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#Earnhardt
#Earnhardt
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00:00:00♪♪
00:00:06♪♪
00:00:10♪♪
00:00:17♪♪
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00:00:35♪♪
00:00:42And now watch this final descent very closely.
00:00:45♪♪
00:00:48When I think about Sunday races,
00:00:53every week, you're with your friends on the road.
00:00:58Your wife's with you.
00:01:03They put you in the car.
00:01:04They strap you in.
00:01:05You put your helmet on.
00:01:08There's no guarantee that you're gonna come back
00:01:12at the end of the day.
00:01:16You think you will.
00:01:19You hope you will.
00:01:21You pray you will, but you leave Pit Road
00:01:25and you look back and you see your wife waving goodbye.
00:01:31You don't know if you'll ever see her again or not.
00:01:33♪♪
00:01:42A lot of drivers were getting hurt.
00:01:43A lot of them were getting killed.
00:01:46I mean, it had to hit you at some point,
00:01:49but we don't talk about it.
00:01:51Guys don't talk about emotional shit.
00:01:55You put that stuff out of your mind,
00:02:00you have to.
00:02:03♪♪
00:02:23There is an official competition
00:02:24to determine the most popular driver in NASCAR,
00:02:26and it comes complete with ballots and voting
00:02:28and all the rest of it, but we here at ESPN
00:02:31decided to conduct an unofficial contest.
00:02:34Who's the best driver in NASCAR?
00:02:36Dale Earnhardt.
00:02:37Dale Earnhardt.
00:02:38Dale Earnhardt.
00:02:39Richard Petty.
00:02:40Dale Earnhardt is.
00:02:41Now, wait a minute.
00:02:42Some people say he's a dirty driver.
00:02:43No, no, no.
00:02:47A lot of people think he cheats, but he doesn't.
00:02:49He's just very aggressive.
00:02:50I don't like him.
00:02:52Who are you pulling for in today's race?
00:02:55Anybody but Dale Earnhardt.
00:02:56I agree.
00:02:57Anybody but Dale.
00:03:01Let's turn now to the image of this team.
00:03:04With the success that you've had,
00:03:05it's somewhat inevitable,
00:03:06but people will take pot shots at you,
00:03:08and a lot of people view Richard Childress racing
00:03:10and Dale Earnhardt as the bad guys,
00:03:12the black hats of racing.
00:03:13How do you view that?
00:03:15I love the shit out of it.
00:03:18I mean, seriously, we don't want to be the bad guys,
00:03:20but if that's the image people want to put on us
00:03:22and we can still race and keep sponsors and stuff, hell.
00:03:26He's won four straight races this season,
00:03:29six out of the eight,
00:03:31but he's drawn criticism for the way he's gone about it.
00:03:40You're the bad boy on the circuit.
00:03:42Is that something you're real comfortable with?
00:03:43Well, that's what a lot of the talk is
00:03:45that I'm the bad boy on the circuit,
00:03:47but I think it's because we're winning so much.
00:03:52He put the life into that sport.
00:03:59People were tuning in every week and said,
00:04:01well, let's see what old Ironhead does today.
00:04:07Elliott trying to slide underneath him,
00:04:09and Dale won't buy it.
00:04:11Elliott now is right in behind Earnhardt,
00:04:14and Earnhardt loses it, goes on the grass,
00:04:17cuts back, and Earnhardt still got nothing.
00:04:21Incredible.
00:04:22Decent driving by Earnhardt.
00:04:30Well, that was something else.
00:04:31You know, Bill has come up there
00:04:32and tried to spin me out twice.
00:04:34I didn't take it.
00:04:35I think he's a little upset now.
00:04:39You know, the thing of it is,
00:04:40I have been not the aggressive driver all my life.
00:04:44You know, I've tried to give and take
00:04:45with the best of the thing,
00:04:46but when a guy cuts you off that bad,
00:04:48and that obvious,
00:04:49that ain't the way I was brought up, Royce.
00:04:55How did he respond to the criticisms
00:04:57of rough riding this season?
00:05:00What can he say?
00:05:03It's opinion.
00:05:05And everyone has an opinion.
00:05:09Dale had one comment
00:05:10to cover all of those things.
00:05:12Maybe they're right.
00:05:14Fuck them.
00:05:15Go on, fuck them.
