken bones to heal. And he couldn't wait to reclaim the seat. He felt belonged to him and kind of calmed down the excitement Pearson's results had created.

Team owner Rod Austerlund was sort of fanning the flames unknowingly. He stated to the media that even if Dad does return to the seat of his car for the Darlington race, Austerlund would field a second car for Pearson to drive. You know, Pearson is so successful at Darlington. And the media and the fans are just begging Pearson to come back and return to NASCAR. We have problems high in turns three and four. A car spinning. One goes flipping up against and over the guard rail.

As we've got one, two, three, four, five, six, seven cars involved. Back to the tower. We get back to the race at Michigan, and there was a terrible crash on lap two. It started when D.K. O'Ritch leaked oil in turn three. H.B. Bailey, one of the independent back markers, hits this oil and it caused him to spin,

and Blackie Wangeren crashed into Bailey head-on. Wangeren then flipped onto the retaining wall and tore out a stretch of 17 fence posts before clearing the wall, and then he tumbles down this steep embankment outside of the racetrack.

They found him in his car unconscious, and he had to be cut out of the car and the red flagged the race for a total of 39 minutes. Darrell Walter finds disaster as well early in the race and he experienced a blown motor and the dieguard team had to change the engine and did it in 13 minutes to return him to the track. That just seems like a ridiculous amount of time to change an entire engine. But the teams practice this week in and week out and they were ready. Darrell, you folks chose to come into the garage area and change that engine because the

caution was out and you knew it would be a long caution flag. Well, yeah, we had a problem with the engine, you know, and instead of wasting a lot of time on pit road with it, we decided that we could change it while they were fixing the fence. Very unusual situation. I don't recall any time, and I've been racing at the, I've seen fences tore completely down and everything else. I don't recall them red flag in a race like they did today. It's hurt us.

I know people are probably thinking it's a real advantage for us, but it's not. It's hurting us. We could be back on the track right now. I look like we would have probably only lost 10 laps. You know, we're not losing anything right now, but we're not gaining anything either. He finished his 19th, 27 laps down. I mean, that's impressive. I know they're mad because this is going to be a bad result.

They're going to lose some points of that big cushion they have in the points lead. But goodness gracious, 13 minutes, I couldn't change the oil that fast when I was changing oil dad's dealership. You can tell that Buddy Baker sees the rain drops as well as he's turned the heat up on the Win Incorporated Chevrolet. He's got a two car-length advantage over Benny Parsons in the Melling Power Supply Chevrolet Chevrolet that runs in second and the rain continues to pelt here. Buddy Baker appeared to be cruising to another win.

This will be the third win of the year for the number 28 car, and Raines halted the event. There's only 21 laps left in the race. It was a brief shower, and there was this idea that the race could get restarted, so Richard Petty, he's going to gamble, and he's going to head down pit road and get tires on his car. If the race restarts, he's in great shape. He's in third place in the final car on the lead lap, so there's nothing to lose. Right now, the Pace car pulls away from the pack. Buddy Baker through the gearbox, and here we go.

Back to the line. Baker comes through it in a hurry, gets a jump on Benny Parsons and pulls him by eight car lengths. But Richard Petty moves up there and is drafting Parsons. Let's see if they can overhaul him. They're back in. And the risk, it pays off. The race has restarted with 15 laps to go. Petty and Baker have a spirited battle all the way to the very end.

and Petty wins by just a few feet with those new tires. That had been tough for Baker. Back in third place is going to be Benny Parsons, the only other car on the lead lap. David Pearson, and that number two, Australon car, is going to get another top five in substitution for Dad. And then Michigan short tracker John Anderson

is going to round out the top five. As a result of the win and Walter's blown engine, Petty cuts Walter's point lead down to 155 points. That's still a little. pretty big margin, but Darrell can't be happy about losing that many points with just a few races left in the season. That kind of puts them in reach. Kell Yarborough and Bobby Allison also dealt with the mechanical issues during the race and finished well down in the standings. They missed that critical opportunity to gain any points on Walter.

