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Becoming Earnhardt 1980 Vol. 6 - All or Nothing
Becoming Earnhardt 1980 Vol. 6 - All or Nothing
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About this episode
A tense 1980 championship showdown comes into focus: Dale Earnhardt and Kel Yarbrough battle all season, then collide at Atlanta with Yarbrough’s win and a furious feud over blocking. The finale at Ontario becomes a pressure cooker—Earnhardt fights back from a lap down, but a late pit-stop mistake (driving over the jack) nearly costs the title. Despite chaos, Earnhardt finishes fifth and wins the Winston Cup by 19 points. The episode also covers Wrangler’s million-dollar debut, Lou LaRosa’s firing, and how financial turmoil later reshaped Rod Osterlund’s team.
Topics:
1980 championship pressure
atlanta journal 500 feud
pit stop jack mistake
ontario motor speedway finale
wrangler million-dollar sponsorship
lou larosa fired
kel yarbrough vs dale earnhardt rivalry
rod osterlund team sale fallout
jake elder vs doug richard crew chief impact
earnhardt career lessons from 1979-1980
Dale Earnhardt and Cale Yarborough surely won’t be exchanging Christmas cards in 1980. The three-time champion has had quite enough of the overzealous sophomore from Kannapolis, but as the season comes to a close, he continues to stand in the way of crown number four for Cale and the Junior Johnson team. Dale and the Osterlund team are going to have a difficult day in Atlanta, and his late race effort to gain his lap back will bring his rivalry with Cale to its absolute breaking point. The two exchange blows in the media, and the points margin stands at 29 as they head to Ontario, California for the season finale.
Before making the trip out west, Dale is going to ink a sponsorship deal that he will become synonymous with for most of the 1980s: Wrangler Jeans. With a major brand behind him and his future secured in a five-year deal with Osterlund, the sophomore needs to go into the last race of the season and perform. Wouldn't you know it, Dale and Cale lock up the front row for the race at Ontario, and the dash for the 1980 championship is on. Will it be four-time championship glory for Cale, or can Dale Earnhardt become the first driver in NASCAR history to win a championship in his sophomore season after being crowned Rookie of the Year?
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Jeep Wrangler
"... would become synonymous with through the 1980s. Wrangler Jean. It was huge. It was probably one of the fi..."
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Buick Grand National
"...coverage of the Los Angeles Times 500 Winston Cup Grand National Stock Car Race. There is a big factor in today's..."
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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.
Plan your next adventure at a Bass Pro Shops near you or online at BassPro.com.
Later in the episode, my sister Kelly shares her unique perspective on life with Dad away from the racetrack.
Now buckle up, here's a brand new episode of Becoming Earnhardt presented by Bass Pro Shops.
They say pressure is pressure there, but I really don't feel that much pressure.
The normal racing pressure that we've been under all season and I think the Cal feel about the same.
We've both been competitive all season and just came down to the end here and both of us have been really the ones to beat in the last several races.
I feel like it'll just come down to the wire at this race, just like it has in the rest of them.
In other words, one of us gets the brakes or is running the best spin, is locking straight up here down there.
After 29 races, the 1980 season-long championship has come down to Dad and Kel Yarbrough.
Three times before, Yarbrough has won the title. For Earnhardt, if he wins it, it'll be his first.
While Dad has five race wins, his four DNFs and only 13 lead lap finishes have allowed Kel to close in during the final weeks of the season.
The only thing I could do is just give it my best shot and hope that it's good enough.
I think that we've come out a little strong here towards the end.
Things have gotten tense between the two. Kel is claiming that the pressure is getting to Dad and Dad insists the pressure is on everyone else.
I don't feel any pressure at all. I'd rather be leading than behind and if we can just hang on to our lead, I feel like we'll be the 1980 champion.
With two races left in the season, everyone's going to have to be on their A-game if they want to become a champion.
Drama continues to build for Dale Earnhardt.
The second to last race of the season is Atlanta and Kel is going to dominate and his feud with Dad is going to reach a boiling point.
From the heart of Georgia, the Universal Racing Network brings you the Atlanta Journal 500.