00:05:18Modine into five.
00:05:19He gets trapped on a slow car.
00:05:21Earnhardt just runs around.
00:05:23He's standing there.
00:05:27You knew if you were in contention
00:05:30that he would probably wreck you.
00:05:32But every driver had to go through that experience.
00:05:36You know, one week it might be Bill Elliot,
00:05:38the next week it might be Jeff Modine.
00:05:41I guess the tactics now are if you can't pass,
00:05:43you just knock the guy out.
00:05:45That's an Earnhardt move,
00:05:46and if they don't do something about it,
00:05:48pretty soon you end up in a war out there.
00:05:53Dale had no friends on the racetrack.
00:05:56Everybody else was an enemy.
00:06:00Except Neil Bonham.
00:06:02Here he cuts.
00:06:03Back straightaway.
00:06:04Modine on the inside.
00:06:06Earnhardt on the outside.
00:06:08Wheel to wheel at 190 miles an hour.
00:06:13Everybody talked about Dale,
00:06:14how aggressive he was on the racetrack.
00:06:16I liked him.
00:06:17Our fans come to see door handle to door handle,
00:06:20fender to fender,
00:06:21beating and banging and pushing and shoving.
00:06:23That's our brand of racing.
00:06:27It's hard to have a friendship in racing.
00:06:30Neil and I have always got along,
00:06:32I think because Neil and I are a lot alike.
00:06:35What drives us is racing,
00:06:36the competitive side of it and everything.
00:06:38But we can leave racing to where it's at
00:06:42and go off hunting or fishing and enjoy being together.
00:06:47Have you been fishing in this lake before?
00:06:49Yeah, why?
00:06:50You know where the fish is at?
00:06:51Where are they?
00:06:52I don't know, do you?
00:06:56You better move.
00:06:57I got the idea.
00:07:00In the late 70s and early 80s,
00:07:02no one was tougher to beat on the racetrack
00:07:04than Neil Bonnet.
00:07:0518 checkered flags including back-to-back wins
00:07:08in the World 600 in 82 and 83.
00:07:12I always felt like I should run my car
00:07:14as hard as it would run.
00:07:18I ran cars in the ground
00:07:19and I stuck them in fences
00:07:20and I put them in the little bitty holes
00:07:22they didn't need to go to.
00:07:23And I thought,
00:07:24I'm going to do this,
00:07:25I'm going to do this,
00:07:26I'm going to do this,
00:07:27I'm going to do this.
00:07:28And I paid the price.
00:07:30Vinnie Parson spins to the infield
00:07:32and Neil Bonnet's car goes up on its left side.
00:07:38Neil Bonnet collapses beside his car,
00:07:40prone on the ground,
00:07:41and the safety crews have been dispatched.
00:07:47Everybody must think about the dangers of the sport.
00:07:50I mean, you've been in a couple accidents yourself.
00:07:52That's a factor.
00:07:54But I'd rather be running hard
00:07:55than be up front
00:07:56and raising the issue like that
00:07:59and sort of just sort of playing it easy.
00:08:04You know, you put it in places
00:08:05some people wouldn't go
00:08:06or some people hesitate,
00:08:08then try to be the one to be.
00:08:11Needling his way through
00:08:12comes Dale Earnhardt,
00:08:13he's going to win it.
00:08:18You know, it's just a great day for him.
00:08:20I can't believe he won his race like that.
00:08:21I just can't believe it.
00:08:23The scene for 1987
00:08:25has been Dale Earnhardt leading in points
00:08:27and dominating the season.
00:08:30I look back at what
00:08:31we were able to accomplish in 1987
00:08:35and I just don't think
00:08:36anybody can do that anymore.
00:08:40We won 12 races.
00:08:42We lapped the field.
00:08:46There's not many drivers
00:08:47who have come to this sport
00:08:49who have had an era.
00:08:52And for Dale,
00:08:54that third championship
00:08:56was the real sign
00:08:59that he was the man.
00:09:01Dale, you look at other professional sports
00:09:03and see how hard it is
00:09:04for anyone to repeat as champion,
00:09:05yet you did it easily this season.
00:09:08Compare it for us,
00:09:09your first national championship,
00:09:10your second championship,
00:09:11and now your third.
00:09:13They just keep getting better.