John Anderson now presents his car on pit road, and at last report, Anderson was in the seventh position. A real good run for this youngster from the Midwest. As Eli Gold told you, he is won on Super Speedways at Talladega, Alabama, and the Grand American Division, but this is the first effort for the Drain Enterprises people to field a Winston Cup Grand National car, and this is the first start in Winston Cup competition for John Anderson of Michigan. I mentioned a name there that maybe you hadn't heard much, if at all, and it's John Anderson. He's our fifth place finisher here at Michigan. This is his very first start in NASCAR.

He's a short tracker from the area, but he's 35 years old when he makes this first start. It's an incredible achievement. He would only run 32 races in a five-year span in the Cup series. Unfortunately, John was killed in a roadway accident in 1986 at the age of 42. In his 32 events, John would never again match his finish at Michigan. But he'd have these moments in many races, including a third place in a Daytona dual qualifier. I always felt he could have made it in the right opportunity. I wasn't even around back then, but sometimes.

you just get this gut feeling. Stories like Johns that are deep within the history of the 1979 NASCAR world are what I love discovering as I researched this project. I learn more about Dad's season and so much more. After the Michigan race, Dad is going to write another one of his bi-monthly articles. This is another installment in a season-long series of articles by Dale Earnhardt, the outstanding young Grand National Rookie of the Year candidate from Knappas, Who is the son of the late Ralph Earnhardt, NASCAR's 1956 late model sportsman national champion,

and one of the most highly regarded short-track drivers in the sports history. Earnhardt is currently recovering from injuries received in a wreck July 30th in Pocono's Coca-Cola 500. Lake Norman. There I was on top of the world. Right in the thick of things. And all of a sudden, I'm a spectator. Hurt and out of action. There's no way to describe the feeling.

the frustration. It just leaves you hanging. I've listened to every race since the accident, or at least I've tried to listen. I'll get all settled down, waiting for the broadcast to start, but as soon as things start happening, I'll catch myself pacing back and forth across the room. Sometimes I just have to walk outside. It's hard to listen to a Grand National race on the radio, knowing you're falling that much further behind in the point standings, wondering what you'll have to do make it up and win. I've learned one thing while I've been out. I'm addicted to racing.

Listening to a race on the radio is sheer torture for me. It's like swinging a bag of dope in front of an addict. He can see it, but he can't touch it. It's not a pleasant feeling. I want to go to the races so bad it hurts, but I don't want to go if I can't drive. I've been going by the shop almost every day. The guys on the crew have been terrific.

They want me back in the race car, but they want me to be well first. Me too. When I get back in the car, I'm going to be able to finish the race. I'll be able to give 100%. I'm not going to be slack. I was really chasing those second leg points in the national championship points when I had the wreck. See, I have to explain this to you. So back in 1979, NASCAR also broke the season up in pieces.

And they would award drivers for gaining a certain amount of points during a span of the season. So there would be the first leg and you'd get, you know, a monetary award for getting the most points during that part of the year. And there was a second leg that Dad's talking about now. And there may be a third or a fourth chapter in the year where whoever gained the most points would be given a monetary bonus of some sort. Nothing they do anymore. But, you know, it was kind of interesting that that was something the drivers thought was cool, and they definitely wanted to achieve all those little milestones that were set in front of them. So we'll get back to the article.

I felt like I would have finished in the top five in the standings the way things were going. Now I don't know. Up until recently, I hadn't really thought too much about the rookie points, and that's changed too. Now I know I'm going to have to run Joe Milliken in the last few races. I've been seeing the doctor, that's Dr. Phil Batch, regularly, and he seems to think I'm making satisfactory progress. He's an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine, so he knows what he's doing. As far as going back into the race car is concerned, it's strictly up to him. And I kind of feel like it'll be sometime around mid-September, at least I hope so.

Rod Osterlin and I have talked about when I'll start driving again, and he told me that it's all up to the doctor. We aren't going to rush anything. I'll be back when he says it's okay. I would like for everyone to know that my job is secure with Australon Racing. It's my race car. The wreck at Pocono didn't have anything to do with my job security. I just want to make that point because I've gotten a few calls from fans who've asked me if David Pearson is taking over.