The next to last event of Major League's stock car racing season, Kel Yalbaral and Dale Earnhardt, who in the close battle for the Series Championship will be starting back 12th and 13th in the 40 car field.
44 points separate Dale Earnhardt, the leader, Kel Yalbaral, the second place car.
Ain't much to say but I'll just go out and try to win.
What's the strategy for the race?
Flat out. Kel's not going to back off. I'm not going to either.
The number 11 car, Junior Johnson, is sailing out there clean and green. All of a sudden they discover there is a hole in the windshield.
Well, first of all, if the windshield has a hole large enough, the windshield will start cracking.
Kel's going to lead 269 laps and Dad would be actually trapped a lap down.
But what happens in the final laps of the race has Kel hot under the car.
It moves back to a half a car link. Now a car link lead in three.
During the closing laps, Dad battled side by side with Kel in an apparent attempt to get back on the lead lap.
Kel refused to let Dad pass and Dad refused to give Kel an inch.
Kel Yalbaral not being a bit conservative. He stays right on the outside of Dale. They're running side by side.
They learn out hoping against hope that something might happen to Kel's car that would enable him to get back around.
If Kel's trying to battle him off, they come to the start, finish line, the jacket flag is out and Kel Yalbaral wins the Atlanta Journal 500.
After the race and angry Kel Yalbaral remarked, this is the worst piece of driving I've ever seen in my career as a race car driver.
Maybe it was done for me not to let him go, but I was so mad at what he was doing.
I was determined that hell could freeze over before I'd let him go by me.
I really believe Earnhardt would rather have taken us both out of the race than to see me win.
I plan to speak to him about it as soon as I see him.
That showed the pressures getting to the boy. We got him worried and I got a special feeling we're going to win in California.
Yeah, well, everything went good. I don't know what got into Earnhardt.
There were two laps to go and him being a lap down. There was no way he could gain any position.
He's just taking a chance of taking us both out of the race.
Did it worry you when Dale was pulling up beside you? Did you want to race with him?
Did you worry that he might be in the same lap with you that ever crossed your mind?
Well, I knew he wasn't in the same lap. He had been a lap down all day, but I just made up my mind that I wouldn't let him pass me,
even though I knew it didn't make any difference. It was a stupid move on his part.
Dad responded. I wasn't sure I wasn't on the same lap. I was trying to win the race just like he was.
I wasn't going to wallow on him or anything. I never touched him. I'm a racer and Kale's a racer.
Kale's win would whittle the points lead down to just 29 heading into the season finale.
The day after the Atlanta race, Dad is going to sign a sponsorship deal that he would become synonymous with through the 1980s.
Wrangler Jean.
It was huge. It was probably one of the first, if not the first million dollar sponsorship.
A lot of your sponsorships back then were 250,000, 500,000 was considered a really good sponsorship deal,
but nobody had ever heard of a million dollar sponsorship. That was just unbelievable.
Rod Australian signed a multi-year deal with the company, and Dad was set to make his debut in the Wrangler car at the season finale in Ontario.
Wrangler would run a campaign that would become iconic with Dad.
One tough customer.
Another odd piece of the story on November 4th, engine builder Lou LaRosa was suddenly relieved of his duties with the team.
Lou said that when he arrived to work, he had been informed by Roland Vlaka that he was no longer employed by the team,
despite Rod offering him an extension earlier in the year.
Here's Lou LaRosa.
He convinced Roland that they didn't need me. They'd be more successful.
The other guy didn't know Jack shit. He was going to be the superstar. Come right, Roland.
Because he promised the officer that I would oversaw, he'd go there, he'd smoke them, he'd set new records, and that's gone.
I mean, he was the destruction of that team.
Here's Doug Richard.
Roland, he ran the place. He was the one that was always talking with Rod.
You know, Roland's personality was, he was a very upbeat person, very witty, a lot like your dad, you know, prankster,
but he was also hardcore in the vision of where he was going and all that.
They probably said something to one another.
That was all it take.
Yeah, I mean, those were two personalities that were pretty strong.
Lou and Roland, and I guess Roland won.
