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The following is a production of Dirty Moe Media.
This episode of Becoming Earnhardt is brought to you by Bass Pro Shops,
North America's premier outdoor and conservation company,
playing your next adventure at a Bass Pro Shops near you or online at BassPro.com.
Later in the episode, my sister Kelly shares her unique perspective on life with Dad away
from the racetrack. Now buckle up, here's a brand new episode of Becoming Earnhardt presented by Bass Pro Shops.
You know, that's what I'm doing it for is enjoyment. I don't think I'd be doing it if I didn't enjoy it.
I tried a few other things when I was coming up and trying to decide what I wanted to do in life,
and I'm glad I made racing my career. You know, I'm really enjoying it.
When you think of the time capsule, what do you imagine? Is it a box buried in the ground,
filled with relics of the past, pieces of history that help people of today better understand what
life used to be like? Well, I think it's this old scrapbook that my aunt made 45 years ago.
As she documented in real time my father's legendary NASCAR career,
it holds the keys to the past. And more importantly, it tells the story of this 1980 championship season.
And in the beginning, before the Intimidator, before the Seven Championships,
there was just a humble short track racer chasing the dream of stock car glory.
Earnhardt just thrives on this kind of competition. Dale Earnhardt has more nerve than a sore tooth.
To get there, he had to duke it out with legends of the day, like King Richard Petty.
Kale Yarbril, Daryl Walter.
And I feel like if we can win the race, we'll really be on him.
I kind of want to get him back for that Bush class here in February, but I guess I'll have to wait a while.
And he had to do it with a ragtag group of young mechanics and a cantankerous veteran crew chief
with the well-earned nickname Suitcase Jake. He says right there he ain't running that hard.
My name is Dale Earnhardt Jr. and I'm continuing my quest to learn more about my dad's seven-time
NASCAR Cup winning career. Join me as we pick up in 1980 where dad is fresh off of his rookie of
the year campaign and is soon to make NASCAR history. And he has a big watermelon grin underneath
that apple bar mustache. And now it's Kale Yarbril up in the leadale where Earnhardt right behind him.
Okay, so when we left off in the last story, dad had just been crowned the 1979 NASCAR
rookie of the year. He didn't have an easy road though. At one point he broke his collar bones
in a crash at Pocono and had to sit out a couple of weeks while his rookie rival Joe Millican
kept racing and finishing well. Even though he missed out on some points in the final
standings to Millican, he picked up a win at Bristol and he looked like a natural behind the wheel.
All this sealed the deal for him in the season ending vote.
1979 NASCAR rookie of the year.
King Richard Petty would pick up his seventh and final cup championship beating out Dara
Waltrip by just a few points in the season finale. Many Parsons will win it. Richard will finish fifth
but it will clinch his seventh Winston Cup driving title. And with the end of the 1979 season
came the end of an era in NASCAR.
The 1970s had been dominated by Richard Petty and David Pearson.
You may remember that David left the famous Woodbrothers ride after a bizarre pit road
mix up at Darlington. And now the days of Richard and David dominating weekend and week out are
behind us. Kelley Arboral, Dara Waltrip and Bobby Allison are drivers who will bridge the gap between
the Old Guard and the new superstars of the 80s. Drivers like my dad, Bill Elliott and Terry
Labani just to name a few. In fact, Kell is going to be a big part of our story this season but
we're going to get to more of that in a minute. Additionally in 1980 rumors and speculation
are going to fuel the wildest silly season NASCAR has ever experienced. There are a lot of things
up in the air for next season. A lot of drivers without sponsors and a lot of drivers without rides.
Now that we're all caught up, let's turn the page to 1980. The world of course is a very different
place back then. The big movies of the time were Star Wars, Episode 5, The Empire Strikes Back,
Blues Brothers and Smoking the Bandit 2. The Rubik's Cube was invented. Pac-Man was created.
1980 was also the year the U.S. hockey team performed the Miracle All Nights by defeating
the Soviet Union in late classic. The U.S. would boycott the Olympics being held in Moscow due
to political frustrations between the United States and Russia. Ronald Reagan was elected
president. There were some interesting ties actually between the Reagan campaign and dad's
1980 season that we're going to get into. Mount St. Helens erupted. The Beatles John Lennon was
assassinated in New York City in the archway of his apartment building and future NASCAR stars
Casey Kane, Adam Petty and Mark Treks Jr. were also born. Let's take a look at the world of
motorsports in 1980. You know NASCAR is coming off its biggest season to date. This thanks to the
highly watched CBS broadcast of the Daytona 500. You know the one with the fight.
And after that NASCAR would attract 1.5 million spectators throughout the entire 1979 season.
There are a few keys to NASCAR's rise at this point in time. You know the money in NASCAR
is growing rapidly and the Cup Series is set to pay out over $6 million in the 1980 season.
