Becoming Earnhardt Vol. 2 - First Impressions

Summary

The Dale Jr. Download

Episode: Becoming Earnhardt Vol. 2 - First Impressions
Date: December 18, 2025
Host: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Produced by: Dirty Mo Media, SiriusXM

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Episode Overview

In this episode of "Becoming Earnhardt," Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes listeners through the opening moments of his father Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s rookie NASCAR season in 1979. Dale Jr. details the critical races that introduced his father to the national stage, focusing on the season opener at Riverside, the inaugural Busch Clash, and the historic 1979 Daytona 500—emphasizing the moments that would cement NASCAR’s place in American sports, as well as his father's reputation as a remarkable new talent.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: NASCAR’s Shift and the Coming of Earnhardt

• Context: With open wheel racing losing ground in the late 1970s, NASCAR was set to become America’s motorsport of choice, and a young Dale Earnhardt Sr. was about to step out from his father Ralph Earnhardt's shadow.
  • “Up until that point, people didn’t know him as the seven-time champion or one tough customer. Whatever notoriety he had was more for being the son of Ralph Earnhardt. Everything changed in 1979.” (01:00, Dale Jr.)

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2. Riverside: The Rookie’s Road Course Baptism

• Race Overview: 1979 Winston Western 500 at Riverside International Raceway—Earnhardt’s first road course start with the Osterlin Racing Team in a '77 Monte Carlo.
• Early Drama: Earnhardt lines up in row five, next to the very man he replaced, Dave Marcis, who bought a car from the team he’d just left.
  • “What makes this even more interesting to me is that on Dave's way out of the door at Osterlin, he purchases a car from the team…” (04:47, Dale Jr.)
• Race Developments:
  • Earnhardt quickly runs in the top five, impressing veteran drivers and broadcasters.
    • “They feel that he is probably the most promising young driver to come along in a long time. And he comes quite a racing background.” (05:50, Announcer)
  • Mechanical problems (shifter/gearing issues) end Earnhardt’s strong run early.
    • “Earnhardt was having trouble shifting gears as he went under the bridge…” (06:14, Announcer)
  • The race runs almost entirely green, rain arrives late, and Darrell Waltrip wins. Notably, this is the last race for Waltrip's car "Wanda."

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3. Daytona Speedweeks: The Busch Clash & Qualifying Week

• Track Update: Daytona freshly repaved, setting the stage for blistering speeds and tire failures.
• Inaugural Busch Clash: A 50-mile sprint, first of its kind for pole winners.
  • Winner: Buddy Baker in the now-legendary "Gray Ghost" car.
    • “The car was so freakishly fast that NASCAR actually asked the team to add some day glo orange paint to the nose so that the competition could recognize the rocket ship closing quickly from behind…” (15:09, Dale Jr.)
  • Race play: Baker and Waltrip team up to break away, agreeing to draft rather than race side-by-side.
    • “They agreed not to run side by side and rather draft nose to tail to victory. And I wonder, did they split that money after all?” (15:09, Dale Jr.)
• Twin 125s (Daytona Duels):
  • Dale Earnhardt Jr. recaps his father’s solid debut: passes from 8th to 3rd on lap one, finishes 4th.
  • Earnhardt’s strong result secures 10th place on the Daytona 500 grid.

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4. Daytona 500: NASCAR’s Coming-Out Party

Pre-race Hype and Historical Context

• CBS Broadcast: The 1979 Daytona 500 is televised start-to-finish nationally for the first time. A massive snowstorm up and down the East Coast helps to ensure the largest viewership ever.
  • “For millions of first time viewers, this is the first glance of what NASCAR and stock car racing are all about. High speeds, door to door action, and all out mayhem.” (39:05, Dale Jr.)
• Starting Grid: Pole-winner Buddy Baker in his “Gray Ghost”; Dale Earnhardt starts 10th.

The Race Itself

• Early Events: Rain delays, long pace laps to dry the track; caution laps foul the engines of top contenders (Buddy Baker, Waltrip, Parsons)—all three drop out with mechanical issues.
  • “Having such a powerfully tuned engine meandering around a large oval at less than half speed can foul spark plugs and burn pistons.” (23:58, Dale Jr.)
• Dale Earnhardt’s Rookie Breakout:
  • Earnhardt battles inside the lead draft and astonishingly leads his first-ever Cup Series lap.
    • “This is the very first lap in Dad's cup career that he has led.” (27:49, Dale Jr.)
  • He remains a frontrunner for much of the race, ultimately losing a cylinder with 10 laps to go, finishing 8th—a lap down but having led multiple times.
    • “He would lead the field as late as lap 142 of the 200 lap event.” (39:37, Dale Jr.)
    • “Dale did a masterful job all week,” (Rod Osterlin, 41:29, via Dale Jr.)
• Multi-Car Accidents and Race Cautions: Multiple incidents, many under yellow flag conditions, define the race and challenge pit crews and drivers alike.
• Iconic Final Lap Fight:
  • Lap 32: Allison brothers and Cale Yarborough involved in a wreck—foreshadowing later events.
    • “You want some foreshadowing? Well, it happened on lap 32 in a wreck that involved three drivers. And you guessed it, it’s Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough.” (25:20, Dale Jr.)
  • Last Lap: Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough collide vying for the win, crash out. Petty and Waltrip sneak by; Petty claims his sixth Daytona 500.
  • The infamous fight: Bobby Allison stops to check on Donnie, a fistfight erupts between the Allisons and Yarborough. The moment is immortalized on live national TV.
    • “There’s a fight between Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison. The tempers overflowing… They’re angry. They know they have lost.” (37:05, Race Announcer)
    • “Kale, he got out of his car and he called me a dirty bastard. Bobby stops his car and Cale poked him through the window screen. Then Cale swung his helmet at Bobby. Donny felt as a leader that he had the right to go anywhere on the track that he wanted.” (37:28, Dale Jr.)
    • “If he'd ever touched me, I’d have probably killed him.” (37:15, Donnie Allison, via Dale Jr.)
• Richard Petty’s Perspective:
  • “I radioed to my pit crew and asked them where the wreck was and all they said was, ‘go, go, go’. I couldn't believe it when I saw both those cars sitting in the grass.” (38:21, Richard Petty via Dale Jr.)