That's really fascinating that Lou LaRosa, the engine builder that had helped the team achieve so much would be cut loose.
Right before they go to the final race of the year, Lou would be hired by RCR to build motors for dad's team in the mid 80s during so much success.
With all that said, it's time to wrap up the 1980 racing season as NASCAR is headed west one final time to California.
This is going to be the final race held at Ontario Motor Speedway, which had opened back in 1970.
They're going to demolish the track after the race.
I remember going with dad in the mid 1980s to Riverside to compete at the old road course.
And we would drive by the site of the old Ontario Motor Speedway and dad would point out features in the landscape that was part of the race track.
It's really cool.
The track was built to mimic the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
And it's interesting that it did not survive very long.
From Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California, this is MRM, the motor racing network with coverage of the Los Angeles Times 500 Winston Cup Grand National Stock Car Race.
There is a big factor in today's race that may affect the outcome of how a lot of these drivers finish as the curtain rings down here at Ontario Motor Speedway for the 1980 Winston Cup racing season.
For young Dale Earnhardt and Kale Yarbrough could be the most important day in both their racing careers.
Today, one of these two will win the most prestigious crown in auto racing, the National Winston Cup driving championship.
Earnhardt is the young upstart driver second year on the circuit and Kale Yarbrough in perhaps his last run for the championship as next year he goes to a reduced racing schedule.
29 points is not very much.
Earnhardt must finish in fifth position or better and if he finishes fifth he must lead at least one lap.
Who will win the National driving title of the Winston Cup points championship?
As we carry on with the race weekend, Kale Yarbrough and other veteran drivers seem to think that Dale's going to crack under all this pressure.
However, Dad seemed as loose as ever.
In fact, his relationship with his old crew chief Jake Elder actually seemed to be strong as well.
In the garage, Dad arranged a low stakes poker game with Jake earlier in the weekend as noted in the Charlotte Observer.
I believe Dale will win it. I think with 30 points, 29 points and the way he's run all season, they look like they're pretty well prepared.
They've been doing it all summer long.
Kale's done a great job of coming back and getting close and putting a little pressure on him but I gotta believe that he's just lucky enough and prepared enough to pull it off.
Dad and Kale both come prepared and would occupy the front row of the race after qualifying with Kale taking the pole and Dad starting outside.
They say pressure is pressure there but I really don't feel that much pressure there and the normal racing pressure that we've been under all season.
It is anticipated that both the Earnhardt and Yarborough teams will have the same tire strategy.
Both Doug Rickert and Junior Johnson are planning to change two tires and fuel up.
Whenever there's a green flag stop, when there's a yellow flag stop, they are planning to do a four tire change.
Pace car is on pit road and they're getting ready to put them under green of the Los Angeles Times 500.
Now it's Kale Yarborough up in the lead with the second place car of Dale Earnhardt right behind him.
Knows the tail.
Then a steel bonnet.
Many parts with Bobby Allison and Darryl Walters.
It's really tight and a long draft on the back straight away.
Heading back to the start finish line, who's gonna lead the first lap?
It will be Kale Yarborough and Yarborough picks up the five bonus points.
Mike Joy but Earnhardt just literally pushes him down the front straight away and back into turn one.
Looks like one car.
They're so close.
Earnhardt tries to go to the outside.
Yarborough moves up a little bit.
They're all strong out on and running in third place.
Everybody negotiating this turn in good shape.
The leader dies into two.
Kale Yarborough holding on to the lead.
Running in the second spot.
Dale Earnhardt Earnhardt gonna challenge to the low side.
No, Yarborough shuts them back.
They're in the short shoot heading for turn four.
It is a challenge for the lead.
Here comes Earnhardt.
He's got it.
Dale Earnhardt shoots five.
Kale Yarborough going into turn three.
Here's a challenge back by Yarborough again at turn four.
Yarborough and Earnhardt side by side at four as Earnhardt almost lost it between three and four.
They both take turns leading early in the race but then disaster began to strike.
Everybody here, Mike Joy is wondering has something happened to the Earnhardt car
or is he just taking it easy playing it safe until the field sorts itself out.