That's $24 million today. More networks are now lining up to air flag to flag coverage thanks again
to that 1979 Daytona 500 broadcast. This is MRN, the Motor Racing Network. It was a really big boom.
It was like corporate America had discovered racing. That's Deb Williams. She will be a key
voice throughout the series. She was boots on the ground during the 1980 season as a beat writer
for UPI. It had not gone very national then. It was still regional at that time.
NASCAR would continue to follow the trend of the showroom floors of America.
1980 would be the final year for the bigger second generation of stock cars that had competed
since 1967. The new cars of 1981 would have a shorter wheelbase similar to what was being
commonly sold at the dealerships across the country. NASCAR was also gaining popularity with fans
due to its relatable superstars. Nearly all of the drivers in the field came from working class
backgrounds and humble beginnings. More Becoming Earnhardt up next. But first, here's my sister
Kelly on Life with Dad, brought to you by Bass Pro Shots.
So when dad called out to me, it was usually Kelly King. So my middle name is King and I'm named after
my grandmother Martha. She was Martha King Coleman before she was married. And so usually it was a
quick Kelly King, Kelly King, Kelly King. And he always told me that if I did something famous
and I needed like a stage name, I could be Kelly King instead of Kelly Earnhardt. So I always
remembered that. But yeah, it was just a quick, quick Kelly King. After the house fire that we had in
the early 80s, we immediately went to live with our dad like the same day. And so it was really a
lot different. I mean, it was just getting used to a different way of life, but lots of space,
lots of different things. We had neighborhood kids that we grew close with right away and did a lot
of, you know, playing outdoors and swimming in the lake and doing all kind of fun things like that.
Right before dad passed, I got everyone together. It was so funny because we actually met in the
parking lot at Taylor's school to take this photograph. And it was Kerry Dale, his two boys,
Bobby and Jeffrey, me, Carson, Taylor and Dale Jr. And so we're standing in the parking lot and we
had a photographer take this picture because Sam Bass, who has since passed on, which did a ton
of drawings of my dad and Dale Jr. And so he drew this picture of us and we gave it to dad and
Teresa for Christmas. We were adults and all that, but just with having Carson and the new baby and
you know, you're trying to think of something that would be meaningful. And so that's what we did.
But I'll never forget just showing up in that parking lot and like Taylor's school, like of all
places of us trying to figure out to meet. The Earnhardt family has always relied on Bass Pro Shops
for our outdoor adventures. And that tradition continues with me today. I grew up shopping there
and now it's a place I love sharing with my own family. Gearing up together for everything from
weekend getaways to fishing in the pond. I'm also incredibly grateful for the support Johnny Morris
and the entire Bass Pro team have shown across our business ventures from the race team to Dirty
MoMedia. They believe in what we're building and they've stood behind us every step of the way.
They're not just great partners, they're great people. I also admire Bass Pro's
unwavering commitment to those who serve our country. Their Legendary Salute program is one
of the many ways they show support, offering a 10% everyday discount to active duty military,
veterans, and first responders. It's their way of saying thank you to the heroes who protect
our freedom and way of life. To learn more and see full details visit BassPro.com backslash Legendary Salute.
Now that we have the story set in time, let's talk about the major characters of our season.
Obviously, you have Dad, Dale Earnhardt, the star of our story.
As we mentioned earlier, he's fresh off of winning that rookie of the year title
and has one cup victory at Bristol under his belt. He's been regarded as the next big thing in
motorsports in the off season. Dad is super confident in fact that Charlotte Mercer Speedway
had a luncheon they had before the season. He said this, we're going to win the championship in
1980. I have the confidence as a driver and we have the team to do it. Now that quotes from
a February issue of Stockcar Racing Magazine. He also told the Florence Morning News in January
of 1980. I see Richard Petty as the biggest threat to my winning title. Darrell Waltrip is
a threat, but I believe we are a better team than his. Of course, Bobby Allison, Benny Parsons,
and Kel Yarbrowler threats, but I don't think they'll be able to do it this year.
Now we have Jake Elder. Jake, are you giving him any instructions now in the closing stages?
Oh, not right now. We're just sort of sitting here behind Buddy and just sort of riding it out
right now. He's a big part of Dad's story in 1980 and of course also Australon Racing as a whole.
Jake proves to be a major source of adversity for the team when things go south mid-season.
Sometimes he seems like he's a volcano about ready to go off.
Jake had quite a pedigree. He had history at Petty Enterprises and championship rings with
David Pearson at Holman Moody and he was by far the most experienced crew member on the team
and was very much the leader that everyone looked to. I think they view Jake as someone that could
talk Dale's language that maybe Dale respected that could help develop his talent. And a savvy pit
with the team since early in the 1979 campaign. Australon, they have a lot of great things going
with a proven young talented driver and arguably one of the best crew chiefs in the garage.
