All language subtitles for earnhardt.s01e02.1080p.web.h264-astuteresourcefulwhaleofadventure

And now, watch
this final descent very closely.

When I think
about Sunday races,

every week,

you're with your
friends on the road,

your wife's with you.

They put you in a car,
they strap you in,

you put your helmet on.

There's no guarantee that
you're gonna come back

at the end of the day.

You think you will...

...hope you will...

you pray you will.

But you leave pit road,

and you look back and see
your wife waving goodbye.

You don't know if you'll
ever see her again or not.

Lot of drivers
are getting hurt.

Lot of 'em are getting killed.

I mean, it had to hit
you at some point.

But we don't talk about it.

Guys don't talk
about emotional shit.

You put that stuff
out of your mind.

You have to.

There is
an official competition

to determine the most
popular driver in NASCAR,

and it comes complete with ballots
and voting and all the rest of it.

But we here at ESPN decided to
conduct an unofficial contest.

Who's the best driver in NASCAR?

- Dale Earnhardt.
- Dale Earnhardt.

- Dale Earnhardt.
- Richard Petty.

Dale Earnhardt is.

- Some people say he's a dirty driver.
- No, no.

A lot of people think he
cheats, but he doesn't.

He's just very aggressive.

I don't like him.

Who are you
pulling for in today's race?

Anybody but Dale Earnhardt.

I agree, anybody but Dale.

Let's turn now
to the image of this team.

With the success that you've
had, it's somewhat inevitable

that people will
take potshots at you.

A lot of people view
Richard Childress racing

and Dale Earnhardt as the bad
guys, the black hats of racing.

How do you view that?

I love the shit out of it.

We don't want to
be the bad guys,

but if that's the image
people want to put on us,

and we can still race and keep
sponsors and stuff, hell...

He's won four
straight races this season,

six out of the eight.

But he's drawn criticism for
the way he's gone about it.

You're the
bad boy on the circuit.

Is that something
you're comfortable with?

Well, that's what a lot of talk is, that
I'm the bad boy on the circuit, but...

I think it's because
we win so much.

He put the
life into that sport.

♪ Gonna walk all over you ♪

♪ Gimme back my bullets... ♪

People were
tuning in every week.

Well, let's see what
old Ironhead does today.

♪ Sweet talkin' people ♪

Elliot trying to slide
underneath him, and Dale won't buy it.

Elliot now, right
in behind Earnhardt.

Earnhardt loses it, goes
on the grass, comes back,

and Earnhardt's still got the lead!
Incredible. Decent driving by Earnhardt.

♪ Ain't foolin' around
'Cause I done had my fun ♪

Elliot's something else.
You know, Bill come up there

and tried to spin me out
twice. I didn't take it.

I think he's a little upset.

You know,
the thing of it is,

I have been not the
aggressive driver all my life.

You know, I try to give and
take with the best of things.

But when a guy cuts you off
that bad and that obvious,

that ain't the way I
was brought up racing.

How did he
respond to the criticisms

of rough riding this season?

What can he say?

It's opinion. And
everyone has an opinion.

Dale had one
comment to cover all those things.

Maybe they're right. I
don't know. Fuck 'em.

Bodine in the five.
He gets trapped on a slow car.

Earnhardt just drives around it.

He
goes through the dirt.

You knew
if you were in contention

that he would
probably wreck you.

But every driver had to go
through that experience.

You know, one week, it
might be Bill Elliott,

the next week it
might be Geoff Bodine.

I guess the tactics are if you can't
pass, you just knock the guy out.

That's an Earnhardt move. And if
they don't do something about it...

Crazy when you end up
in a war out there.

Dale had no
friends on the racetrack.

Everybody else was an enemy.

Except Neil Bonnett.

Here he
comes. Back straightaway.

Bonnett on the inside,
Earnhardt on the outside.

Wheel to wheel at
190 miles an hour.

They
talk about Dale,

how aggressive he is on
the racetrack. I like him.

Our fans come to see door handle
to door handle, fender to fender,

beatin' and bangin' and
pushin' and shovin'.

That's our brand of racing.

It's hard to have
a friendship in racing.

Neil and I have
always got along.

I think because Neil
and I are a lot alike.

What drives us is racing, the
competitive side of it and everything.

That we can leave
racing to where it's at

and go off hunting or fishing
and enjoy being together.

Have you been fishing
in this lake before?

Yeah, why?

- You know where the fish is at?
- Where are they?

I don't know. Do you?

You better move.

I got the idea.

In the late
'70s and early '80s,

no one was tougher to beat on
the racetrack than Neil Bonnett.

Eighteen checkered flags,
including back-to-back wins

in the World 600 in '82 and '83.

I always felt like I should run
my car as hard as it would run.

I ran cars in the ground,
and I stuck 'em in fences

and I put 'em in little holes
they didn't need to go to.

