“Threw it on the ground and set it on fire,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. reveals the explosive reaction from Dale Sr. seeing him wearing a rival driver’s gear  

Dale Earnhardt was the master in intimidating his opponents, earning him the Intimidator nickname.


“Threw it on the ground and set it on fire,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. reveals the explosive reaction from Dale Sr. seeing him wearing a rival driver’s gear  

Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Sr., arguably the greatest NASCAR diver of all time, wasn’t known for being the nice guy on the field. He was the hardcore, NFG driver who wasn’t afraid of aggressive driving. The intimidator got on his opponent’s mind with the antics and used it to his advantage. He bagged a joint-record 7 Cup titles before the unfortunate 2001 Daytona 500 accident that took his life.

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Dale Sr. left his long-lasting mark on the sport and had his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. to expand the family legacy. Dale Jr. became one of the most renowned NASCAR drivers ever and became a Hall of Famer like his father. The two times Xfinity series champion, since his retirement, grew into a prominent media personality, pundit, podcast host, and regional late model series owner.

Though a loving father, even Earnhardt couldn’t handle seeing his son wearing a rival driver’s gear, the incident occurred while Jr. was a child. Dale Jr. returned from visiting his grandfather with a Levi Garrett hat, which was used by Sr’s rival Geoff Bodine. Robert Gee, Dale Jr.’s grandfather, was working at Hendrick Motorsports as the driver. Bodine and Dale Sr. had multiple run-ins on a track that year, and seeing his son wearing his hat infuriated Dale Sr. He torched it after yanking it off his son’s head.

So my grandfather, Robert Gee, worked for Rick Hendrick, and Geoff Bodine drove his car. And Dad and Geoff would wreck each other all the time. Dad wrecked Geoff, a bunch. I loved it. I loved when Dad would wreck Geoff. But I also loved my granddaddy, and I came home from his house with a Levi Garrett hat on, and that’s the one he yanked off my head and threw it on the ground and set it on fire,”  Dale Jr. said in Dale Jr. Download podcast while talking to Tyler Reddick.

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Geoff Bodine most accomplished Cup season saw Dale Earnhardt winning his 4th Cup title

Dale Earnhardt
Dale Earnhardt

Bodine’s best career run in the Cup series, the then Winston series, came in 1990, a year after he left HMS. He won three races that season and scored 15 top 10s from 29 races that year. The 1986 Daytona 500 winner finished p3 in the championship with 4017 points to his name. He failed to repeat the same results in any of his seasons after 1990.

Dale Sr. won his 4th title that season, topping Bodine, and P2 finisher Mark martin. Sr. scored 9 wins in his iconic No:3 Richard Childress Racing car that season. He finished outside the Top 10 just 6 times that season. Sr.’s only win at the Phoenix Raceway also came in that season.

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