He is continuing to drop back in the field.
That's going to fall a lap down when he pitted too early during a yellow flag on lap 71.
Earnhardt comes scooting in again in the Wrangler Jeans machine.
It's a lengthy pit stop for Earnhardt but they're checking the car all the way around.
We saw no apparent adjustment on the suspension on the car.
Just a four tire change as they put him back onto the track.
Roland Walotica has confirmed that the problem is the wind.
Apparently they're running a bit of a taller gear in the Australian cars
than they might have run under ordinary circumstances
and Roland suggested that that is what's causing the car to be buffeted around in particular.
He would fall tonight and Kale is going to continue to contend for the victory
and he'd take over the points lead mid-race.
Riding just ahead of the leader is Earnhardt.
He may go a lap down in turn one.
Dad is going to fight back and actually get around Kale as the next caution flies.
This is going to get him back on the lead lap.
Caution is out here at Ontario Motor Speedway.
The leaders did not get the caution with 151 laps completed.
If Dale Earnhardt can come around to the caution flag ahead of the leader it will put him on the lead lap.
Dale Earnhardt better be careful because Jotun sees that engine coming right out of two
and it could be a little bit oily.
Dale Earnhardt who has worked his way back to the front of the pack is now on the lead lap.
Junior Johnson actually protested saying this was an illegal move.
This will be a tremendous break for Dale Earnhardt.
Dad's final pit stop is going to come on lap 183 and the plan was to get fuel only.
One more pit stop for these drivers here this afternoon and that is going to put the pressure on its pit crews.
You screw up, drop the jack wrong, do something wrong on a wheel, whatever and it's all over.
There begins to be some activity on Pit Road.
Doug Richard and the Australian crew getting ready to bring Dale Earnhardt in.
They are wheel to wheel, Earnhardt and Yarbrough.
They were the front row for the race there and here comes Earnhardt almost lost it.
Earnhardt coming into the pit.
I was changing the front tires so I was into that and then Dave Imbrogia was on the rear.
Marv Acton was on the jack.
So Earnhardt has his pit stop out of the way.
Whether it's going to be a good winner or a bad one we're going to have to wait and see.
According to the NASCAR it's a bad winner calling Earnhardt back onto Pit Road.
This could easily cost him a national driving title here this afternoon.
The problem Barney was not so much with the tire change but they are saying that Earnhardt drove over the jack.
He started to pull the car away before the jack went down.
That is an infraction and he will have to come back into the pits.
That is going to hurt him.
They're going to hold him just long enough to make sure that the lug nuts are tight on the car.
If they are he'll be able to go right back out.
All he had to do was come in and stop and no they're holding him.
They're holding him at the pit checking the lugs on the right rear.
And it looks like they're going to have to stop and tighten them up and Earnhardt backs up and misses the wrench man.
This is going to be a costly error for sure.
They're going to have to retighten the lugs on the right rear before he can pull away.
Now finally Earnhardt is away from the pits.
Now had dad fallen off of the lead lap he would have handed Kale the points championship.
It was just that close.
But despite all of this dad's able to fight back within striking distance of Kale.
There are 11 to go here this afternoon and still in front is Bobby Allison riding second as Benny Parsons third right now as Neil Bonnet they're showing Yarbrough as fourth.
And we have a runner at the scoring stand to find out exactly how much ground that Dale Earnhardt has lost to the front four.
It's possible he may be in the lead lap yet Barney and that would put him in the fifth position as long as he can hold on to that lead lap.
And that would sew him up the championship providing that Kale Yarbrough does not win this race.
Benny Parsons is going to go on and win this race.
Kale finishes third and dad comes home fifth.
As they come down the line Benny Parsons will win the Los Angeles Times 500.
Here he is taking the checkered flag and Mike Joy here comes the battle for second.
Three seconds behind him diving to the inside is Kale Yarbrough.
He moves the junior Johnson Chevrolet up to within two feet and Neil Bonnet and Bonnet will get second at the wire.
And awaiting Dale Earnhardt posted in the fifth position of the tail end of the lead lap.