And I paid the price.

Benny Parsons
spins to the infield.

And Neil Bonnett's car
goes up on its left side.

Neil Bonnett collapses beside
his car, prone on the ground,

and the safety crews
have been dispatched.

Everybody must think
about the dangers of the sport.

You've been in a couple
accidents yourself.

Well, that's a factor.

But I'd rather be running
hard and be up front,

racing the issue like that than
just sort of just playing it easy.

You know, you put it in
places some people wouldn't go

or some people hesitate, then
try to be the one to beat.

Needling his way
through comes Dale Earnhardt.

He's going to win it.

It's a great day for it. I can't
believe I won this race like that.

I just can't believe it.

The scene for
1987 has been Dale Earnhardt

leading in points and
dominating the season.

I look back at what we were
able to accomplish in 1987,

and I just don't think
anybody can do that anymore.

We won 12 races. We
lapped the field.

There's not many drivers who have come
to this sport who have had an era.

And for Dale, that
third championship

was a real sign
that he was the man.

Dale, you look
at other professional sports

and see how hard it is for
anyone to repeat as champion,

yet you did it
easily this season.

Compare for us your first
national championship,

your second championship,
and now your third.

They just keep getting better.
Just keep getting sweeter.

If
your dad was here,

what do you think he'd say
about your career so far?

I think he would
be proud of my career.

I think he'd probably kick my butt
for doing a lot of things I did

getting to where I am,
sacrificing at times with family.

Go back out and let
Uncle Phil back in.

Growing up, I'd play ball

not far from here,
in Jackson Park.

I don't remember how
old I was, I was young,

'cause I was light-headed,
like snow white.

Go, go, go!

I always seen
this woman with two girls

all the time at
the baseball game.

They was always watching
me and following me around.

One day, I remember her coming
to me and saying, Kerry Dale?

I said, yes.

She goes, I'm your Mamaw Earnhardt,
and this is your cousins.

You know, I didn't
know how to take it.

Latane was Kerry's mama.

Her and Dale had
met in school...

then they were married,
and they had Kerry.

Dale was a young man.
Seventeen, eighteen.

She wanted him to stay
at home with the baby.

She was not happy that he wanted to
be a mechanic and a race car driver.

I know she moved out while
he was a work one day.

You know, she met
someone and they got married,

and he adopted me when
I was 3 years old.

You know, that's who I knew was my
family was my dad Jack and my mom Latane.

'Cause I didn't know anything
about Dale being my dad.

After I met Mamaw,

my mom, she went to explain
how everything went down.

Whenever I turned 16, I got my license
and went straight to Mamaw's home.

'Cause that's where Dale was at,
always working on his race car.

I hear him laughing
and tools clanging.

I remember walking in the
door, and it just got quiet.

And Dad was in the back corner

and had a machine,
lathe, he was working on.

He looked up, and he's like,
Well, hey, son, how you?

Cut the lathe off and says,
C'mon, let's go riding.

So, we went and jumped in his
truck and rode around town.

Talked about how my
life was growing up.

Thinking about me and wondering
how I been and what I been doing.

He invited me to the house.

I remember pulling
in the driveway

and Dale Jr.'s throwing a football in
the front yard. He was like, oh, hey.

This is Kerry Dale's best friend.

I met Kerry. He lives
with another family.

He's adopted by that family. I don't
really understand the mechanics.

But I'm like, oh, cool,
Kerry. But Kelley,

she was like, Kerry, sit
on the couch with me.

Tell me everything about you.

He just sort of fit right
in because his mannerisms

and his looks and things like
that were exactly my dad.

Back then, I didn't realize
Dale was traveling all the time

and not being at home. 'Cause
that was his life, was racing.

Welcome to my office. I'm
glad y'all could be here.

This is where I work every day.

Fortunately, I didn't
miss growing up without a father

'cause Jack was there raising me and
doing all the father things with me.

The funny thing
about being his son was...

like, I knew him as this dad...

and then, I also knew him as
this almost fictional character,

a superhero.

I had taped in my
school locker...

I had a series of
photographs of Dad's flip

at Pocono in 1982
driving Bud Moore's car.

I would open my locker
and see that and go,

My dad's a badass,
and I'm his son.

But him and I didn't
connect mentally.

He was this tough,
ornery, hardworking,

dirt-under-his-fingernails,
could-do-anything guy.

And I was tiny, short
and shy and quiet.

Like, I wasn't making any
sense to him.

He was
really hard on Junior.

Mainly because Junior probably
screwed off and acted out more

just, I think, to
get his attention.

- Hey, Dad.
- How you doin', Dale?

- Wee!
- Do something stupid, Kelley.

Whoo! Turn that thing
off there, Junior.

Me and Dale Jr., we grew
up three miles down the road.