David came to our rescue when I got hurt and he's been doing a heck of a job. We couldn't have found anybody to step in like he has. The races at Talladega and Michigan gave me a chance to do something I haven't done in a long time. That's listen to a race broadcast. Actually, it's a good experience. A lot of things happen that you never pay any attention to when you're actually racing.

Like the interviews they played during the broadcast, it really helps you understand just how important public relations work is. There are a lot of folks out there listening, so it's important to say the right things. What a great thought for my dad there to do. be thinking about how he can get better when he comes back to racing, not just in the car, but outside the car, just taking in a broadcast and seeing some areas where, you know, he has a new perspective and pretty fun to hear that.

Now back to the article. When you were listening when Petty put that move on Buddy Baker at Michigan, boy, I learned something from Richard and I wasn't even there. He just kept working Buddy lower and lower. Then the rascal got him on the high side on the high side on the... last lap. I recently moved into a place on Lake Norman, and that's been keeping me busy. I'm really intrigued by the place.

I've never lived on water before, and this is a big lake, over 500 miles of shoreline. It's nice to jump on the boat at sunrise and cruise around, maybe do a little fishing. It feels good, smells good. The place has been keeping me busy, too. I've got 900 things I want to do, 900 things I've got to do, and 900 things I can't do. I've been trying to thank all the fans who've been in touch with me since the crash. The response was unbelievable. I don't know how I'll ever get around to all of them, so I guess I better say thank you right here.

I want to say something else too. The fellow upstairs, he had a lot to do with me not getting killed in that crash at Pocono. Maybe I don't go to church as much as I should, but I try. We got our own pastor at the races, and that's important to a lot of us. I know it has been important to me, and it will be when I get to the job. get back. And that's going to be very soon. So that's the end of the article. You know, Dad's going to miss all of August and four events total before he returns. And pretty impressive that they squeaked an article out of him or a column out of him while he's sitting there,

you know, frustrated about having to, you know, sit at home and not be in the race car. But it's good to hear his perspective on this particular part of the season, which is probably the toughest toughest situation he's ever had to face. So we hear from Dad as he's trying to recover from injury, and we're going to the next race, and that's Bristol. It's the Volunteer 500, and this is a tough deal for Dad, because Bristol's where he won his first race ever in NASCAR earlier in the season, and now they're going back there, but he doesn't get to drive the car.

He's dealing with a lot of emotions, I imagine. He wasn't in any condition to race, not even close to being healed. But there's also an announcement, Barney, that was made this week. As to a driver that will be appearing, in my mind, for the first time and a long time, at Bristol International Raceway for next Saturday nights Winston Cup Grand National Event, and that's the Silver Fox or Super Sub, as they call him now, David Pearson. And the team is going to get more assistance from David Pearson, but it's a bit surprising because David could have told Australand to get somebody else to drive the car.

You see, when David was driving for the Woodbrothers, they skipped the short tracks. They skipped the races with the smaller purses. and so I'm a bit surprised that Australin and Pearson team up again to go to Bristol. Bristol is a very physical tough grind for the drivers. Lots of times throughout many races in the 70s and the 80s even, many drivers would get relief at this racetrack. And so to see David Pearson, who's been out of the car, not really quite in race shape, just a couple races back, so yeah, I'm good for it, let's go. That's pretty impressive.

Richard Petty's going to qualify on the front row of the field. This is equally as impressive, his first poll since 1977, and he's feeling like he's right in the thick of this points battle, especially after Waltrip's engine issues the week before at Michigan. The DiGuard team, they're human after all. At the drop of the green flag, Petty's going to lead the first 32 laps. He'll lead a few more times,

but not lead again after the 100-lap mark. He's going to go on to finish second running in the top five throughout the day. Bobby Allison led quite a few times during the race, as did Benny Parsons. It's been a really tough season for Benny with the MC Anderson team this year. But on this day, he led the field for long green flag stretches. Benny was actually leading the race with 20 laps to go, but he made contact with Richard Trilders and he spins out. This allows Walter and Petty Both to pit for four fresh tires. and they're going to restart the race in striking distance.