Aftermath and Impact

• Consequences: NASCAR fines all three combatants $6,000, puts Donnie on probation.
  • “Bill France Jr. said, ‘We've got the greatest show going on in sports. We don’t need wrecks and fights to sell tickets.’” (39:32, Dale Jr.)
• Cultural Impact: The broadcast brings NASCAR to a massive new audience; CBS wins an Emmy; the event is regarded as the launching point of NASCAR’s national popularity.

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Dale Sr. Stepping Out from His Father’s Shadow:

  • “Up until that point, people didn’t know him as the seven-time champion or one tough customer … Everything changed in 1979.” (01:00, Dale Jr.)

• On the "Gray Ghost" Busch Clash Car:

  • “The car was so freakishly fast that NASCAR actually asked the team to add some day glo orange paint to the nose so that the competition could recognize the rocket ship closing quickly from behind…” (15:09, Dale Jr.)

• On the Infamous Last-Lap Fight:

  • “If he'd ever touched me, I’d have probably killed him.” (37:15, Donnie Allison, via Dale Jr.)
  • “There’s a fight between Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison. The tempers overflowing… They’re angry. They know they have lost.” (37:05, Race Announcer)

• On the Broadcast’s Impact:

  • “For millions of first-time viewers, this is the first glance of what NASCAR and stock car racing are all about. High speeds, door to door action, and all out mayhem." (39:05, Dale Jr.)

• On Dale Sr.’s Performance:

  • “He would lead the field as late as lap 142 of the 200 lap event.” (39:37, Dale Jr.)
  • “Dale did a masterful job all week.” (Rod Osterlin, 41:29, via Dale Jr.)

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Episode Structure & Key Segments

| Segment | Time | Content | |---|---|---| | Riverside ‘79 | 01:00–08:59 | Earnhardt’s rookie debut, early road course promise, mechanical issues; Waltrip’s win | | Daytona Speedweeks & Busch Clash | 12:26–18:55 | New Daytona surface, blistering speeds, the legend of “Gray Ghost,” Earnhardt's solid qualifying efforts | | The Daytona 500 | 19:49–41:29 | Live TV coverage, Earnhardt’s breakthrough, mechanical woes for frontrunners, multi-car wrecks, lead swaps, and the dramatic final lap and brawl | | Cultural Aftershock | 41:29–End | NASCAR’s national moment, penalties, legacy, and Dale Sr.’s strong rookie debut |

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Memorable Moments

• The contrasting images of Dale Earnhardt Sr.—rookie, yet right out front, trading the lead with legends like Richard Petty.
• The almost incredulous TV confusion over whether the rookie was a lap down or actually leading, as he forges his first lap at the front (27:23–27:49).
• The near-mythic status of the last-lap brawl, beamed into millions of new living rooms, shaping NASCAR’s durable, rough-and-tumble image (37:01–38:21).
• Dale Jr.'s personal touch and pride in narrating his father's first national “first impression.”

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Conclusion

"Becoming Earnhardt Vol. 2 - First Impressions" is a rich narrative tapestry blending racing history, behind-the-scenes details, and compelling first-person anecdotes. For fans and newcomers alike, the episode provides a vivid account of how 1979 became both Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s launching pad and NASCAR’s leap into mainstream American culture—driven by gritty racing, a touch of controversy, and the unforgettable image of a brash young star coming of age on racing’s biggest stage.

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Next Episode Tease: Dale Sr. follows up the Daytona drama with his first Cup Series win at Bristol…

Transcript

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The following is a production of Dirty Mo Media. With open wheel racing going through a national divorce in 1978, its reign as America's top brand of motorsports was in doubt. The timing was perfect for stock cars to come in and capture the hearts and minds of a country that didn't know if it had a stomach for fenders and fisticuffs. Well, NASCAR's 1979 season fed us all we wanted and more. Like NASCAR, 28 year old rookie Dale Earnhardt was trying to make a name for himself. Up until that point, people didn't know him as the seven time champion or one tough customer. Whatever notoriety he had was more for being the son of Ralph Earnhardt. Everything changed in 1979. Not just in how NASCAR became America's favorite motorsport, but in and how my dad became the Dale Earnhardt we'd come to know. I AM Dale Earnhardt Jr. And on this episode of Becoming Earnhardt, we open up the family scrapbooks to begin our race by race journey through the 1979 NASCAR season and my dad's number two Osterlin Racing team. Our first stop, California.