00:09:14They just keep getting sweeter.
00:09:17If your dad was here,
00:09:19what do you think he'd say
00:09:21about your career so far?
00:09:25I think he would be proud of my career.
00:09:29I think he'd probably kick my butt
00:09:31for doing a lot of things I did,
00:09:32getting to where I am.
00:09:34Sacrificing, at times, with family.
00:09:50Growing up, I played ball
00:09:52not far from here in Jackson Park.
00:09:55I don't remember how old I was.
00:09:57I was young, because I was white-headed,
00:09:59like snow white.
00:10:05I always seen this woman
00:10:07with two girls all the time
00:10:08at the baseball game.
00:10:10They was always watching me
00:10:11and following me around.
00:10:13One day, I remember her coming to me
00:10:15and saying,
00:10:16Care to have a seat?
00:10:17I said, yes.
00:10:18She goes, I'm your man,
00:10:19Myron Hart,
00:10:20and this is your cousins.
00:10:22I didn't know how to take it.
00:10:27Latane was Carrie's mama.
00:10:31Her and Dale met in school.
00:10:34Then they were married
00:10:36and had Carrie.
00:10:39Dale was a young man,
00:10:4217, 18.
00:10:44She wanted him to stay at home
00:10:45with the baby.
00:10:47She was not happy
00:10:48that he wanted to be a mechanic
00:10:50and a race car driver.
00:10:53I know she moved out
00:10:55while he was at work one day.
00:10:58She met someone
00:11:00and they got married
00:11:01and he adopted me
00:11:02when I was three years old.
00:11:04That's who I knew was my family.
00:11:06My dad, Jack,
00:11:07and my mom, Latane.
00:11:10I didn't know anything
00:11:11about Dale being my dad.
00:11:13After I met my mom,
00:11:15my mom, she went through
00:11:16explaining how everything
00:11:18went down and
00:11:20whenever I turned 16,
00:11:22I got my license
00:11:23and went straight to my boss' home.
00:11:25That's where Dale was at
00:11:26always working on his race car.
00:11:31I hear them laughing
00:11:33and tools clanging
00:11:35and I remember
00:11:37walking in the door
00:11:38and it just got quiet.
00:11:41And dad was in the back corner
00:11:43and had a machine lathe
00:11:45he was working on.
00:11:48He looked up and he's like,
00:11:50well hey son, how are you?
00:11:54Cut the lathe off and he walks up
00:11:55and he says, come on,
00:11:56let's go riding.
00:11:57So we went and jumped in his truck
00:11:58and rode around town
00:11:59and talked about
00:12:01how my life was growing up.
00:12:05Thinking about me
00:12:06and wondering how I've been
00:12:07and what I've been doing.
00:12:11He invited me to the house.
00:12:14I remember pulling in the driveway
00:12:16and Dale Junior's
00:12:17throwing a football
00:12:18in the front yard.
00:12:19It was like, oh hey.
00:12:21This is Kerry Dale's best friend.
00:12:24I met Kerry.
00:12:26He lives with another family.
00:12:28He's adopted by that family.
00:12:30I don't really understand
00:12:31the mechanics,
00:12:32but I'm like, oh cool, Kerry.
00:12:34But Kelly,
00:12:35she was like,
00:12:36Kerry, sit on the couch with me.
00:12:38Tell me everything about you.
00:12:41He just sort of fit right in
00:12:43because his mannerisms
00:12:45and his looks
00:12:46and things like that
00:12:47were like exactly my dad.
00:12:53Back then I didn't realize
00:12:55that Dale was traveling all the time
00:12:58and not being at home
00:13:00because that was his life,
00:13:01his racing.
00:13:04Welcome to my office.
00:13:05I'm glad y'all can be here.
00:13:07This is where I work every day.
00:13:09Fortunately I didn't miss
00:13:10growing up without a father
00:13:12because Jack was there
00:13:13raising me and doing all
00:13:14the follow things with me.
00:13:20The funny thing about
00:13:21being his son was
00:13:25like I knew him as this dad
00:13:29and then I also knew him
00:13:30as this almost fictional character,
00:13:33the superhero.
00:13:37I had taped in my school locker.
00:13:40I had a series of photographs
00:13:41of dad's flip at Pocono in 1982
00:13:44driving Bud Moore's car.