When the field goes back to green, the contact and the spin had hurt Benny's car. Waltrip charged into the lead ahead of Petty and Bobby Allison. Benny's going to fade all the way back to fourth place when it's all over. Waltrip's going to win the race in a car called Bertha. He left all the newer chassis at home and he took Bertha to the track when he knew he needed a great result. It was an older car.

They had been building a lot of new. cars, and they had pretty good success, but Bertha was tried and true. It helped Darrell win 11 of his total career wins in one chassis. It was a chassis they had tried to replace many, many times, but every time they bring it back to the racetrack, it couldn't be beat. David Pearson, having not raced at Bristol since 1971, wound up seventh place, four laps down to the winner after a third place qualifying effort, pretty solid. Joe Milliken, he would get another great result finishing sixth,

and that helped his chances to expand his lead in the rookie of the year standings. We asked Joe if this made him real feel bad to take the lead in this manner. Well, not really. I look at it that, you know, if you're running second, the man crashes and falls out, you don't feel bad about it. You know, racing's a deal that you take it as it comes, and, you know, that's the way I look at it. I hate Dale got hurt.

I feel that I could have got him back anyway. We're running better. And the last six weeks we've been running better than we have. And, you know, we led the thing the first third of the season by like 28 points. And then the second third, Dale, he took the lead, and he was leading by 20-some points. And so, you know, we'll never know now how the third leg would have come out. Where was Dad? Well, an article in the scrapbook states that he was actually at the race.

He went to Bristol and apparently he even did some radio broadcast work with a local station. I kind of find that interesting because I talked about the pictures that I have of dad and me sitting on the couch at home and him in his shoulder straps trying to get them collarbones to heal up. And you wonder, man, did he go to the races? What did he do? It's kind of weird when you're hurt. You can't drive to have to go and watch somebody else drive your car. But you don't stay home.

You got to show the team that you're interested and you care. and you're still wanting to get back behind the wheel, you've got to show them that you're ready whenever the injuries heal. But I can't see Dad going and doing any media press or even radio broadcasting, even if it was just a quick interview during the race for the local radio station. I don't know. It's pretty fascinating. Trying to put myself in that moment and imagining what he was doing.

More becoming Earnhardt, coming right up. Greetings, sports fans from Do you. Darlington International Raceway and the 30th annual 7500. I'm Dick Jones with the Universal Racing Network team, and we're here to bring you the classic, the granddaddy of Major League Stock Car races, the 7-500 from the granddaddy, the South's biggest speedway. So after we leave Bristol, we're going to go to Darlington for the Southern 500.

Dad is still not able to return from his injuries, not cleared to race. And even if he was, I don't know, Darlington's a tough track to make such a return. The Osloan team would head to Darlington with one of the best to ever do it at this racetrack. David Pearson had won eight races at Darlington. He held all the qualifying records there, and he also was the leading money winner at the racetrack. But he's on the backside of his career, no doubt. Pearson is winless since August of 1978. But either way, the fact that Pearson is driving is a huge morale boost for the Austrolin team.

They're going to put forth the best effort knowing that Pearson can win anything. time he shows up to the lady in black. Looking now at row one, outside, car number one, starting position number two, Donnie Allison, Hewittown, Alabama, Hawaiian Tropic Chevrolet. His brother Bobby Allison, and car number 15 is on the pole, front row inside. After qualifying for the race was complete, Bobby Allison would find himself sitting on the pole with his Budmore Ford, and his brother Donnie Allison is on the outside of the front row in second spot. Dad was actually at this race, too, We talked about him being at Bristol and maybe doing some media and so forth. Well, he was at practice and apparently went home Saturday.

He spoke to the media while he was there. One of the comments that he makes about his rookie season, all of a sudden I had to watch my position in the points go down the drain helpless. Now I'm down to ninth in points and there's nothing I can do. I'll probably be 11th or 12th before I get back to racing. But I dug into this more. I'm like, why did he go home Saturday? why don't he just stay for the race on Sunday?

He's there. But it was actually a long tradition for the teams to practice and qualify all weekend, Friday and Saturday, and then take the entire Sunday off and then race on Monday. How crazy does that sound? It was Labor Day weekend.

