Dale Earnhardt Is Still A Force in Winston Cup

Dale Earnhardt was named NASCAR Driver of the Decade for the '90s and some will argue he may be the greatest Winston Cup driver of all time. In 2000, he is ready to continue that legacy into the new century. The driver who began the '90s with four Winston Cup titles in the first five seasons was ready to lay claim as the driver of the century. But Earnhardt began to falter beginning in 1996 when he was involved in the worst crash of his career at Talladega in the DieHard 500.

What followed was a losing streak that reached 59 races before it finally snapped when he won the '98 Daytona 500, ending 20 years trying to win NASCAR Winston Cup racing's crown jewel. But another winless streak followed before it was snapped in the DieHard 500 at Talladega in 1999--the second win in a 101-race span for the once dominating driver.

Earnhardt wasn't through. He bumped his way to victory at Bristol Motor Speedway in August when he knocked Terry Labonte out of the way on the final lap in vintage Earnhardt style. It was his first multi-win season since 1996. He sealed a fantastic season with the third win of the year in the Winston 500 at Talladega on October 17.

It signaled to the doubters that Dale Earnhardt was back.

"Hell, in my mind, I had never left," Earnhardt says, displaying his cocky grin. "I never went anywhere. I have always been here. I'll be here until I'm gone. After this deal with Richard Childress is over, I'll probably look at retirement. I'm not going to make any bones about it or set a time deal on it." As Earnhardt entered the 2000 season, however, he was recovering from neck surgery to correct some pain and discomfort. It gave the bigger-than-life racing hero a chance to sit back and reflect, while also preparing to look ahead for the final stretch of his fabulous career.

"I enjoyed the time off," Earnhardt says. "I healed up and got stronger again. I'm in good shape. I'm ready to race. Our goal to win that eighth championship with Richard Childress and GM Goodwrench Service is what is motivating me now. I just signed a brand new contract with Richard Childress and GM Goodwrench. It's good through the year 2003 with options for more, so there's no retirement clause in there or anything, so we're in good shape."

Winning the Brickyard 400 in 1995 and then the Daytona 500 in 1998 was a huge sense of relief, but not the final exclamation point of his career. Earnhardt believes that will only come with an eighth Winston Cup title. The 2000 season has given Earnhardt renewed hope and the confidence that he can continue as one of the sport's dominant faces. Although he struggled for a portion of the 1990s, he believes there were a variety of factors that led to that situation.

"I think what happened is the competition kept growing," Earnhardt says. "We didn't probably do the right things--Richard Childress and us. Finally, we have turned it around and put things back in perspective and I think our race teams are back on track and we have the focus we need on a lot of things. "I think the feel I have for a race car is different than probably somebody that is younger because of my years in racing. I think Kevin Hamlin and I have turned the corner on having a great relationship and making it work better. Our communication is coming together a lot better than what I had before. I think that is a big part of it, making our team turn the corner. There are a lot of things like that."

When Earnhardt won the Daytona 500 in 1998, it was thought to be the start of his breakthrough year after several seasons of struggle. But the breakout came in 1999 with his victory at Talladega, solidifying his reputation as the master of restrictor-plate racing.

"I try to work the car in practice and qualifying and get it to where it really runs good in the draft, in the air," Earnhardt says. "If I can, I'm more confident in it and I run better in the race. I learn a lot in drafting. Restrictor plates changed the drafting when it came on board and as it went through the years, it changes even more with bodies and air and spoilers and everything that you may or may not do. That's important. I've been good at using the air."

The Bristol victory last August let the racing world know in no uncertain terms he still had that vintage Earnhardt style of using fear and intimidation, and a good hard knock, to his advantage.

"The whole race was overshadowed by the end of the race because we ran so good that night," Earnhardt says. "We ran from the back to the front and even on the back straightaway; we were running good."

Part of the reason why Earnhardt and Childress have lasted together for two decades is their ability to work together. Earnhardt has always been more than just a driver at Richard Childress Racing. He has played a vital role in the development of the racing operation and his input is invaluable.

"I have just as much confidence in him winning that eighth championship now as I ever have," Childress says. "If we get our stuff right, we can do that.

"This race team--we are building it back to where it was. Dale was hurt a couple of years. With the whole package of good cars and our team, you will see the vintage Dale Earnhardt for several more years. As long as Dale Earnhardt is healthy and he is competitive, he wants to keep racing."