00:13:46I would open my locker
00:13:47and see that and I'd go,
00:13:49my dad's a badass
00:13:50and I'm his son.
00:13:53But him and I didn't connect mentally.
00:13:59He was this tough, ornery,
00:14:02hardworking, dirt under his fingernails,
00:14:04could do anything guy
00:14:06and I was tiny, short,
00:14:08and shy and quiet.
00:14:11Like I wasn't making
00:14:12any sense to him.
00:14:15He was really hard on Junior
00:14:17mainly because Junior
00:14:19probably screwed off
00:14:21and acted out more
00:14:23just I think to get his attention.
00:14:25Hey Dean.
00:14:26How you doing Dale?
00:14:27Do something stupid Kelly.
00:14:34Me and Dale Junior,
00:14:35we grew up three miles down the road.
00:14:37We would be hanging out together
00:14:39on Christmas Eve
00:14:40and we'd all get to see each other.
00:14:42I think we both
00:14:43kind of wanted the same thing.
00:14:45You know, we were looking for
00:14:47that attention you could get
00:14:48from your dad.
00:14:50Anything, it was good, bad,
00:14:52didn't matter,
00:14:53just get the attention.
00:15:02I just remember it being about
00:15:03not following directions
00:15:05and not making the grades
00:15:06that you needed to make.
00:15:09Dale Junior.
00:15:11I mean I kind of feel like
00:15:12because we had a step parent
00:15:14and our dad,
00:15:15the amount of time
00:15:16he was away from home,
00:15:18they didn't feel that they
00:15:20could control the situation.
00:15:23So they were looking
00:15:24at military schools.
00:15:33I was like,
00:15:34why don't you want me
00:15:36with you?
00:15:37Why am I not better
00:15:39in your care?
00:15:44I had no clue
00:15:46how high the expectations
00:15:47and standards would be.
00:15:55You know, study from this hour
00:15:56to this hour
00:15:57and lights out at this time.
00:16:01When they finally plop you down
00:16:02in that room
00:16:03and the lights go out,
00:16:05there ain't no radio,
00:16:07you're in the middle
00:16:08of Greensboro
00:16:09an hour from home,
00:16:11not in your bedroom,
00:16:12not in your bed,
00:16:14and you're crying,
00:16:16like homesick
00:16:17as you can freaking believe.
00:16:33Is it difficult being
00:16:34Dale Earnhardt?
00:16:37I've been lucky
00:16:38in the last couple years
00:16:39not have too many problems.
00:16:41You know, our kids
00:16:42are doing great.
00:16:43Dale Jr.,
00:16:44up at Oak Ridge
00:16:45Military Academy,
00:16:46Trace and I are happy.
00:16:51In a perfect world,
00:16:53what would Dale Earnhardt
00:16:54like to do
00:16:55in the next five years?
00:16:58I just look for more.
00:17:00I look for winning
00:17:01more races,
00:17:02running for more championships.
00:17:06I think in the back
00:17:07of his mind,
00:17:09I think he always thought
00:17:10that he could be
00:17:11the greatest
00:17:12NASCAR driver
00:17:13that ever lived.
00:17:16When you laid out
00:17:17the history of the sport,
00:17:19it's like a mountain range.
00:17:21There's a lot of
00:17:22history to it.
00:17:25There's a lot of
00:17:26one championship,
00:17:28little mountains,
00:17:29little mountains.
00:17:30There's some twos.
00:17:31There's a lot of threes.
00:17:35When he got to seven,
00:17:36nobody had been there
00:17:37but my dad.
00:17:40He's a seven-time champion.
00:17:42That's a goal you set
00:17:43for yourself.
00:17:44Whether I ever beat him
00:17:45or not,
00:17:46or win as many as he did,
00:17:47I'd like to try.
00:17:55Going into the 88 season,
00:17:57we changed sponsors.
00:18:00We went to GM Goodrich.
00:18:05We knew that we wanted
00:18:06to go out and win
00:18:07the championship.
00:18:11And I wanted something
00:18:12to show that we were
00:18:13still the toughest guys
00:18:14out there.
00:18:25How'd you get that nickname?
00:18:27They put that on me
00:18:28when we painted the car
00:18:29black for Goodrich.