We would be hanging out
together on Christmas Eve,

and we'd all get
to see each other.

I think we both kinda
wanted the same thing.

You know, we were looking for that
attention you could get from your dad.

Anything, if it was
good, bad, didn't matter.

Just get the attention.

Dale, get the Pop
Tart out of the way.

Put the Pop Tart down.

It wasn't the Pop
Tart that was the problem.

Do that again, I'm
gonna wear you out.

I just remember it being
about not following directions,

and not making the grades
that you needed to make.

Dale, Jr.

I mean, I kinda feel like because
we had a stepparent and our dad,

the amount of time he
was away from home,

they didn't feel that they
could control the situation.

So, they were looking
at military schools.

I was like, Why don't
you want me with you?

Why am I not better
in your care?

I had no clue how high the
expectations and standards would be.

You know, study
from this hour to this hour,

and lights out at this time.

When they finally plop you down in
that room and the lights go out,

there ain't no radio.

You're in the middle of
Greensboro, an hour from home.

Not in your bedroom, not in
your bed. And you're crying.

Like homesick as you
can freakin' believe.

Is it difficult
being Dale Earnhardt?

I've been lucky the last
couple years not having many problems.

You know, our kids
are doing great.

Dale Jr.'s up at Oak
Ridge Military Academy.

Teresa and I are happy.

In
a perfect world,

what would Dale Earnhardt like
to do in the next five years?

I just look for more.

I look for winning more races,
running for more championships.

I think in
the back of his mind,

I think he always
thought that he could be

the greatest NASCAR
driver that ever lived.

When you've laid
out the history of the sport,

it's like a mountain range.

There's a lot of... one championship,
little mountains, little mountains.

There's some twos.
There's a lot of threes.

When you get to seven, nobody
had been there but my dad.

Petty's a
seven-time champion.

You know, that's a goal
you set for yourself.

Whether I ever beat him or
not or win as many as he did,

you know, I'd like to try.

Going
into '88, we changed sponsors.

We went to GM Goodwrench.

We knew that we wanted to go
out and win the championship.

And I wanted something to show we were
still the toughest guys out there.

How'd you
get that nickname?

They put that on me when we
painted the car black for Goodwrench.

It doesn't really
do anything for me

as much as it might do
something for the competitors.

Might put a little
intimidation in their heart.

He already
had that reputation.

Now, he's showing up in
the mirror in a black car.

It's like, is he gonna
hit me when he goes by me?

There's a lot
of ways to wreck somebody.

You can body slam somebody.

Or you can get your right front fender
against their left rear quarter panel

and spin 'em out.

♪ Gonna raise hell
Gonna raise hell ♪

And he did all those
things to Geoff Bodine.

♪ Gonna raise hell ♪

I always gave him the
benefit of the doubt.

He won't keep doing it.

I was a slow learner.

Geoff, you know, you and
Dale have not been getting along too well.

We gonna see any skirmishing
on the track today?

- What'd he say?
- Oh, now, c'mon.

It seems anyone that challenges
Dale Earnhardt, he's out to get.

A lot of drivers
get out of his way.

Well, that isn't the
way I play this game.

♪ Gonna raise hell ♪

Fifty-six
laps are now complete

- as Sterling Marlin...
- Oh!

Cuts, and around Bodine goes into
the wall hard with the back end.

Earnhardt
on the radio was saying

that he never
touched number five.

Want to see that again?

And down here on pit road,
NASCAR officials are conversing

with Richard Childress
and Kirk Shelmerdine.

There are NASCAR officials
standing in front of Earnhardt's car.

They were just told from the top to
stand in front of that car and hold him.

Richard, what's the penalty?

No comment. Talk to NASCAR.

Major development.
Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt,

a five-lap penalty,
and it is punishment

for his second consecutive
hit on Geoff Bodine.

It all but takes away his
chance of winning this race.

'88
was a tough year.

We lost a lot of races.

And we got a lot of people mad.

I have never done anything
intentionally trying to wreck somebody.

And if I ever go
sit in a race car,

and it's in my mind to go
out there and wreck somebody,

I hope Ralph Earnhardt kicks
my tail, somehow or 'nother.

Bill Elliott has
won the Winston Cup for 1988.

You can't just go through
and act like a bulldozer,

wreck anyone and hit 'em,
and do whatever, just to win.

It's gonna come back on you.

One man we have
not yet talked much of

from Chesapeake,
Virginia, Ricky Rudd.

In the '80s, Ricky
drove for Childress.

And when Earnhardt and
Childress got together,

Earnhardt just stuck
it down Ricky's throat.

This is my deal,
and I'll show you.

So, he didn't like Dale.

Dale, if you want to learn
how to get around this racetrack,

just follow me.

Six laps from the end
of the race, and we are under caution.