As long as Earnhardt comes around and takes the checkered flag unofficially would be the Winster Cup champion.
Earnhardt gets the checkered flag and his crew jumps up and down and congratulations.
Dad's going to win the 1980 NASCAR championship by just 19 points.
Well we have a new Winston Cup champion and he is standing by on pit road with Dick Bergeron.
Now naturally dad was on top of the world after the win.
He would go on to say Kale won three championships in a row so I don't see why we shouldn't try.
We got a young crew and young ideas and we're going to go for it.
Dale Earnhardt the brand new Winston Cup champion. Dale how do you feel right now?
Well first of all I want to thank the good Lord for seeing us through the whole year and letting us win the champion.
And I'd like to thank all the people who was involved with Austin Racing this year.
Mike Kerb and Warner Hodgson and now Wrangler Jeans is involved with us as a sponsor.
We won the championship for them and everybody included.
The whole team did a good job and all my fans and family back home like say hi to them.
Man it was a tough one but we came through it.
Dale what were you thinking in the early laps when you were a full lap down?
I wasn't thinking too good of thoughts but we just kept on running in there and we got to run in a little better
and got where we could be competitive with the front cars and got our chance to get a lap back.
And fortunately we did and then our last pit stop we sort of messed up.
The guys started to change tires and they changed their mind and we ran over the jack just turned the jack over under the car
and then they brought us back in and penalized us a half a lap and looked like it was going to be in a bind again but it all worked out.
I just can't really say how happy I am.
You deserve to be its the toughest championship in the world.
1980 Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt.
It's kind of a Cinderella deal.
It wasn't something that I strive for.
It just happened.
I didn't ask for it.
It just happened and I'm proud of it.
I'm still the youngest Creek Chief ever won a championship.
The only thing I can say about the 1980 season was it shocked a lot of people
because no one expected Dale Earnhardt to win the championship.
Doug Richard reportedly took the car for a victory lap of his own on the way back to the garage.
Well the race was over.
We won the championship.
I just got in the car and I went out on Pit Road and I was going down Pit Road
and lo and behold there's some girls sitting on the wall.
I said come on get in.
Bullshit.
I did.
Got in the car and I just went out around.
Wasn't fast.
I just running around.
What happened to the girl?
I don't even know.
I didn't know her.
Dad to this day remains the only driver in history to win Rookie of the Year
and a championship in back to back years.
Don't go anywhere.
There's more becoming Earnhardt presented by Bass Pro Shops up next.
But first check out what my sister Kelly has to share about the next generation
of Earnhardt racers and outdoor enthusiasts.
We spend time in the outdoors.
You know a lot of times doing stuff right.
So whether it's hunting or it's kind of a hobby or a sport.
But in this particular instance after my mom passed in 2019 a couple days after that
my family my kids me Wyatt Carson Kennedy and LW we went to a local state park
probably maybe about an hour and a half away and went hiking.
The outdoors can make you feel really at peace.
You know and kind of just hiking up through the trails and waterfalls
and just really admiring you know there's so much that you can look at in the outdoors.
That's something even like with hunting I don't care as much about going out
and getting an animal as I do just like sitting in a tree stand.
You're out there at the crack of dawn and you get to see the sunrise
and you get to hear the birds chirping and then you start getting to hear animals running around
whether it's squirrels or birds or whatever it is until the big big book comes out
or whatever that you're looking for but you know I enjoy all of that
just as much as I do the thrill of the activity that we're doing.
It's just really kind of looking around in nature and if you get to study in it
you know it's a it's complex out in nature you know everything that's going on
and how things grow and you know you look at a tree and you go
oh I wonder how old that tree was or is or you know whatever it is
you know things that are starting from seeds to growing out in the wild
so you know there's just really a lot to take in I feel like in the outdoors
and it can bring a lot of peace to you like in that situation with my mom.
I even look back at pictures and I scrap books so I've got like albums after albums
made for my kids and pictures and I look back on it sometimes and I think
wow we stay really busy but you know it's it's simple things like going camping
or you know going fishing or going hiking or doing something like that you know
there's a lot of different things. Butterfly museums there's just so many things
that are out and about that you can that you do and I look at that we just do
we do a lot of things and spend a lot of time outdoors.