00:18:30It doesn't really do
00:18:31anything for me
00:18:32as much as it might
00:18:33do something
00:18:34for the competitors.
00:18:35It might put a little
00:18:36intimidation in their heart.
00:18:39He already had
00:18:40that reputation.
00:18:41And now,
00:18:42he's got it.
00:18:43He's got it.
00:18:44He's got it.
00:18:45He's got it.
00:18:46He's got it.
00:18:47He's got it.
00:18:48He's got it.
00:18:49He's got it.
00:18:50He's got it.
00:18:51He's got it.
00:18:52He's got it.
00:18:53And now,
00:18:54he's showing up in the mirror
00:18:55in a black car.
00:18:56It's like,
00:18:57is he going to hit me
00:18:58when he goes by me?
00:19:04There's a lot of ways
00:19:05to wreck somebody.
00:19:07You can body slam somebody.
00:19:13Or you can get your
00:19:14right front fender
00:19:15against your left rear
00:19:16quarter panel
00:19:17and spin them out.
00:19:23And he did all those things
00:19:24that Jeff Rodin...
00:19:27And I always gave him
00:19:28the benefit of the doubt.
00:19:29He won't keep doing it.
00:19:31I was a slow learner.
00:19:36Jeff, you know,
00:19:37you and Dale have not
00:19:38been getting along too well.
00:19:39We're going to see
00:19:40any skirmishing
00:19:41on the track today?
00:19:42What do you say?
00:19:43Oh, no. Come on.
00:19:45It seems like
00:19:46anyone that challenges
00:19:47Dale Earnhardt,
00:19:48he's out to get.
00:19:49A lot of drivers
00:19:50get out of his way.
00:19:51Well, that isn't
00:19:52the way I play this game.
00:20:01Fifty-six laps
00:20:02are now complete
00:20:03as Sterling Marlin...
00:20:05Touching around,
00:20:06but on goes.
00:20:07Oh, into the wall
00:20:08hard with the back end.
00:20:12Earnhardt,
00:20:13on the radio,
00:20:14was saying that
00:20:15he never touched
00:20:16number five.
00:20:18Want to see that again?
00:20:19And down here
00:20:20on Pip Road,
00:20:21NASCAR officials
00:20:22are conversing
00:20:23with Richard Childress
00:20:24and Kurt Schelmerdine.
00:20:25There are
00:20:26NASCAR officials
00:20:27standing in front
00:20:28of Earnhardt's car.
00:20:29They were just told
00:20:30from the top
00:20:31to stand in front
00:20:32of that car
00:20:33and hold him.
00:20:34Richard,
00:20:35what's the penalty?
00:20:36No comment.
00:20:37Talk to NASCAR.
00:20:40Major development.
00:20:41Winston Cup champion
00:20:42Dale Earnhardt,
00:20:43a five-lap penalty,
00:20:44and it is punishment
00:20:45for his second time
00:20:46in the race.
00:20:47And it is punishment
00:20:48for his second consecutive
00:20:49hit on Jeff Bodine.
00:20:53It all but takes away
00:20:54his chance of winning
00:20:55this race.
00:20:5988 was a tough year.
00:21:03We lost a lot of races.
00:21:07And we got a lot
00:21:08of people mad.
00:21:11I have never done
00:21:12anything intentionally
00:21:13trying to wreck somebody.
00:21:17And if I ever go
00:21:18set in a race car
00:21:19and it's in my mind
00:21:20to go out there
00:21:21and wreck somebody,
00:21:22I hope Ralph Earnhardt
00:21:23kicks my tail
00:21:24somehow or another.
00:21:40Phil Elliott has won
00:21:41the Winston Cup for 1988.
00:21:48You can't just go through
00:21:50and act like a bulldozer,
00:21:52wreck anyone,
00:21:53and hit them
00:21:54and do whatever
00:21:55just to win.
00:21:59It's gonna come back on you.
00:22:10One man we have not yet
00:22:11talked much of
00:22:12from Chesapeake, Virginia,
00:22:13Ricky Rudd.
00:22:15In the 80s,
00:22:16Ricky drove for Childress.
00:22:20And when Earnhardt
00:22:21and Childress got together,
00:22:22Earnhardt just stuck it
00:22:23down Ricky's throat.
00:22:25This is my deal,
00:22:26and I'll show you.