And it's a good thing
because Dale Earnhardt

had slipped a little, and Ricky
Rudd was just about to catch him.

Here it is, green flag is
out. Three more laps to go.

Here is Ricky Rudd, right
alongside Dale Earnhardt.

Two laps to go.

Here comes Ricky Rudd
moving to the inside of Dale Earnhardt.

He's not gonna be able
to pass him at the moment

as they go into turn number
one and both of them spin!

And Geoff Bodine wins!

I was kinda
hoping they'd do that.

We were discussing it out on
pit row. I like to see that.

Dale can dish
it out, but he couldn't take it.

Hey, get back!

Dale, what
happened out there?

I gave him the whole bottom
lane, he knocked the shit out of me.

How will this affect your championship
view? You've got three more to go...

How do you think?

They ought to fine that son of a bitch
and make him sit out the rest of the year.

That took a lot
of points away from us.

And Rusty Wallace
ended up beating us

by only a few points and
winning the championship.

Winning's probably
one of the worst things

that ever happens to
a race car driver.

It's the worst and
the best thing.

Once you start winning, you can't
be satisfied with anything less.

Were you ever at a point
in your career in the Winston Cup

where you said,
This isn't worth it?

Might've had a flash of it.

Just a few
weeks ago in Dover, Delaware,

Neil Bonnett had a violent
impact with the fourth turn wall.

I broke my breastbone
and sternum completely.

Split it completely in two.

Then I started questioning why in
the world I do this for a living.

And when they threw at me what
I would have to do to recover,

they turned my healing process from a
question mark to almost you can't do it.

And then, I kinda wanted
to prove that I could.

Have a
good run today, Neil.

I hope so. Thank you.

I've always been full
speed, whatever I've done.

Boy, I look forward to the day in my
life when I can slow down and enjoy it.

But I don't like slowing down.

Neil Bonnett is a
lap down. So is Alan Kulwicki.

And then here comes
Ernie Irvin...

...is loose again.

What's
wrong with it?

Let's go back
to the crash that Neil had.

Do you remember that day?

Neil
was knocked unconscious,

was taken here to the
infield care center.

He's awake and knows where he
is, but for safety reasons,

they feel he may have a
little bit of a concussion.

They're gonna transfer him
to McCloud Regional Hospital

here in Florence for a
computerized CAT scan.

I wanted to go down
and take Susan and he home

after he came out of the hospital
and transfer him back to Alabama.

But she told me, she
said, Dale, don't come.

She said, he won't know you.

And I couldn't grasp that. I
said, Neil Bonnett won't know me?

We're gonna update
you on Neil Bonnett's condition.

He was hospitalized,
is now back home.

Susan, thanks for joining
us. How's Neil doing today?

You know, he's recognizing
people that he's known all his life.

And he knows that he knows them,
but it's gonna take some time.

I stayed in
constant touch with Susan.

You know, when can I come
down? When can I come see him?

When he started coming 'round,
then we started, you know,

seeing each other a
little bit and talking.

He was looking at a deer that
he killed when he was with me.

And he started putting
some things together.

It's been a crazy deal. I've
been going through extensive testing.

Simple as it can be,
I-I... the doctors, uh,

tell me I couldn't get in a race
car for the remainder of the season,

for a year.

I think all of you
know me well enough,

I've never listened to
a doctor in my life.

But when Dale Earnhardt's
pilot flew me home,

and I stepped off the plane
and I didn't know my kids

from the people at
hangar one in Birmingham,

and I walked to the car 'cause I
didn't realize that was my children.

And my mother and daddy came to visit
me, and I asked them who that was.

Well, that got my attention.

I want to be involved in
the sport in some manner,

but I gotta see how to do that.
I don't have any idea which way,

but I already see it's gonna
be hard to do without it.

- Thank you.
- Thanks for coming out.

How you doin'?

If you hadn't been a racer,
what do you think you would've been?

Probably a bum.

I'm short on education.

Be in an autograph session and
wonder how to spell somebody's name.

That's how tight
it gets sometimes.

To who?

You have to spell that.

Not having a good education,

it made it tougher to
handle the money at first.

You know, I've got a dealership.
I've got some other investments.

I'm fortunate to have a wife that
has a good business head on her.

Gotcha.

Nah, you didn't get me.

We're really heavily
involved in planning for the future

and starting different businesses because
who knows how long Dale's gonna race.

It's something that
can't go on forever.

He couldn't do it without me,
and I couldn't do it without him.

Teresa and I bought this
property. It's close to 300 acres.

It was rough, there
wasn't nothin' on it.

It's really fun, all the stuff I've
done. Just like running the bulldozer,

clearing property and
fixing things like I want.

I can't just pay taxes
on it for nothing,

so we've made it a working farm.

This is old Winston.

Shake your head.