[B]

Well hello everyone from Riverside, California. Barney Holland, Jackie Rood and the entire Motor Racing Network crew ready to bring you the kickoff race for the 1979 Winston cup racing season. The Winston Western 500.

[A]

Riverside International Raceway first opened in 1957 and it was located about 50 miles east of Los Angeles. NASCAR begins competing on the nine turn 2.6 mile course in 1958. By the early 60s, it's an annual stop on the grand national schedule and the only road course the series would run for decades. An Interesting storyline that developed in the off season was that the king, Richard Petty, had 40% of his stomach removed due to an ulcer which had actually healed but left problematic scar tissue that needed to be tended to.

[B]

They went in over the holidays and operated on Richard Petty. And Barney, he does look drawn and pale. We must definitely say that we talked to him before the race and we said, just how is your physical condition? And he said he feels fine. But there is a Talk that Herschel McGriff will be standing by, possibly to drive in relief for Richard Petty.

[A]

David Pearson would go out and sit on the pole. And he breaks a track record that was held for nine years by Parnelli Jones. And there's a fun fact about that particular day nine years ago when Jones made the qualifying run. Apparently he made it on unapproved tires and a suspect engine. So NASCAR officials relegated Parnelli Jones to the rear of the field that day. And he actually sues the racetrack, NASCAR and everybody else for a million dollars, claiming all sorts of damages. But the matter never went to court. But let's get back to 1979. If you listen to our last episode, you'll recall that there was a shakeup in the Osterlin Racing driver roster. Well, how about this for early season drama?

[B]

Starting in row five, you find Dale Earnhardt. Annapolis, North Carolina, driver in a 1977 Monte Carlo. The Osterlin Racing Enterprise's entry. This will be first road course start for Dale Earnhardt. He's been out here all week trying to dial in that machine. And this is so ironical. On the inside of row number five, the drivers that Dale Earnhardt replaced. Dave Marcus, Avery's Creek, North Carolina, Wausau, Wisconsin driver who's elected to go it alone this afternoon. And for the 79 campaign, he will be driving the O2 out of the Shoney's Restaurant stable.

[A]

What makes this even more interesting to me is that on Dave's way out of the door at Osterlink, he purchases a car from the team and reunites with his former crew chief Dewey Livengood, to once again make a go at the Grand National Circuit as an independent.

[B]

Green flag and The Winston Western 500 is underway. Cale Yarborough dives to the inside of David Pearson and pulls him by one car length as they head up into the esses.

[A]

Upon the start, Darrell Waltrip wastes no time getting out front of the field, showing that his daggard team would be picking up exactly where they left off in the 1978 season with the same speed that parked them in victory lane a total of six times. Richard Petty fell out on lap 14 with a blown engine, and this brings his winless streak to 45 races. This is the longest slump in his career. Also, Petty's car was noticeably void of the usual cover of STP decals. And it's known that the brand has withdrawn nearly half of their support to the team in this new season.

[C]

Kudos.

[B]

Barney Chicoti, your fifth place runner as well. Dale Earnhardt from Kannapolis, North Carolina. Talk to all the drivers who are here at Riverside. They feel that he is definitely probably the most promising young driver to come along in a long time. And he comes quite a racing background.

[A]

Dad would run well in his first trip to the challenging road course, spending time in the top five before developing shifter issues that would sideline his promising performance.

[B]

Earnhardt was having trouble shifting gears as he went under the bridge just before he went to the pits. You may watch. He may be developing a problem. Incidentally, Dale Earnhardt is in the garage area right now. They have a gearing problem with that car. They're trying to get it repaired and get him back out.

[A]

The race would run green without a yellow. And this is only the second time in history that this had happened at Riverside. You see, back then, NASCAR was more likely to use local yellows rather than a full course caution. If someone spun out in a corner, they'd wave a little yellow flag over there. And you're just probably not supposed to pass or do anything crazy while the car gets itself out of the way.

[B]

It has started to rain on the back straightaway. So rain being reported on the facility here in the Winston Western 500.

[A]

Rain began falling in those final laps, and the race eventually looked to be in the hands of Bobby Allison.

[B]

Let's interrupt a quick second. We do have a new leader on the course here at Riverside, California. It is Bobby Allison. He and Pearson were door to door going into the number nine corner, and Allison made the move on him there and is now the leader. Allison may be having problems. He's slowing down. Oh, he is going very, very slow. And Waltrip went around him like he was standing still.

