Dale Earnhardt Jr. discusses Dale Sr.’s road course talent in a new season of the podcast series Becoming Earnhardt 1980, sharing never-before-heard insights on his father‘s underappreciated abilities during the early Cup Series visits to tracks such as Riverside in the 1980s. With stories pulled from family scrapbooks and exclusive interviews, Earnhardt Jr. offers fans and NASCAR historians a fresh look at how his father excelled on road courses, even when such tracks were a rarity in the schedule.
Revisiting Dale Sr.’s Road Course Prowess
As the NASCAR Cup circuit took to Riverside in the early 1980s, Dale Earnhardt Sr. delivered notable performances, including a runner-up finish in January 1980, followed by multiple top-five results in 1981 and 1982. These strong showings defied contemporary expectations, as the Cup calendar featured only one road course per season until the addition of Watkins Glen in 1986.
Despite only one road course win—a 1995 victory at Sears Point, now known as Sonoma—Dale Sr.’s stats illustrate a more complex narrative. He secured five of his 22 career poles on road courses and posted 32 top-10 finishes alongside 21 top-fives in approximately 47 starts on such layouts. Dale Earnhardt Jr. reflected on these accomplishments, highlighting not only his father’s results but also the context in which they occurred.
“I’m trying to imagine back in 1980 there wasn’t a lot of routes for dad to take in terms of, you know, coming off short tracks, right? How in the hell does he go to Riverside and find his way around that place, much less go out there and be competitive?”
—Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Former crew chief Doug Richert pointed to Earnhardt Sr.’s ability to adapt as a defining strength.
“Why was Dale successful? Because he could run at every track there was, right? And he had a natural talent for it. Road courses are just an accumulation of certain type of racetrack corner shapes and entrances and banks that you get yourself through. I really think he adapted more than most people,”
Richert said.
The Family Roots Behind ‘Becoming Earnhardt’
The Becoming Earnhardt 1980 podcast takes inspiration from personal scrapbooks maintained by Dale Jr.’s aunt, Kaye, which chronicled the 1979 and 1980 racing seasons of Dale Sr. When family members gathered at his grandmother‘s house after her passing, Dale Jr. came across two carefully curated scrapbooks filled with clippings and memorabilia — a discovery that sparked the idea for the series.
“I got these two scrapbooks from my aunt when my grandmother passed away. We went to her house, we were kind of looking through some of the things, photos and all kinds of stuff, and there were these two scrapbooks that my aunt made,”
—Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Focused on Dale Sr.’s transition into his first full-time NASCAR Cup season in 1980, the podcast recounts his split with veteran crew chief Jake Elder and features archival radio calls from entities like MRN and Appalachian State University. Episodes follow the tour across pivotal tracks such as Riverside, Daytona, and Sonoma, narrating the evolution of the driver who would become a seven-time Cup Series champion.
Legacy and Impact of Dale Sr.’s Adaptability
The new episodes of Becoming Earnhardt 1980 invite listeners to appreciate the layered talents of Dale Earnhardt Sr., from his powerful performances at premier tracks like Daytona to his overlooked expertise on technically demanding road courses. By weaving together historical race data, personal family archives, and testimonies from figures like Doug Richert, the podcast underscores Earnhardt Sr.’s role as a pioneer who influenced generations of drivers.
As fans dive into stories preserved by Kaye and shared by Dale Earnhardt Jr., the podcast promises to rekindle interest in how one champion defied the expectations of his era, succeeding on all types of tracks and inspiring future NASCAR stars. With NASCAR continuing to evolve, the impact of Dale Earnhardt Sr.—and the insights of the Earnhardt family—remain central to the sport’s ongoing legacy.