We will also spend a lot of time talking about 20-year-old Doug Richard. Richard has got to be
the most mature 20-year-old I've ever seen. At the beginning of the year, he is the front
tire changer and a chassis man for the team. But when things go south with Jake, Doug gets
thrown into the limelight in a way he never imagined. Basically, they all they everybody
knew was who's this young kid from California that suddenly is Dale Earnhardt's crew chief.
His personality was so opposite from Jake's. And his ability to step up to the plate under
all of that pressure will prove crucial to Dad's championship efforts. Right now, let's talk to 20-
year-old Doug Rockard who has done a beautiful job. Doug, congratulations. He's the crew chief on this
car. Thank you, man. Dale drove one heck of a race and I just think he's couldn't have went better
for us all day. Dad's main rival and competition in 1980 won't be Richard Petty. It's going to be
Kale Yarbrough. Well, Kale was always considered to be a championship favorite, particularly after
he won three consecutive championships. He's arguably still regarded as the hottest driver
in the Cup garage. He and Dad are going to have some old track run-ins this year,
as well as a few jabs in the media. Earnhardt just keeps hammering away on Kale Yarbrough.
This will really be Dad's first taste of a rivalry in the Cup series.
And halfway through the season, Kale is going to make a decision for his future that will not only
rock the NASCAR world, but it'll put extra importance on him capturing a fourth championship
crown with his junior Johnson team. A lot of unexpected things happened during that era.
That was one thing that caught everybody off guard. Everybody's mouths dropped open.
We will also spend a lot of time talking about Dare Walter.
At this point in time, Darell is a championship contender, as he nearly won it in 1979.
But dysfunction at the DiGuard team is taking its toll.
And losing the championship in such a narrow fashion has really run its course.
In fact, in November of 79, two days after the season finale,
crew chief Buddy Parrot was fired as escape goat for the loss, but then he gets rehired a few
months later in January. That's Buddy Parrot. We're going to hear more from Buddy later on in
this series. Darrell himself is under contract with the team through 1983, but he's in a legal
dispute to void it. DiGuard was the first team that ever had a driver sign a contract.
Driver deals had always been done on handshakes. Yeah, there was not any love lost between
DiGuard and Darrell Waltrip during that time. He has openly admitted his dislike for the team
management. Here's Darrell Waltrip talking about his contract with DiGuard. I had this contract.
It was irrevocable when I would try to find out what I got to do to get out of this contract.
You can't get out of this contract. Garden was shrewd. I mean, he was a business man. He was
shrewd. I never had to deal with somebody like that. And it was, it was a tumultuous time.
Man, Darrell and this team have to figure out this toxic relationship before it tanks another season.
All right, so let's dig into the pages of my aunt's scrapbook and see how the 1980 season unfolds.
I've got to admit that I learned things that I never knew while putting these episodes together.
That's the fun part for me is that I'm truly doing all this to try to learn just a little bit more,
dig into the layers that made all this stuff come together. And I'm excited to share it with you.
On this season of Becoming Earnhardt, Dad begins to make a name for himself.
He's put on some moves down in that first turn that's had 20,000 people jumping to their feet
all afternoon. As one tough customer develops, he creates rivals with the sport's biggest stars.
It is just phenomenal what Earl Hart tries and you kind of hold your breath because you know he
is not content to run in second place. But a shocking crew chief shakeup would rock the young
Australian team. He has Jake Elder who formerly turned the wrenches on Dale Earnhardt's car in
the pits with him today. Lee Lee is the Earnhardt crew headed by 20 year old Doug Richard, a relative
newcomer to the racing circuit. And one of the tightest points battles in NASCAR history comes
down to the very last race. 29 points is not very much. Looks like one card so close. Dale Earnhardt
is off the pace. The drama continues to build for Dale Earnhardt. Could be the most important day in
both the racing career. Becoming Earnhardt is a Dirty Mo Media original podcast series. It is
written and produced by me, Dale Earnhardt Jr. with Bobby Marcos and Colby Bass. Sound design
by Alex Timbs. Production assistance, Tiff Powers, Mike Davis, Micah Codwell and Evan Vecchia.
This project is in partnership with MRN, the Motor Racing Network and the Appalachian State
University stock car collection. Special thanks to SiriusXM, Silver Tribe Media, NASCARman and
Bob Ellis. For additional Dirty Mo Media content visit our YouTube page and follow us on all
major social media platforms. Thank you to Johnny Morris and Bass Pro Shops for bringing us another
episode of Becoming Earnhardt. They are such a great friend and supporter of everything we do,
so remember to gear up for all your adventures at Bass Pro Shops. North America's premier outdoor
and conservation company.
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