[A]

But his motor blew while leading with just a bit more than 14 to go. And that clears the way for Darrell Waltrip to win. Darrell Waltrip's gonna kick off the year with a bang by bringing his die guard, Monte Carlo, affectionately named Wanda, to the lead point with 14 circuits to go. And he held on to win the race over David Pearson by 3.2 seconds. It would be Waltrip's in his cup career and this would be the last race for die guard's Wanda, which would be replaced by an Oldsmobile named Maybelline for Daytona. Darrell was fond of naming his cars, having won most of his races with the Diegard team driving the famous car named Bertha. Pearson runs second. Cale, Bill Schmidt and Donnie Allison round out the top five. So Waltrip, he starts the year with a win. After settling those contract disputes with Dygard owner Bill Gardner and the two parties seem to feel confident that their current five year contract was safe and secure. Joe Milliken, the new rookie is 6th in his debut with the LGD WIT team. This is the best finish of any rookie in the class. While it's early in the season, this has to feel like a major upset in the race for Rookie of the Year. Milliken, the longtime Petty Enterprises employee, he's getting his first big shot and despite winning a few high profile NASCAR sportsman races, his accomplishments and his experience that paled in comparison to his fellow rookie classmates Harry Gant, Terry Labonte and dad. Millikan's quiet yet strong finishes throughout the season would be something to keep an eye on.

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[B]

Before. From Daytona Beach, Florida, this is the MRN Broadcasting.

[A]

Company. But now we're in Daytona and according to Stock Car Racing Magazine, Daytona has a fresh coat of asphalt for speed weeks. The track has been repaved and we're going to have a little exhibition. It's called the Busch Clash. This will be the first running of the race and it was an idea thought up by Busch Beer brand manager Monty Roberts in an attempt for promotion for the brand. A field Consisting of pole winners from 1978, they would compete in a 50 mile sprint race with no caution laps or pit stops. This race is advertised as the fastest race of the season and it paid 50,000 to the winner and 18,000 for second place. Thus an incentivized pole speed runs for years to come. Guys would win the poll and the first thing you might hear out of their mouths during an interview was hey, we're in the Busch Clash. This race was also known as the richest race per mile, promoted as a 18 minute dash for.

[B]

$50,000. Here at Daytona International Speedway we are just moments away from the the start of what is being touted as the greatest race ever.

[A]

Conceived. The first clash field consists of Neil Bonnet, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Lenny Pond, J.D. mcDuffie, Bobby Allison, Buddy Baker, Darrell Waltrip and Benny Parsons. Parsons would sit on the pole for the race which was determined when the drivers drew Busch beer cans with starting numbers assigned to each.

[B]

One. Pontiac safety car dives onto pit Road and nine of the best drivers in the world. As some 50,000 people hold their breath. They're 300 yards from the start finish line waiting for the green flag. Benny Parsons, Darrell Waltrip eye each other on the front row green flag and the bush flash for 79 is.

[A]

Underway. @ the start of the race, Baker and Waltrip raced away from the rest of the field in a two car breakaway. Waltrip made a slingshot pass and he led briefly before Baker retook the lead. Baker would survive a late race pass attempt from Waltrip to win the.

[B]

$50,000 prize. Waltrip put a move on him in the middle of the corner, couldn't get him. Let's see what he does at the line. Here they come to the strike. Baker sticks out front. Waldrop can't get him. He tries him on the outside. Buddy Baker will win the.

[A]

Busch clash. Walter said of Baker's car, I knew it was all over when I went past that time and he passed me right back. Man, is he strong. Darrell said that he and Buddy had actually discussed a plan to run away and split the money for first.

[B]

And second. Well, it looks as if these two talked over their strategy before they dropped the green. They linked up in a draft as they dropped the green flag. They've never relinquished that. They continue to stretch their lead as they head back into the east end of.

[A]

The speedway. They agreed not to run side by side and rather draft nose to tail to victory. And I wonder, did they split that money after all, Baker's car would affectionately become known Right in that moment as the Gray Ghost. You see, it blended in so well with the gray asphalt at Daytona that the competitors couldn't see it in the rearview mirror. The car was so freakishly fast that NASCAR actually asked the team to add some day Glo orange paint to the nose so that the competition could recognize the rocket ship closing quickly from behind and smartly make maneuvers to clear the lane and not impede on Baker's forward progress. The clash was only the beginning of a masterclass in speed for the Gray Ghost at the superspeedway. Tracks like Daytona and Talladega. Due to increased speeds in qualifying, tires were blistering in the Busch clash. And Goodyear officials had tires that were designed for Talladega brought all the way to Daytona for the remainder of speed weeks. The official explanation for the tire's poor performance up to that time were the tremendous G forces causing side pressure due to unexpected speeds. The new pavement also seemed to be at play. Goodyear officials said that they expected the speeds to increase maybe by five miles an hour, but instead they saw increases of up to 11 miles an hour. The twin 125s were heat races that served as the final qualifications for the Daytona 500. Today, you know them as the duels at Daytona. Earning a spot in the Daytona 500 isn't easy any year, but in 1979, there were 59 entries, meaning that 18 cars out of the duels failed to qualify. This doesn't include another 19 entries that withdrew before the duels. In the first race, Buddy Baker, he's going to continue to demonstrate the sheer horsepower of the Gray Ghost by erasing a 4.1 second deficit in the final 10 laps to beat Cal Yarbrough. That's incredible. Dad is going to make his Twin125 debut in the second race and he would start eighth and finish fourth behind Darrell Waltrip, AJ Foyt and Dick Brooks. Dad made a bold move in the race on the very first lap, going from eighth to third. And then another one on the final lap trying to pass AJ Foyt for second. He would get hung out of the draft and lost the spot to Vic Brooks. Dad's spirited fourth place finish in the Twins is gonna ensure him a 10th place starting position for his first Daytona 500. There's a couple other races that happen throughout speed weeks outside of the regular cup action. One of those is the Sportsman 300. This race is remembered for a vicious crash on the back straightaway involving multiple cars including Freddie Smith, Joe Frazon and Don Williams. Williams would suffer the worst injuries and would live in a semi comatose state for 10 years before his death. While avoiding serious injury or death has always been a driving force for improved safety in NASCAR, the technology in the 70s made that possibility a very close reality for all the drivers in Daytona. And every week dad was entered in this race. Driving in Osterlin Monte Carlo and he qualified fourth. Dad might have had race winner Darrell Waltrip beat until he cut a tire late in the race. And the race was actually red flag for rain. They only completed 69 of the scheduled 120 laps. Another event that weekend was the arca 200. And this race is famous for one thing. At age 18, Kyle Petty makes his stock car racing debut. And he wins the event in one of his father's 1978.