And so they'd get everything done and then Sunday the track would just be closed. You could go to the beach, you could hang out, or you could go home. And I guess Dad went home. And we've got a green flag. Donnie Allison takes it up near on the high side. Donnie Allison coming out and going into turn one and Donnie Allison is leading in turn one.

Donnie Allison's going to rocket to the lead when the green flag drops. He would battle for the top position with his brother, Bobby Allison and Darrell Walters for most of the first half of the race. And Donnie Allison is back into the pitch once again and Hall Sellington leans inside the car and it looks like right now that nobody is going to do anything to the car. They're just talking with Donnie. Donnie's going to break a motor on lap 195, and he's going to get asked to do some relief driving for Richard Petty.

I believe that is Donnie Allison heading towards Richard Petty's pits. Donnie Allison is heading towards Rich. So he's going to go down to Richard Petty's car, and he tries to climb in, but he don't fit in the seat. We've just learned that the reason Donnie Allison had to come out. of the car 43 to Richard Petty machine so soon was because of his height, really, because he was unable to reach the pedals in the car. Richard being some six feet, two inches tall. And of course, Donnie, more like 5, 8, or 9, I would, yes. And he was hurting his fat, trying to reach for the

pedal. And so the Petty team has to scramble and grab Neil Bonnet to drive the 43 car for Richard. Donnie's standing there going all right. Well, I guess I'm not going to do that. He gets a call to head down to the other end of pit road because his brother Bobby needs some relief. So Donnie climbs into Bobby Allison's car and drives it for a while. Bobby had hit the wall earlier in the day.

He's getting a little bit sick from the fumes coming into the car. Richard Petty has returned back to his pit area talking with members of the crew and starting to put the shoulder strap back on. So Dave Rogers looks like Richard's going to go back out again. But Richard Pets are going to go back out again. But Richard Petty, he recovers.

And he wants to get back behind the wheel of his car, so Neil Bonnet pulls in and gets out, Richard Petty gets back in. But now Donnie's not feeling so good in Bobby's car, so he comes in and Neil Bonnet climbs in that car. Are we thoroughly confused? Oh, well, if you are, there's more. Lenny Pond's going to relief drive for Ricky Rudd. Jack Ingram's going to relief drive for Benny Parsons, and Dick May even drove a bit for Chuck Bow.

It was a hot, nasty race. At one point, Ricky Rudd and Bobby Allison are laying on the ground, receiving oxygen and water, just 10 feet apart. It was pandemonium. Drivers laying everywhere in need a medical attention. Right now, Darrell is holding about a 10-second lead over the second-place car. David Pearson, almost a 10-second lead. After the halfway mark, it seemed like the race was all in Darrell Waltrip's hands. He was leading David Pearson and a young Bill Elliott by a full lap when he came up on a slower car,

and he slips into the wall. This is allowing Pearson to make up a lot of ground, but Darrell's still in the lead. Trouble on the racetrack and it's your leader, Darryl Wal-Trop. Darryl Wal-Wiltsup spinning going into number two, going up and smacking the wall, and he is trying to get that car restarted. But then he spins out of the lead

while struggling with the ill-handling car. A final bit of contact with the wall off a turn two calls the cut tire and takes Waltrip out of contention for good. This is your points leader, folks. having a dramatic, dramatic finish to his day. David Pearson coming down the front view, driving the Australon, Monte Carlo, under, and the checkered flag is out, and David Pearson, Farnford, South Carolina, wins his third Southern 500.

And after all of that, David Pearson is going to earn redemption and cruise home to victory at Darlington, winning the Southern 500. In post-race media, winning crew chief Jake Elder would say of Pearson, what a way to go out, winning the Southern 500. He can still drive the dickens out of a car, but I hope he will quit. David has proven all the points. He's about the best that he's ever been, and it's time for him to take it easy. He has all the money he needs.

Jake says he should quit. Go out on top. I kind of like that because even though Pearson just wins this race in your car, it seems maybe they're still excited about Dad, feel hopeful about what Dad could become. Bill Elliott would hang out and he's going to finish in second place a full two laps down to David Pearson. Elliot said it was a dream come true running up front with the leaders all day.