00:22:29So hit it like Dale.
00:22:31Dale, if you really want
00:22:32to learn how to get around
00:22:33this racetrack,
00:22:34just follow me.
00:22:37Six laps from the end
00:22:38of the race,
00:22:39and we are under caution,
00:22:40and it's a good thing
00:22:41because Dale Earnhardt
00:22:43had slipped a little,
00:22:44and Ricky Rudd
00:22:45was just about
00:22:46to catch him.
00:22:48Here it is.
00:22:49Green flag is out.
00:22:50Three more laps to go.
00:22:53Here is Ricky Rudd
00:22:54right alongside
00:22:55Dale Earnhardt.
00:22:56Two laps to go.
00:23:02Here comes Ricky Rudd
00:23:03moving to the inside,
00:23:05but Dale Earnhardt,
00:23:06he's not gonna be able
00:23:07to pass him at the moment.
00:23:10And they go into
00:23:11turn number one
00:23:12and both of them spin!
00:23:15And Jeff Beaunein
00:23:17wins!
00:23:21I was kind of hoping
00:23:22they'd do that.
00:23:23They've been discussing
00:23:24it out on pit row.
00:23:25I'd like to see that.
00:23:30I will say this.
00:23:32Dale could dish it out,
00:23:33but he couldn't take it.
00:23:42Go!
00:23:43Go!
00:23:47Dale, what happened up there?
00:23:49I gave him the whole bottom lane.
00:23:50He knocked the shit out of me.
00:23:52How will this affect
00:23:53your championship view
00:23:54from here on?
00:23:55You've got three more to go.
00:23:56What do you think?
00:23:57Without a fine,
00:23:58it's gonna make him
00:23:59sit out the rest of the year.
00:24:06It took a lot of points
00:24:07away from us.
00:24:09And Rusty Wallace
00:24:10ended up beating us
00:24:11by only a few points
00:24:12and winning the championship.
00:24:19Winning is probably
00:24:20one of the worst things
00:24:21that ever happens
00:24:22to a race car driver.
00:24:23It's the worst
00:24:24and the best thing.
00:24:26Once you start winning,
00:24:27you can't be satisfied
00:24:28with anything less.
00:24:32Were you ever at a point
00:24:33in your career
00:24:34in Winston Cup
00:24:35where you said,
00:24:36this isn't worth it?
00:24:39Might have had a flash of it.
00:24:43Just a few weeks ago
00:24:44in Dover, Delaware,
00:24:45Neil Bonnet had a violent impact
00:24:46with a fourth turn wall.
00:24:48I broke my breastbone
00:24:49and the sternum completely.
00:24:50Split it completely in two.
00:24:52Then I started questioning
00:24:53why in the world
00:24:54I'd do this for a living.
00:24:55And then when they threw at me
00:24:56what I would have to do
00:24:57to recover,
00:24:58they turned my healing process
00:24:59from a question mark
00:25:00to almost that
00:25:01you can't do it.
00:25:02And then I kind of wanted
00:25:03to prove that I could.
00:25:05Have a good run today, Dale.
00:25:06I hope so, thank you.
00:25:08I've always been full speed
00:25:09whatever I've done.
00:25:12Boy, I look forward
00:25:13to the day in my life
00:25:14when I can slow down
00:25:15and enjoy it,
00:25:16but I don't like slowing down.
00:25:27Neil Bonnet is a lap down.
00:25:29So is Alan Policky.
00:25:32And then here comes
00:25:33Ernie Irvin.
00:25:34Uh-oh!
00:25:35He's loose again
00:25:36and we're through with him.
00:25:47Let's go back to
00:25:48the crash that Neil had.
00:25:50Do you remember that day?
00:25:53Neil was knocked unconscious
00:25:54and was taken here
00:25:55to the infield care center.
00:25:56Now, he's awake
00:25:57and knows where he is,
00:25:58but for safety reasons
00:25:59they feel he may have
00:26:00a little bit of a concussion.
00:26:01They're going to transfer him
00:26:02to McLeod Regional Hospital
00:26:03here in Florence
00:26:04for a computerized CAT scan.
00:26:07I wanted to go down
00:26:08to take Susan and he home
00:26:10after he came out of the hospital
00:26:11and was going to transfer him
00:26:12back to Alabama.