[B]

Dodge Magnums. They are side by side to the stripe. Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the ARCA 200 is Kyle Petty. 18 years of age, he wins his first racing debut here in the ARCA 200. Petty has won this Automobile.

[A]

Racing Club of America event and this makes him the youngest driver to date to win a major stock car race. You see, Kyle had talked his dad out of the car. He asked Uncle Maurice to borrow an engine and he had Valvoline give him a little bit of sponsorship money to be able to put this deal together. I think Buddy Arrington might have said it best. I find it hard to believe that this boy had never driven a race of.

[B]

Any kind. From Daytona Beach, Florida, this is the MRN Broadcasting Company with the broadcast of the Daytona 500, NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National Stock.

[A]

Car Race. Alright, so the Daytona 500 is upon us and let's set the top 10 starters for that race. You have Buddy Baker in the number 28, gray ghost on the pole. He has been fast all week. Doesn't seem like anybody can contend with the speed of this car. Donnie Allison in Hoss Ellington's number one is on the outside of the front row row two is Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip. Then you have Benny Parsons, AJ Foyt, Bobby Allison, Dick Brooks, David Pearson and dad. Coming into this race, there were some big, big things happening in the Sport after nearly two decades of abbreviated racing broadcast through programs like ABC's Wide World of Sports and CBS's Sports Spectacular. Bill France Sr. And NASCAR have inked a deal with CBS and senior Vice president of CBS Sports, Barry Frank to broadcast five Daytona five hundreds from start to finish beginning in 1979. This would be only the second time in history that an Entire NASCAR race would be broadcast in its entirety, the first being ABC's 1971 broadcast of a 100 miler at Greenville Pickett. Now, the network had set aside only four hours for the race to be held on Sunday, February 18, and it proved to be a rainy morning. Once the rain stopped late in the morning, a lengthy track drying process begins. The race is going to get started 10 minutes late into its CBS broadcast window. And the first 15 laps were actually held under caution to help speed up the drying efforts. So they give the green flag and the yellow flag at the same time, and the cars are just kind of cruising around at pace car.

[B]

Speed as the race has officially started under a green caution situation. So these laps will count. No positions will change. So Buddy Baker will officially lead the first lap in the 1979 rendition of the.

[A]

Daytona 500. And at one point, you know, they're trying to figure out whether this tracks dry or not. So they send Darrell Waltrip on a flying lap at speed, and he's going to report back to his crew how the.

[B]

Track looks. And now, Jackie, we look up in turn four, we see that Darrell Waltrip has pulled out of the pack and is coming out of turn four, beginning to punch the throttle a bit and test.

[A]

This track. Darrell finally gives him the a okay that the track is ready. And NASCAR throws the green flag. And the 1979 Daytona 500 is.

[B]

Finally underway. Here comes the Pontiac pace car diving on the pit road. Field bunches tightly. They are less than a quarter of a mile from the start finish line. Chip Warren gives them the indication to hold it down. Green flag. And the field goes to green. To the.

[A]

Daytona 500. On the 16th lap, after setting a pole speed of 196 plus miles an hour, Buddy Baker is thought to be the driver to beat. And as the green flag drops, Donny Allison assumes an early lead. Steadily, the gray ghost driven by Baker, is beginning to drop through the field one spot at.

[B]

A time. And Buddy Baker continues to drop back. He has lost the fifth spot to Waltrip. Now he and AJ Foyt struggle.

[A]

For six. Now, throughout all the speed weeks, the car had competitors humbled. But his Harry Ranier own Oldsmobile spoiled an engine, and eventually he would park it. After 38 laps into the contest in the.

[C]

Garage area. Right now, Buddy Baker, driver, of course, car number 28 is out of the race. Buddy, disappointing happening.

[B]

For you. What's wrong with the car? Well, I really don't know. We started out on the caution laps. It started skipping real bad, and it Never cleared up. We changed plugs and distributor and everything is still skipping. I don't know whether. I just don't know what happened. The car was running beautiful yesterday. We put it up, didn't touch it until this morning. Set the timing and all sounded good and it never ran all day. Disappointing.

[A]

Very disappointing. Loads of cars had motor issues throughout the race, including Darrell Waltrip and Benny Parsons. Many of them pointed toward the long periods of caution running at part throttle to dry the track before the green flag was finally waved. Having such a powerfully tuned engine meandering around a large oval at less than half speed can foul spark plugs and.