He actually considered getting a relief driver, but when he realized that he had a shot to finish second, he decided to stick it out. Young Terry Labani's going to finish in third place. Buddy Baker is going to get fourth and to round out the top five Benny Parsons. So damn, Dad had to listen at home

while one of the greatest of all time wins in his car. What a gut punch. Maybe Dad didn't take it all that hard. Maybe it was motivation. Oh, it damn sure was motivation. To get back behind the wheel and get back fast. Oshelan was already entertaining ideas

of running multiple cars to keep Pearson on the track and in the winter circle. That wasn't exactly what. what Dad had in mind when he saw this season unfolding. He needed to get healed up and back on the racetrack fast. One final note for the Silver Fox, David Pearson.

He'd been released from his ride, and at the very same track, he returned triumphant. He won in Pearson fashion, too. Not always the fastest, but damn sure the smartest. Pearson's style was sly like a fox. Smooth,

calculated, free of urgency, and free of mistakes. Darlington is exactly the kind of track where those attributes are a recipe for success, and Pearson and Darlington fit together in a perfect marriage. He showed the world what they already knew. He was far from finished and as good as ever. In a moment when no one would have faulted him for boasting, he was modest and reserved in victory.

He said, At least I can hold my head high when I leave the track. The week leading up to the next race at Richmond, Virginia, Dad is at a Charlotte Motor Speedway Media event. He's going to reach into his back pocket and pull out a note. On the note with a physician's signature was the caption. Dale Earnhardt, okay to resume Grand National Racing. No restrictions.

Dad would say to the media in attendance, so I'll see you all in Richmond Sunday. It seemed like I've been out of the car for more than just five weeks. I'm real anxious to get back into competition. I've only been to one race since I've been out. I just can't stand to watch one because I want to be out there racing so bad. I spent Labor Day working on my pier up at the lake, putting a roof on and some handrails on it. With moving into the lakehouse and all, I have plenty to do while I've been out of action.

But it sure feels good knowing I'll be driving again Sunday. It's been a long, long time since I've sat in a race car. I know I'm ready to race, and I'm sure Jake Elder and the boys had the car ready to go. The racing team was all fired up after David Pearson drove one of its cars to a win at Darlington. The doctor was amazed at how fast I recovered from the broken collar bones and even accused me of using some type of wonder drug. All I know is that I have this medical clearance to race in my pocket and I'm ready to go. I know I've got to come back with some finishes if I want to win the rookie of the year title. I was in pretty good shape when I crashed out.

Now I'm behind and I've got some racing to do to catch Joe Milliken. I'm glad I'm coming back to Richmond and feel sure I can run all of that race. If it was a week later at Dover, I don't believe I could run the whole race because it's just so tough on the driver. Dad mentioned that he took the shoulder braces he'd used during his recovery off on Tuesday before the race and had felt no pain. He'd also spoke to many drivers at Darlington, like Allison, Petty, and Kell Yarborough. And they all told him not to come back until he was good and ready. With that back behind the wheel, many in the media questioned what this meant for David Pearson and what racing he might still do for the remainder of the season.

Osterlin team officials had no comment about the matter, but Crew Chief Jake Elder said the team would be in position to field a second car in any of the races left in the season that Pearson wanted to run. Pearson said he also had some offers to run next season or even build a new team, but he was interested only in running a half a dozen. in races and didn't think anyone would be interested in such a limited deal. Dad will be racing at Richmond, the very same car that Pearson took to victory at Darlington, and he said that too added a bit of pressure to perform well.

Now, what would be the best possible outcome for Dad in his first race back? One of those surprises before the race even starts. His name Dale Earnhardt. He's the 28-year-old rookie from Canapolis, North Carolina. Back in action after six weeks of recuperating with injuries, he suffered in a jewel. July 30th racing accident at Pocono, Pennsylvania, and he will start in pole position with a pack of season veterans chasing him. He beat them all in Friday's opening round of qualifying trials, and then again, maybe that shouldn't

surprise anybody. It's his second pole position of the year in NASCAR's Grand National Circuit Winston Cup series, and he has scored one victory in his rookie season. Well, for one, he would go out and qualify the car on the pole in his very first attempt back from injury. The green flag is out, and Dale Earnhardt is often running. Kyle Yalboro dies low on the inside of Joe Milliken. Dad would lead the first 19 laps from the pole

before settling in behind Bobby Allison, and Dad would make it beyond the halfway mark of the race before calling for relief. He was losing his brakes, and the pain in his shoulders was more than he could bear. Luckily, the competitive Lenny Pond had fallen out early and was available to fill in. Isn't that interesting?