Our plans for Wyatt are just to kind of continue to do what we're doing now
we race a lot of different types of things we go to about 80 races with Wyatt a year
which is a lot and just trying to get him you know diverse in terms of things
that he's driving and what he's learning and how he can learn
but kind of the most important thing I think is just for him to be a kid
you know he's 13 still likes to do 13 year old boy things so he video games
and he plays farm sim and hunting games on the video and iRacing and all kind of things
and he likes to go out and ride motorcycles and four-wheelers and all that kind of stuff
so he still likes just being a kid so we'll just see where it takes him
you know we we got five years left of school so that's important to us
and there's a lot of things that are important to us before he actually
decides if racing is going to be a career if he is or not.
I love watching Wyatt and Johnny Morris interact
Johnny has just been taken aback by Wyatt and his skills
and the fact that he's you know been an 11, 12, 13 year old kid
doing some of the things that he's done
Johnny you know he'll pick up videos
I'll send him videos of Wyatt racing or doing something
and he'll pick those videos up and at his company
a lot of times he does like daily
I mean there's nothing stopping him from just calling a quick five minute meeting
across Bass Pro Shop and they get the video going and they get all this stuff going
and then he'll show a quick video of Wyatt and he'll be like
look at this kid look at what he's doing you know isn't this awesome
he just enjoys it I think that's one of the fun things to see about Johnny
and whether it's he's interacting with Wyatt or he's interacting with someone
he is passionate about racing
he's passionate obviously about the outdoors
he's passionate about our military
and it's fun to watch Wyatt's reaction to Johnny too
you know because I don't think 13 year old kids really understand somebody
like the magnitude of somebody like Johnny Morris you know and what he's accomplished
and you know how hard he's worked in his life to grow Bass Pro Shops
and all of that you know that's hard for really a 13 year old to comprehend
but it's been fun it's fun to watch the relationship
and watch it grow and see why it's reaction to Johnny
and definitely Johnny's reaction to Wyatt and what he does
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 my media
they believe in what we're building and they've stood behind us every step of the way
they're not just great partners they're great people
I also admire Bass Pro's unwavering commitment to those who serve our country
their legendary salute program is one of the many ways they show support
offering a 10% everyday discount to active duty military, veterans and first responders
it's their way of saying thank you to the heroes who protect our freedom and Wyatt's life
To learn more and see full details visit BassPro.com backslash legendary salute
After winning his first championship 29 year old Dale Earnhardt is going to hop on a flight from California
to Las Vegas with his brothers Randy and Danny
and within 30 minutes of hitting the strip he's going to win $500 playing blackjack
but 18 hours later, despite the money, the moment and the excitement, homesickness kicks in
The three Earnhardt brothers from Canapless, North Carolina spent less than a full day in Vegas
before heading back home to their cotton mill town where they felt most comfortable
So with a championship trophy in hand and a long term contract in the other
Dad and his highly motivated Australin racing team seemed primed to go on a dynasty like run
but as history would have it, Rod is going to sell the team before all of that could be accomplished
You see a housing crisis in California is going to cause Australin who made all of his money in real estate
to sell out the team in the middle of the 1981 season
Yeah, I'm like Dale, I didn't know a thing
I mean my explanation of it was it made it feel like we were just to herd a cattle and they just sold us off
The threat had been looming at the beginning of the 1980 season
and this was a big reason why Les Richter orchestrated the meeting between Mike Kerb and Bill France
to help keep Rod and Dad on the grid
Here's Mike Kerb explaining how it all went down
In California we had a huge savings and loan crisis in 79, 80, 81
and it really hurt people like Rod Austerling, it really hurt people like Warner Hudson, it really a number of those guys
But the crisis would eventually outweigh the love for racing
and Rod would sell his successful race team to Jim Stacey, also known as JD
There are very many accounts that Dad did not like Jim Stacey
and was really unhappy that his contract was sold to another owner
so after just four races he would depart and link up with his new hunting buddy
a fellow named Richard Childress to finish out the remainder of the 1981 season
I would like to say here that Neil Bonnet had actually driven for Jim Stacey in the late 70s
and I have to wonder that Neil and Dad being close friends
maybe Neil got in Dad's ear to pre-warn him about a relationship with JD Stacey
Now I know what you're thinking, this is the beginning of the Intimidator, right?