[B]

Burn pistons. There are problems for Darrell Waltrip. Darrell has been into the pits now for three times. The motor is starting to skip. The first two times they made some minor changes. Now the tools are coming out, the hood is up, the engine is shut off. So it could be some real problems for Darrell. Walter, we'll keep you.

[A]

Posted that. After 25 laps, dad was unable to stay with the lead draft, which only consisted of seven cars. He was in the following group nearly half a.

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Conditions apply. Buying a car should feel secure start to finish. That's why you should buy your next ride on ebay. See, ebay's got everything from classics to trucks and imports now with secure purchase, sellers and titles are verified and financing, delivery and insurance options are built right in. Plus, eligible vehicle purchases are backed by up to $100,000 in protection. So buy your next car on eBay. EBay things people love. Secure Purchase is powered by Carmel Dealer Services, LLC, an eBay subsidiary. You want some foreshadowing? Well, it happened on lap 32 in a wreck that involved three drivers. And you guessed it, it's Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough. Now, this is not the incident that led to the big fight that comes at the end. But these three, they seem to find each other one way or another all day long. And it starts on lap 32. Here's what happened on lap 32. Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, Kale, Yarborough are battling for the lead. And as they exit turn two, they are all collected in a crash which began when Bobby made some such slight contact with Donnie's left rear coming off of turn two. And so the three cars, they go spinning down the back straightaway and into the grass and they end up getting stuck in the mud. Bobby was far off the racetrack against the dirt berm that separated the competitors from Lake Lloyd, Cale and Donnie. They were mere car lengths from the track surface, urgently spinning their rear tires in search of any grip to free them from the muddy swamp that the backstretch infield had become. Kale and Donnie, both would be pushed by hand out to the track. Kale's car would struggle to re fire and he would lose three laps. Bobby, he would lose two laps in the mud. But Donnie only lost one lap in the accident. On the next restart. This is the first moment when dad enters the picture. He's now dicing it up amongst the lead draft broadcasters, Squire and Hobbs, they're a bit startled and they quickly deliberate over whether dad is actually even on the lead lap.

[B]

Or not. Dale's had a fantastic week here, he really has. But as I say, I.

[A]

Think he's a lap down, but I'm not sure. This debate went on for three laps as dad swapped positions inside the.

[B]

Top three. We're checking out to see if Earnhardt is that.

[A]

Lap down. Finally, as dad clears Neil Bonnet with a push from Bobby Allison, he comes off turn four with nothing between him and the flag stand. And lap 44 is complete. Ken Squire quickly notes Earnhardt is.

[B]

The leader. Earnhardt reported as.

[A]

The leader. This is the very first lap in Dad's cup career that he has led. At lap 55, the largest accident of the day would unfold. It's a multi car accident which would include mostly drivers that weren't really threats to win the race, except.

[B]

David Pearson. As they head to turn number four. We've got two cars. A.J. foyne is involved. He cuts in Front of Pearson, he goes harder to the wall. Along come three or four cars spinning through the dirt. We've got two more cars in the wall. Defreckley in front of us. Six, seven, eight, possibly nine cars involved. Back to.

[A]

The tower. David had started the event running Amongst the top 10. But a lengthy pit stop under the yellow had him working his way forward from the back of the pack. It was 1979 and only a few months removed from a decade long dominant run by the Silver Fox and the Wood Brothers Mercury. So it was incredibly unusual to see the famous number 21 going behind the wall early with severe damage. Many fans in attendance had expected to cheer Pearson on late in the race, as he almost always would be a factor in the finish. But not today. Under this particular nine lap caution period, Darrell Waltrip and his number 88 Gatorade Die Guard Olds would change spark plugs after they had developed a miss in the engine. Waltrip gave an unintentionally humorous live interview from the seat of his race car in the pits, showcasing his frustration with the amount of caution laps that are creating engine troubles for many, too many caution laps. They're running too many darn caution laps. Darrell was right. During the first 100 laps of the race, nearly half had been run under yellow. Too many cautions. We found all the plugs under the cautions. As the race resumes at lap 65, dad is trading the lead with the king, Richard Petty. There's a great moment at this point in the broadcast when Ned Jarrett interviews car owner Rod Osterlin from the pits. Ned had asked Rod if he was surprised by Dad's ability or knew he'd be able to run among the front runners in his first Daytona 500. Rod's response we sure did. See, Rod knew that between the two men, him and Ned, Ned probably knew dad better. You see, Ned was the promoter at Hickory Speedway and Metrolina during Dad's early asphalt days. And Ned, he was great friends with Ralph Earnhardt and they were competitors on the southeastern dirt tracks in the 1950s. Rod has a cool quote. He's got natural instincts and you know all about that, Ned. Moments later, Neil Bonnett would spin his car off turn four. And this would give Donny Allison the opportunity to get his lap back. And of all the cars out there, Donnie's appears to be.

[B]

The strongest trouble with him. Turn number four, as one car crashes, spins down on the apron of the track and one car skittering, Harry Gent slams into the wall and bounces all the way back out into the middle of the speedway and hits the outside.