In the 1970s and on end of the 80s, drivers, they would get tired or hot and call for relief during many races. Teams, they would go scouring the garage and pits for any driver who might have fallen out of the race. Because of the incredible lack of durability in the cars around this time, there was always a reasonable relief driver on hand. He might even be walking through the pits literally just asking somebody, hey, you need some relief?

Any drivers need relief? You just don't see that anymore today. A driver who needs relief these days, has a plan for who that might be before they even leave the shop during the week. And it will not be a driver competing in the same event. Coming off a four gets back into the carburetor. White, checkered flag comes down. Bobby Allison.

Bobby Allison, your winner in the Capitol City 400 from Fairgrounds Raceway in Richmond, Virginia. Once Bobby Allison assumed the leave from Dad, he would drive away from the rest of the field during the race at Richmond. He led every lap, except for 31. It was an impressive, impressive fifth win during the 1979 season. Well, Bobby Dale is really a great young competitor, and he was running really hard there early,

and his car was working pretty good. I had to kind of wait and see, and finally his car began to take a definite pattern, and then I began to work against that pattern to get by them. Darrell Walterp in dire need of a good result is going to come home in second place, but he's a whole 11 seconds behind Bobby Allison. That's almost a whole lap at Richmond. Ricky Rudd's going to finish in third place, a great result for him.

Kell Yarborough is going to finish fifth. Dad is going to get credited with fourth place, all thanks to Lenny Pond in relief. It's no real surprise, though, for Lenny Pond, as Richmond was one of his favorite racetracks. but this finish and help from Lenny Pond is a big moment in Dad's quest to make a comeback in the rookie of the year points battle with Joe Milliken and Dad had some words for the media after the race.

I'm glad the ride is mine again. Bobby Allison and Richard Petty told me to get out of the car if I had to and to not abuse my body. I took their advice today. With this second place finished by Darrell Waltrip, he has now lengthened his points lead over Richard Petty back, to 187 points. For Dad, he's back at the racetrack and back behind the wheel of his familiar number two

Ostrelin ride. Now, he didn't finish all of the laps, obviously getting relief from another driver. And that wasn't all too uncommon. But Dover was next. That was going to be a tough, tough challenge. The G-Forces on a driver at Dover are immense, and it was going to be a long 500-lap race there. A relief driver would absolutely be needed again. But would the team again be able to find a suitable substitute?

You bet they would. And he was awesome behind the wheel. Next time on becoming Earnhardt. Dad is back behind the wheel, but the time off has impacted his endurance. With three grueling 500-mile contests on the horizon at extremely challenging racetracks, will Dad be able to find his confidence and rise back to the top? Or will the setback prove to be a tough mountain decline for the promising rookie? Becoming Earnhardt is a podcast series by Dirty Mo Media.

It is written and produced by myself, Dellenhart Jr., with Bobby Marcos and Mike Davis. Sound designed by Ben Potts. Production assistance by Tiff Powers, Michael Caldwell, Dustin Lee, James Brossan, Andrew Curlin, and Alex Thames. This project is in partnership with NASCAR. NASCAR Productions and the Motor Racing Network. For full replays of classic races, visit the Motor Racing Network's website at mrn.com. Race broadcast audio for this episode was from Universal Racing Network

and provided to us by the Hank Schoolfield Universal Racing Network Collection, now part of the Stock Car Collection at Appalachian State University. Special thanks to Kathy Earnhardt Watkins and Kay Earnhardt Snipes. Special thanks to Cadence 13 and Silver Tribe Media. For additional content on Becoming Earnhardt, including exclusive videos, visit Dirtymo Media's YouTube page and follow us on all major social media platforms.