Earnhardt also has additional motivation in 2000. His son, two-time Busch Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr., is driving the Budweiser-sponsored car for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Steve Park is the other DEI driver in the Pennzoil Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

"Before, I was Dale Earnhardt," he says. "Now, I'm Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s dad. I think that put some light on my age and the time I've had in this sport. Everyone realizes I've gotten older. Fans and people have talked retirement or said I was through with racing. They've seen the greats come and go in racing and not win in the latter years--A.J. Foyt, Richard Petty. But still, it was hard for those guys to quit racing. It's like Darrell Waltrip right now. He's talking retirement and it has to be tough for him as a driver to stop wanting to drive."

One of the most special moments in Earnhardt's life came from a father and son encounter. It was in the early '70s when he raced his father, the late Ralph Earnhardt, at Metrolina Speedway in Charlotte.

"I did race against my dad at Charlotte in the dirt one time, but I never really did it in a Sportsman car like he had," Earnhardt says. "The one thing I probably would liked to have done that I didn't get to do was drive for my dad. The year he died, he was talking with Mom about putting me in the car the next year rather than having other people drive for him. I didn't find it out until after he passed away and my mom and Uncle Bud was telling me about it. That would have been great. I would have gotten my ass chewed out a lot, but that would have been great. I think that would have been a lot of fun."

Earnhardt has grown to appreciate and enjoy racing against his son in Winston Cup competition this season. "I'm proud of it, but I still want him to learn and do the right things. He gets excited racing around me and I see it. He wants to beat me when he just needs to really race smart. He'll end up beating me like he will anybody else. I'm just proud to see him race.

"Dale Jr. and Kelley and Kerry, all of us have a pretty good relationship. I want the kids to be themselves. I want them to be able to excel in what they can do. Dale Jr. really wants to race. I think he was paying better attention than what I thought."

One of those special moments came in last year's IROC race at Michigan. Both cars came out of the fourth turn side by side with the checkered flag in sight. "That was a fun day, it really was," Earnhardt recalls. "He was patient and I could see he wanted to be the leader, wanted to be up front, but still, he was patient. Finally, he made that last move to the end there and I was lucky to still beat him. That was fun. That was classic. I think he used his head a lot. If he keeps doing that, I think he'll make it as a racer."

Father Dale feels bad that his racing career often kept him from spending quality time with his kids while they were growing up. By sharing a relationship in racing, it has helped the two bond and connect with each other.

"As we grew up and I was racing and they had school, they missed a lot of time with me," Earnhardt says. "Now, when they are up and going and have all this stuff going, I call and want to do stuff with them and I miss a lot of time with them. We have to schedule time together. That's pretty neat.

"Yes, it did bother me to leave them at home, but it was smart to leave them there and get their education. I have some hard-to-beat pictures of them as kids back in 1986 and 1987 and 12 years later, Dale Jr. is winning championships. It's hard to believe seeing those pictures."

During that time, Dale Earnhardt Jr. used to daydream of what it would be like to beat his dad on the race track. This year, he will get his big chance.

"It's just like kids growing up wanting to be Michael Jordan or wanting to be Dale Earnhardt," Dale Jr. says. "When I was growing up, I wanted to be Dale Earnhardt. He was the champion. He was my dad, but he was the guy who was winning and he was the guy I wanted to be. I always thought about driving his car and stuff, so it was kind of cool to be able to do that." Earnhardt is a proud man in many respects. One of the things that brings him a tremendous amount of pride is the racing empire that he has built, along with his wife, Teresa.

"I'm proud of what we have accomplished, Teresa and myself and all the folks that supported us and worked with us," Earnhardt says. "I'm proud of my family and the way they have grown up. They may not be the brightest kids, but they are good kids. They have done well.

"Teresa helped me. I have the common street sense and she has the book smarts. We are fortunate. She has a great family and mom and dad. Her dad is the type of guy who can take chicken shit and turn it into chicken salad. He is good at making ends meet and making things happen. He takes things and turns them around. My dad was like that. He was an innovator. He'd take a little of nothing and make a good race car out of it and win races. We both came from a hard luck background where we take what we have and make the best of it.

"People always talk about us not having a lot. Shoot, I thought we were rich. I never thought we didn't have a lot. I thought we were always rich. I never wanted for anything. Teresa and myself grew up that way and I think we've been fortunate, very fortunate."

For Dale Earnhardt, it has truly been a wonderful life.