[A]

Retaining wall. The green flag would return and as the field ran to the halfway mark, the CBS broadcast interviewed Kyle Petty about his arcawind. Kyle seemed less interested in the conversation and more focused on getting the air pressure right for the King's next set of good years. Kyle, how are things going for you dad out there? They're going all.

[B]

Right now. They're going alright right now. We're having. We've been changing tires and we're a little behind on the tires so we got to get them.

[A]

Ready here. Benny Parsons grabbed a big lead with the help of Cale Yarbrough, who is still two laps down. But a yellow on lap 102 gives Cale one of his laps back. Benny Parsons would then develop some pesky engine gremlins at this moment. On lap 120 of 200, another blown engine and another yellow. And Cale Yarborough will pass his leader Donnie Allison off turn four, coming to the caution to get another.

[B]

Lap back. We have just been informed from scoring that Cale Yarborough is just one lap down. As Cale continues to pick.

[A]

His way back to the front over the next 12 laps, Cale Yarborough once again positions himself behind leader Donnie Allison, waiting for another yellow flag to fall. Lap 138. And we've got another blown motor. Keel now jives low around Donnie and streaks to the yellow flag to return to.

[B]

The lead. Lap caution is on the speedway for the seventh time. And here goes Cale Yarbrough in the back stretch. He'll try to get back that last lap. Cale side by side with Donnie Kahl goes by Donnie in turn number three. The yellow light is on. They'll be racing to the.

[A]

Yellow flag. Caleb, the last restart. Hoss come on the radio and he said to me, he said, don't worry about Kale. NASCAR says he's at least five laps down. This is Donny Allison, longtime NASCAR competitor and member of the Alabama game. Well, we come to the next caution and he almost wrecked me going into the trowel. Can make a lap backup and I said oh, so you don't wreck somebody. Five laps down. We're now set up for an iconic race to the finish. Kale and Donnie have equally matched hot rods at this point in the race. And the rest of the field is left to compete for third place. On back within that group is dad, who's been battling in the top five the entire second half of the race. With 50 laps to go, the teams are starting to make prep Preparations for their final pit stops. These actually would be the first green flag stops of the race. Dad is going to have a hood pin fail on the left front corner of his car and this is going to delay his green flag. Splash for gas and he would disappear from the.

[B]

Lead draft. Here's Earnhardt pitting his car and this might be a routine pit stop and there might be some trouble on the car. Let's go to Joel Alloy. Earnhardt is really coming in on the throttle and he had some difficulty stopping. The mechanics are going over to the right hand side of the car. They are changing.

[A]

The.

[B]

Tires. Now. This is an unscheduled pit stop and we are not under caution. Cleaning the windshield and putting in the gasoline. We'll watch for a moment and see if they go over to the other side of the car. But as we said, he came in very hot, very fast onto pit road and it appears that he's going to change only the right side rubber. Wow. They had a problem with the jack. The jack got hung underneath the car and he had a problem getting started. But he is going back out on the track now. Could have had a cut tire on the machine. As Earnhardt tries to beat the field back to the start finish line. Here they come out of four. He does not want to go a lap down. And he gets back onto the speedway as the field closes on him across.

[A]

The stripe. Donnie and Kale would link up in a two car tango and they distance themselves from the rest of the field once everyone has made their.

[B]

Final stops. 178 laps have been posted on the scoreboard here as we get down to the conclusion of the Daytona 500. Now two cars jump out into the lead. Donnie Alice is in front of Kale. Yarborough picks up the draft and they try to pull away from the field. And they have broken the draft on.

[A]

Bobby Allison. When they take the white flag, they are half a lap ahead of A.J. foyton. Third, Richard Petty and.

[B]

Darrell Walter. Here they come out of turn number four. The white flag is in Chip Warren's hand as he gets ready to display it to Donnie Allison. Kale just tucked in there. When will Yarborough make his move? They flash across the stripe and white flag for Donnie Allison. They're back in.

[A]

Turn one. For some reason otherwise going to turn one. And I, I glance up and I see him going down. And I said, no way, buddy. I knew and I was prepared for what might would happen coming off turn four. I was not prepared for what happened coming off turn two. Coming Onto the back stretch, Kale moves down to make his move for the lead, but Donnie, he drives low to block the maneuver. Kell manages to pull alongside Donnie, but he's ran down into the dirt and the grass and the mud, and he loses control. He comes back across the racetrack, and him and Donnie Islam together. The two cars smashing repeatedly before careening into the third turn wall and then sliding down the banking across the apron and coming to rest in the grass. And here I am, the third, maybe fourth time I should have won the Daytona 500. I'm in a damn grass three quarters of a mile from the start finish line, and I'm not going to win it again. At the time of the yellow flag, third place running foight, he backs out of the gas anticipating a wreck. He doesn't know where this crash is. So Petty and Waltrip go flying past, and the three cars are going to race back to the start finish line. While Ken Squire is yelling over the broadcast for the cameras to find.

[B]

The leader. In the back stretch are.

[A]

The leaders. The leader is Richard Petty, and he is sailing across the finish line, winning narrowly over Waltrip. Tensions are rising over on the back stretch between Donnie and Kale, and brother Bobby has stopped by the wreck site and a fight breaks out. Well, Bobby shows up, and Kale and I had already pretty well had a words we were gonna have. And Kale goes over to Bobby and I seem, you know, hit Bobby was helmet through when what the hell's this about? So I go over and I grab Kale by the arm and I spun him around. I said, if you want to fight, I'm the SOB you need to be fighting with, buddy. This becomes one of the most iconic moments in NASCAR history. Cale admittedly takes a swing at Bobby, who was rumored to have a.