He ended up building
a small shop up there.

We call it the deer head shop

'cause there's probably 125 deer
head hanging up on the wall.

When I turned 16, I
started working over there.

You could be working
on race cars one day,

the next day you could be
pulling barbed wire on the farm.

Jump in that brown truck and bring
me a cold beer back out here.

I'm gonna need something to get
my ass pumped back up and going.

It's tough. There's
not enough time in the day.

You got your businesses,
and then your racing.

And you got your personal life with
your family you gotta look after.

And you don't get much time with
them a lot of times, and it suffers.

It's Mother's Day.

I never really heard from Dad
or Teresa in military school.

And then, one day,
I walk outside

and my sister walks up.
And she's wearing the shit.

She's a student.

My mind could not register
what I was seeing.

I'm like, what are you doing?
And she goes, I'm here.

I missed you.

I made the choice to go
because I wanted to take care of Dale.

He was this scrawny little skinny...
We used to call him chicken legs.

Even in military school, it
was like, kid, kid, kid, Dale.

So, I had to go there and protect
him, because I didn't have a clue

what was gonna go on
at military school.

But I figured he wasn't gonna
be able to handle it without me.

Then it was like
immediately she fit right in.

Here I am, missing home,
wanting to be home,

and here she is looking at it like she
started her first semester in college.

You just had
to follow the rules,

like, no matter how hard it
was or how tired you were.

My experience as my home life
wasn't that much different.

Kick it.

Throw it.

Dale, you and
Teresa just had a child.

How is that going, having
another infant around the house?

Well, learning to
be a daddy again.

Taylor Nicole, she's been a
great addition to our family.

Man, she's great.

We'd come home
Christmas. We'd get out of school.

I remember being excited
about her being born.

And I remember, I liked being
looked up to as a big sister.

Hey, Taylor. Give me
a kiss.

Give Daddy a kiss.

I thought, you know, he was
a really, really great dad

for Taylor.

I love you.

I was certainly
envious of that a little bit.

Hey, Dale Jr.

What do ya think?

What was Dale
like as a father to Taylor?

Different from how
he was with the kids.

He was more loving.

I remember going
to Dale and Teresa's house.

I said, I need to go back to town
'cause I'm flying out in the morning.

He said, Oh, no, you can't
go yet. You gotta see Taylor.

Try another one.

She just
did this little jig.

He giggled like a schoolboy.

What, did you get a
little shy streak?

And I'm like, I have never
seen this in my life.

I mean, it was him in a
whole different light.

Tell 'em
who won the race.

Daddy.

- Who?
- Daddy.

There you go. That's okay.

He's still recognized
as NASCAR's toughest customer.

Yet, so far this season, Dale
Earnhardt has been a choir boy.

I mean, Earnhardt hasn't even put
a scratch on Geoff Bodine's car.

And without any controversy,
Dale Earnhardt leads in points.

He's done a hell of a
job trying to stay out of trouble.

I know he'd come on the radio and say,
I'd like to bust this motherfucker's ass.

But you know, we're
both trying to do right.

I've tried to get Dale Earnhardt back
into frame of mind he needs to be in.

Like the Ralph
Earnhardt frame of mind.

Right around
that period of time,

Dad decided that he had had
enough of us being gone.

He started to want us to come
home from military school.

You know, I'm going to the
track. I got a couple guys

that are sons of crew
chiefs and sons of drivers.

And we're just kids running
all over the racetrack.

Let's get on the highest thing
we can find and get a good view

so we can watch practice.

Dad came to me one day and said,
you're gonna get fitted for a uniform.

When we're going to the
races, you're gonna help.

I show up to the racetrack, and my buddies
see my uniform, and they're like...

What are you doin'?
And I'm like,

I don't know. Whatever
they tell me to do.

I was excited about
being around him.

And I realized, I wanted
that life. I wanted to race.

Earnhardt's number one!

The race fans have been
tough on me over the years,

but now, they're pretty much
behind me, the majority of 'em.

Earnhardt! Whoo-whoo!

What do you
think has changed their heart?

Is it that you've
been around so long?

Yeah. Well, they've got...

Well, he's pretty likable
guy, let's... I don't know.

I think just the
competitive year we've had.

It's building back to trying
to win a championship.

Ready for a race, are we?

- Damn right we're ready.
- All right!

You bet your buddy hammer down.

Sold out crowd
here at Atlanta Motor Speedway

rises to their feet.

Dale Earnhardt is on his way to
another Winston Cup Championship

if things can hold on for
just two and a half more laps.

He's perhaps tried to change his
race strategy and just take it easy.

That's all he's
gotta do is circle this racetrack.

Here's
the checkered flag.

Dale Earnhardt wins
the Winston Cup.

Yes!

For Dale to get to four,
he's breathing some rare air.