Well, not quite
You see, Richard's race team wasn't quite the super team as we know it is today
Richard had been driving the car himself up to that point
and was really just a middle of the pack independent running a modest operation
He will admit that he was in no position to fill the car for a champion like Dad
and despite some funding that came from Wrangler, Richard found himself in a massive amount of debt
after the 1981 season from trying to step up his operation and be more competitive
He actually recommended that Dad take other offers from more established teams
One of those offers would come from legendary Bud Moore
and in 1982, Dad would take over the famed 15 car with Wrangler by his side
The Ford years were terrible for him
Ford was having its own problem and then, like I said, his career plummeted
and he was wrecking and mechanical problems
and a lot of the veteran reporters wrote him off
that he was just that
He had had his success and unless he changed his attitude and changed his ways
he wasn't going to have any more success
Dad would race for Bud Moore for two seasons, winning a few races
but ultimately his affinity for General Motors products had him considering other opportunities
Sounds a lot like Bobby Allison's experience as well
Here is where Dad and RC formed the ultimate partnership that becomes legendary
They would rejoin in 1984 with the number three car and Richard Childers says it best
The rest is history
So what did Dad learn from this season?
Honestly, I think that a lot of credit needs to be given to Jake Elder
because the team starts the year out relatively strong
and put together a lot of great finishes
Dad is still very inexperienced and overly aggressive
There were some results probably at both Rockingham events, the first Martinsville
Several races where his aggressive style and sort of his inability to see the bigger picture got him in trouble
He's still young, still learning race craft
Not really understanding how to put together a full season of results to be a championship winner
Everyone else around him knew how to do that
Richard Petty, Kale Yarborough, it's really amazing that the team could be as competitive throughout the year as they were
So even though he was cantankerous and a pain in the butt at times
I'm gonna say Jake Elder played a big role in giving the team the points foundation to finish it out once Doug comes along
Now when Doug comes in to be the crew chief, he's young
Yes, I think he's very inexperienced
He does know enough about the cars, but I think he and Dad put their knowledge together
And were able to be competitive enough with what they knew on how to put the cars onto the racetrack and set them up
Dad's pretty sharp about all this stuff, he is a mechanical mind, he understands springs and shocks
He runs around and works on all this stuff and talks to all the other drivers
So Dad's a sponge of information
I think on paper when you just look at how strong Junior's team was with Kale
You would assume that they're gonna win this championship
But somehow Dad and the team pulled it out
Guts, youth, just energy, they just made it happen
Dad's gonna go on and have some tough years after this before he would eventually have this incredible career with Richard Childers
But I really love to look back on these two years, 1979 and 1980
You know, just how fast he came onto the scene
Once he established that full-time ride, all of this is so compelling to me
A lot of credit needs to go to Rod Osterland for giving the guy a chance
If Rod doesn't give Dad the break, if Dave Marcus doesn't quit
And allow Dad to go from the B driver to the A driver
There's so many little things that had to happen for this whole career to pan out like it did
So pretty awesome to relive this, I learned a ton
I really appreciate everybody who's listened to this
I hope you enjoyed this look back on these specific times in Dad's career
He's gonna become a household name through the late 80s and early 90s
In that familiar number three behind six championships and dozens of race victories
But it's easy to forget where those first of seven championships came from
1980, it's a gritty sophomore season that saw Dad outlast some of the greatest racers of all time
But ultimately, the experience he gained is gonna help guide him through a career worthy
Of putting himself into that category of greatest racers of all time
I'm satisfied and at ease with what I do
And I'm in the Grand National Racing now is what I've always wanted to do
So, you know, I'm very much at home in it and very well pleased with it
So, yeah, I'm happy
Thank you
car collection. Special thanks to SiriusXM, Silver Tribe Media, NASCARman, and Bob Ellis.
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