[B]

Cut lip. And there's a fight between Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison. The.

[A]

Tempers overflowing.

[B]

They're angry. They know they.

[A]

Have lost. I never touched a man, and he never touched me. And I said, the good Lord looked out for us twice that day. One day, one time in a wreck, one time, he didn't touch me. If he'd ever touched me, I'd have probably killed him. Kale was quoted as saying, it's the worst thing I've ever seen in racing. And he accused Bobby of actually slowing down to help block him and ensure Donnie's victory in the race. Donnie said, I made up my mind that if he's gonna pass me, he's gonna have to pass me high. When he Tried to pass me low. He went off the track, he spun and he hit me. Cale, he got out of his car and he called me a dirty bastard. Bobby stops his car and Cale poked him through the window screen. Then Cale swung his helmet at Bobby. Donny felt as a leader that he had the right to go anywhere on the track that he wanted. Winner Richard Petty says. I didn't know what happened on that last lap. I saw the yellow light flash. I radioed to my pit crew and asked them where the wreck was and all they said was, go, go, go. I couldn't believe it when I saw both those cars sitting in the grass. Betty was 15 seconds behind Donnie and Kale at the time of their crash. And the King would go on to win $73,900 for his effort. It would be a sixth Daytona.

[B]

500 win. What happened when we come off the number two corner, Darrell and myself and Fort was racing at that time for third place. And I looked, looked ahead and I seen the caution. I hollered in deal for, in the radio for Dale to find out where the caution was because if it was like coming off before, I didn't want to drive in blind. And he said, come on, come on. And when I got, just as I started into the third corner, I could see that it was number one and number two car, you know, Cale and, and Allison and you know, my heart went right through my top of my head then because I said, well, I'm gonna run for the flag and here comes 88, you know, and 88 wasn't running a whole lot better than I was. And he just was lucky to.

[A]

Run second. Not everything went Richard Petty's way during speed weeks. One interesting thing happened the night before the Daytona 500. Somebody broke into his van in the hotel parking lot and stole his CB radio and his fuzz buster. Sounds like he's going to need that money. Following the race, many spectators who traveled to Daytona were stranded due to the massive snowstorm that blanketed the southeast, canceling most flights for the day. The snowstorm had resulted in most of the mid Atlantic and Southeast being snowed in and unable to do anything but watch a race broadcast. I don't even watch stock car races, said one race fan. But I was snowed in and I'm sure glad I was. For millions of first time viewers, this is the first glance of what NASCAR and stock car racing are all about. High speeds, door to door action, and all out mayhem. The CBS broadcast of the race is the top rated show during its time slot, bringing in an estimated 16 million viewers. The network is elated and the ratings return far exceeded expectations. CBS would actually go on to win an Emmy for the race coverage. Following the highly publicized Allison Yarborough fight, NASCAR declared that they would not tolerate this type of behavior from competitors going forward and all three drivers are fined $6,000 each. NASCAR said that Donnie used up too much of the racetrack on the final lap and that resulted in him also being put on probation. Bill Fanch Jr. Said, We've got the greatest show going on in sports. We don't need wrecks and fights to sell tickets. The Allisons are going to attempt to appeal Donnie's penalty, but Cale he agreed with NASCAR's decision and didn't dispute his fine. Over the next five weeks, each driver would receive $1,000 per week back in return for good behavior. The final $1,000 per driver would go back into the NASCAR point fund. Now this is definitely my favorite race to re watch. I've watched it so many times and I think it's such a critical moment for NASCAR in the sport. It really delivered and during all of the fuss, dad would run up front and lead laps in a formal introduction to race fans all across the nation. One interesting thing I learned about this race that I didn't know was that dad loses a cylinder with 10 laps to go. I read about this in the articles of Aunt K's scrapbooks. He's going to run in and among the top five most of the day and he finishes eighth, but he is the last car one lap down. I'd often wondered how he'd lost nearly two laps to the leaders in the late race pit stops for fuel that shuffled the running order throughout the day. He led the field for a total of five different occasions. He would lead his first lap ever in NASCAR competition on lap 44 and he would lead the field as late as lap 142 of the 200 lap event. Dale did a masterful job all week, said Rod Osterlin. Next time on Becoming Earnhardt dad would prove his performance in the Daytona 500 was no fluke. Not only would he lead laps, but for the first time in his cup career, he would lead the last lap. It would happen at a little short track in the East Tennessee mountains affectionately known as Bristol. Becoming Earnhardt is a podcast series by Dirty Mo Media. It is written and produced by myself, Dale Earnhardt Jr. With Bobby Marcos and Mike Davis. Sound design by Ben Potts Production assistance by Tiff Powers, Michael Caldwell, Dustin Lee, James Brosan, Andrew Curlin and Alex Timms. 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 [e-mail] Special thanks to Cadence13 and SilverTribe Media. For additional content on Becoming Earnhardt, including exclusive videos, visit Dirtymo Media's YouTube page and follow us on all major social.

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