Because only one other person
had ever made that clout.

Taylor Nicole and Teresa, his wife
and young daughter getting in here.

We's happy.

It puts
you in some elite company.

You're a four-time champion now.

Well, it does, and
I'm proud of that, you know.

We're very happy to be right
there in behind the king.

But let
me tell you something.

There's not many men in this whole
wide world that are satisfied.

When you achieve what you think's gonna
be the pinnacle and you're gonna be happy,

you realize you're not.

So, you need to step it up,
and it's a constant challenge.

I always look at it
that if I set a goal,

and I get to it, I didn't
set it high enough.

And if I don't ever get to
it, then I set it too high

and I'm always gonna
be disappointed.

Back-to-back Winston
Cup champion Dale Earnhardt.

Dale said,
I'm looking ahead to a sixth

and trying to join Richard
Petty in the record books

as the only seven-time
Winston Cup champion.

He couldn't come to the
point in his career to say,

okay, I think I'm gonna sit back
and take it easy for a while.

How you gonna do that?

How do you slow down?

When I come around the
racetrack, I want to get involved.

I really get depressed at times.

I can go to the racetrack
and it just kinda sinks in.

I can't get in one of those things.
I can't do what I want to do.

And it's almost like throwin'
a brick wall in front of me.

Everybody in the garage
are friends of mine.

And, uh, I just miss the fans.

- How ya doin'?
- Fine.

We enjoy you on TV.

Well, glad you do.

We miss
you racin', though.

Yeah, I kinda miss it myself.

Hi, I'm Neil Bonnett. Welcome to the show
and welcome to my home here in Hueytown.

I honestly thought when I had that
injury, I'd get well in a year.

And then, it didn't happen,
so then I figured two years.

I said, I gotta stay around,
I gotta keep that visibility.

When you're hot, you're hot.
And when you're not, you're not.

Now, y'all just
think about that.

And we'll be back in a minute.

All right, now, what
do you want me to do?

We'll just bullshit
as we walk over there.

Well, what's our
topic of conversation?

All they're gonna do is get some
footage of us around the car.

And then, when we sit over there
and ask about us running it,

then they'll show this
as we're talking some.

Anyway, we was talkin', you
know, when we was fishin'

- you asked me if I wanted to run anymore.
- Mm-hmm.

- I said, I'd like to try it.
- Mm-hmm.

All of a sudden you've got a car
you want to test for yourself.

- Mm-hmm.
- That I ended up...

We still gonna test it some.

But, shoot, it's
a good race car.

Whenever the conversation
comes up, we talk about things.

I know it's been killing him inside
'cause there's a driver inside of him

that wants to go
out there and race.

I mean, he's not
last of anybody.

You know, he's a proud
man and a proud person.

I mean, I'd do anything
in the world for him.

I said, why don't we just test this
car and see how you feel about it.

What's your
favorite part about racing?

Just being here.

You know, I want to be a
race car driver someday.

It's a great sport, I love it.

It's all I've ever
known, racing.

What does your dad
think about you wanting to be a racer?

I don't know. It kinda looks like
he's kinda hesitant, you know.

He said he can't trust me. He
says I don't pay enough attention.

My dad never did
promote racing to me.

As a matter of fact, he really
just sort of played it down.

His philosophy was always you
help yourself, and I'll help you.

I think that's
what I do with Dale.

If he wants to race bad enough,
he'll show the interest.

Dad's like, well, if you want to do it,
just go in the shop, start cleaning tools.

I need to see some initiative.

But if I was around
Dad's cup team,

it was so hard to approach them.

They were tough, mean.

Always that look on their face,
like, I ain't got time for you.

I didn't know how
to treat a little boy.

I could've given
him more stuff to do

and let him be a bigger part
of it. He was a smart kid.

It's kind
of like double-Dutch.

I didn't know how to jump in
there and start skipping rope.

And I was probably a little
spoiled. A little unaware.

I'm here with Dale Earnhardt after
he just won the Die Hard 500.

What's the question, dude?

Are you gonna give me some
money when we get home?

I doubt it.

You've spent enough
down here this week.

Oh, okay.

But I just wanted him to talk to me
and give me some damn wisdom, right.

Where
were you during that?

Well, I just had a uniform.
I wasn't in the pits.

I don't know if he didn't think
that girls could drive race cars

or whatever, I don't know.

I think my dad just
wanted more for me.

He wanted me to go to school. Like,
that was a number one thing for him

was that he quit school
in the eighth grade,

and so finishing high school,
and even going to college

was very high on his list.

Growing up, my dad
just had expectations.

You made straight-As because you
were supposed to make straight-As.

There were no kudos, you know.

But if you made Bs, or you
made Cs, or you made Ds,

the wrath of, you know,
Dale Earnhardt was upon you.

As we got older, I mean, not that
I didn't want to make good grades,

but you start questioning why
you were doing it, you know?

Like, you're doing it
just to please your dad.

So, I went to
school in Wilmington

and was away from
my dad and Teresa.

I really didn't come back home.

Kelley was very
strong-willed, independent.

And I thought once she got out of
the house and was going to school

that you know, I didn't know
if she'd ever come back.

Just turn it around this way.

- Here you go.
- What's that?

Blow on that, man.
That's on fire.

I better get around this way.

- Can I make a wish?
- Yeah.

Make a wish.

Maybe it'll
come true this weekend.

Don't know if it'll help this
weekend or not, but he can try.

Basically, I guess, the
thing that we need to say is

that Neil received
clearance this morning

and will drive a Richard
Childress-owned car

at Talladega Superspeedway
in two weeks.

My main concern is I don't want
to jeopardize those other guys.

If I'd done it a year
ago, I would have.

If I'd done it six months
ago, it'd be questionable

if I was in a position to do it.

I feel comfortable doing it
now, and I've taken every test

and I want to see where I'm at.

I asked Dale before
this last announcement,

you know, how do you feel about how
he's gonna be around the other cars.

He said, no problem. He said he's
gonna be right in there good.

During the process of
doing all this testing,

I got really close
with Childress's crew.

You know, all the guys
that work on the cars,

'cause we spent a
lot of time together.

And they do not have
one thing to gain

by going to Talladega
with that second race car

other than a favor to me to go
down there and have a good time.

And there's no way
I can repay that.

Neil, all I
can say is, for us as fans,

it's good to see you back in the race
car. I know you must feel good too.

Man, I've been looking
for this a long time.

I can't wait to get in that
thing and see what it feels like.

Neil Bonnett, choosing
the hottest day we've had in years

at a stock car race to
come and make his comeback.

Neil, how
do you hear us down there?

Everything looks good. We're
gonna see what we can do here.

It's gonna be a lot of fun.

We've
been saying all week.

He's within striking distance,
about a second back to the leaders.

Number 31, Neil Bonnett,
1980 winner of this event.

You know, the doctors were the
guys that told me I had to quit before.

And I really honestly feel
like after I run this race,

I can step out of this car and say, if
I want to quit, I can quit on my own,

but I got a lot of race
car under me right now,

and we haven't used it all yet.

I'll just have to see
how this thing plays out.

There are four cars
that have crashed here in the trial,

but there is Neil Bonnett's
number 31 torn up front and rear.

Wow, his
car went upside down.

And
into the catch fence.

All right.

Neil looks okay.

If you go back and look at that,
Neil Bonnett gets out of the car,

changes clothes, goes up in the
booth and finishes calling the race.

And Neil Bonnett
has swapped the race seat

for a seat up here again.
Boy, am I glad to see you.

Yeah, Ken,
I tell you what,

I wanted to make sure nobody
gave my job away up here.

It's a heck
of a way to do it.

Oh, man, I tell
you, that was a...

it's a shame, man. For a change,
I was having a lot of fun.

Yeah, but I mean, you're
okay. You checked out okay.

Yeah, but now I gotta go face Earnhardt.
That's gonna be the hard part.

Man, it's close
racing all day long.

Lucky my buddy Neil didn't get
hurt. I was thankful for that.

He was having a
good time, though.

I don't think that scared him any.
I think he's ready to go again.

I know that
everybody was worried.

What happens if Neil gets
back in the car and gets hurt?

But he didn't get hurt.

He went through a violent
crash, got out of the car

and had a smile on his face.

So, maybe he has healed up.

And maybe we don't have to
worry about this anymore.

Dale, I want to talk to you
about the championships.

You got six behind you now.

I tell you, Neil, winning six
championships is pretty gratifying.

I'm pretty proud of that. And
now, we can focus on the seventh.

What is it keeps driving
you as hard as you do?

You can answer that. You want
to get back in a race car

just as bad as I
want to be in one.

Neil, you're coming
back on a limited schedule for '94.

You've gotta be
looking forward to it.

Yeah, they're
running six races.

Country Time's gonna help us with
James Finch's Phoenix racing deals.

- We're ready?
- Yep.

I gotta wish Happy
Valentine's to my wife Susan.

Since I'm putting her through all this
punishment while I'm running Daytona.

Great, thank you.

Well, unfortunately,
tragedy tops tonight's sports news.

47-year-old NASCAR driver Neil
Bonnett suffered massive head injuries

after he lost control of his car
during a practice session today

at the Daytona
International Speedway.

Bonnett was well known on the
NASCAR circuit not only...

Earnhardt was there
practicing when Neil was loaded up.

Earnhardt went to his knees when
that ambulance went past him.

He knew Neil was gone.

Then the next
week's the funeral.

Hueytown, Alabama, I'm gonna get a
ride with Earnhardt on the plane.

He ain't goin'.

I said, I cannot believe...
He said, I talked to Susan.

She's good, she understands.

I'm not going.

I mean, everybody in the
whole world was there.

But Dale wasn't there.
His very best friend.

I remember
that weekend.

He'd just kind of stand
and stare once in a while.

Like he'd just get lost
in space for a little bit.

It was so obvious
there was a void there.

And he never filled that.

There was no other driver out there
that had the same relationship with him.

When Neil was gone, that was
a friendship that was gone.

And it didn't exist anymore.

And he missed that.
I know he missed it.

Today, let us
pause for a moment of silence

to honor the memories
of Neil Bonnett.

Earnhardt has said, I am not
ready to share my feelings

with anyone about Neil Bonnett.

The safest place for me to be right now
is in my race car on that racetrack.

Gentlemen, start your engines!

I think he was a
master at blocking things out.

He went back to the track
where his best friend died

and go through that same corner.

And it was just like his mind
wasn't on anything else but racing.

There is the
checkered flag, and he's done it.

Dale Earnhardt moves into
the points lead for 1994.

He couldn't
talk about death.

He could not deal with it.

So, he didn't deal with it.

He took all of his emotions
and put it into that car.

Dale Earnhardt
gets his third of the year

and a belated 43rd birthday
present. He was 43 on Friday.

Dale Earnhardt, should
he gain 50 points today,

the Winston Cup
Championship is his.

Caution has come out here finding
big trouble in the back straightaway.

Earnhardt got through it all.

It's a familiar sight,
that 3 car comin' towards the front.

Just
continues to mow 'em down.

I think Earnhardt wants to go
all the way to victory lane

and not share it
with anybody today.

We'll see.

Number three! Go, go, baby!

Here's Earnhardt, slips
in four. Mast goes to the outside.

Rick tries the outside. He can't get it.
He draws to the inside at the straight.

Holding off Rick Mast, and
Dale Earnhardt will celebrate

his record tying seventh NASCAR
Winston Cup championship.

He's got the moon, the
stars and everything in the heavens.

Congratulations, Dale Earnhardt, clinching
his seventh Winston Cup championship.

Congratulations, Richard Childress on
a great day, a win and a championship.

Yeah, you know, not a better way to
end it for this Goodwrench racing team.

I thought nobody'd
ever tie Richard Petty

or catch Richard Petty's
record for championships,

but I gotta hand it to
all the guys and, uh...

I tell ya, I gotta dedicate
this to Neil Bonnett.

He's been in my heart ever
since, uh, we lost him.

And he's really
been close to us.

His family has suffered so
much. I hope the best for them,

Susan and everybody.
But this is for Neil.

It's really tough to try
to put a place for why is he gone.

Or what if he'd still be here, you
know. I mean, gosh, what would I say?

Okay, Dale,
anytime you're ready.

All right.

Okay.

I couldn't close without
a few words about Neil.

A man couldn't ask
for a better friend.

He was with me and the
whole team this season.

He was in the...
pfft. I'm reading it.

Yeah, and if there's
ever a part you don't...

I didn't want to read.

I couldn't close without
a thanks to Neil.

A man couldn't ask
for a better friend.

He was with me and the
whole team this season.

Argh.

Let's try
this, slowing it down.

Okay.

I just can't
close without mentioning...

Okay, I got it.

A man couldn't...

All right, I got it.

I couldn't close without
a thanks to Neil.

A man couldn't ask
for a better friend.

He was with me and the
whole team this past season.

He was in our thoughts
and in our hearts.

Nobody will ever know how much Neil
Bonnett has helped me in my life.

I just wish I had the
chance to thank him.

Dale,
one final question.

You know, with Richard Petty waiting
until he was into his 50s to retire,

you're still a young man at 43.
How many championships do you think

that you might be able to win
before you decide to hang it up?

As long as I can
get in that race car

and feel like I can win that
race, or my objective is to win,

I'm gonna be out
there trying to win.

Most great drivers,
as long as you feel like

you can get up off the couch
and get in a car, it ain't over.

There's always more.

Until there's not.

You see Earnhardt dropping
back and losing a lot of positions.

This finish
at the line, it's Jeff Gordon.

Do you feel like time is
starting to run out on Dale Earnhardt?

Do you find yourself
really wanting to make Dad proud?

He's dedicated. He
wanted to impress his father.

His love
was very conditional.

I was exceeding all
expectations my dad ever had for me.

In our mind, man, this
is just getting started.

Start your engines!

What do you say to
the people who say Earnhardt's done?

I got a lot of tricks
left in my bag. I guarantee ya.

Dale
Earnhardt has won.

Why would you want to
do something you know could kill you?

I never wanted
to do anything else.

Big
trouble... Oh!