00:26:14And she told me,
00:26:15she said,
00:26:16Dale don't come.
00:26:17She said,
00:26:18he won't know you.
00:26:19And I couldn't grasp that.
00:26:20I said,
00:26:21Neil Bonnet won't know me.
00:26:23We're going to update you
00:26:24on Neil Bonnet's condition.
00:26:25He was hospitalized
00:26:26and is now back home.
00:26:27Susan, thanks for joining us.
00:26:28How's Neil doing today?
00:26:30He, you know,
00:26:31is recognizing people
00:26:32that he's known all his life
00:26:33and he knows that he knows them,
00:26:34but it's just going to
00:26:35take some time.
00:26:38I'd stayed in constant touch
00:26:39with Susan.
00:26:40You know,
00:26:41when can I come down
00:26:42and when can I come see him?
00:26:45When he started coming around,
00:26:46then we started, you know,
00:26:47seeing each other a little bit
00:26:49and talking.
00:26:50He was looking at a deer
00:26:51that he killed
00:26:52when he was with me
00:26:53and he started putting
00:26:54some things together.
00:27:00It's been a crazy deal.
00:27:01I've, uh,
00:27:03I've been going through
00:27:04extensive testing.
00:27:06Simple as it can be.
00:27:07I, I, uh,
00:27:08the doctors, uh,
00:27:10told me I couldn't
00:27:11get in a race car
00:27:12for the remainder of the season
00:27:13for a year.
00:27:14As I think all of you
00:27:15know me well,
00:27:16I've never listened
00:27:17to a doctor in my life,
00:27:18but when Dale Earnhardt's pilot
00:27:20flew me home
00:27:21and I stepped off the plane
00:27:22and I didn't know my kids
00:27:23from the people
00:27:24at Hangar 1 in Birmingham
00:27:25and I walked to the car
00:27:26because I didn't realize
00:27:27that was my children
00:27:28and, uh,
00:27:29my mother and daddy
00:27:30came to visit me
00:27:31and I asked them
00:27:32who that was
00:27:33and they said,
00:27:34uh, that was my teacher.
00:27:35And, uh,
00:27:36I want to be involved
00:27:37in the sport
00:27:38in some manner,
00:27:39but I've got to see
00:27:40how to do that.
00:27:41I don't have any idea
00:27:42which way,
00:27:43but I already see
00:27:44it's going to be hard
00:27:45to do without it.
00:27:52You good?
00:27:53Thank you, Earnhardt.
00:27:55Thanks for coming out.
00:27:58If you hadn't been a racer,
00:27:59what do you think
00:28:00you would have been?
00:28:01Probably a bum.
00:28:04I'm short on education.
00:28:05I'd be at an autograph session
00:28:06and wonder how
00:28:07to spell somebody's name.
00:28:08That's how tight
00:28:09it gets sometimes.
00:28:10Say who?
00:28:11Manny Fabian.
00:28:12Yes, fella.
00:28:15Not having a good education
00:28:17made it tougher
00:28:18to handle the money
00:28:19at first.
00:28:23You know,
00:28:24I've got a dealership.
00:28:25I've got some other investments
00:28:26and I'm fortunate
00:28:27to have a wife
00:28:28that has got
00:28:29a good business head on her.
00:28:33Gotcha.
00:28:34No, you didn't get me.
00:28:36You know,
00:28:37we're really heavily involved
00:28:39in planning for the future
00:28:41and starting different businesses
00:28:43because who knows
00:28:45how long Dale's going to race.
00:28:46I mean,
00:28:47it's something
00:28:48that can't go on forever.
00:28:50He couldn't do it without me
00:28:51and I couldn't do it
00:28:52without him.
00:28:55Theresa and I
00:28:56bought this property.
00:28:58It's close to 300 acres.
00:29:01It was rough
00:29:02and wasn't nothing on it.
00:29:04It's really fun
00:29:05all the stuff I've done
00:29:06just like running
00:29:07the bulldozer,
00:29:08clearing property
00:29:09and fixing things
00:29:10like I want.
00:29:12I can't just pay taxes
00:29:13on it for nothing
00:29:14so we made it
00:29:15a working farm.
00:29:17This is old Winston.
00:29:18Back your head.
00:29:22He ended up
00:29:23building a small shop
00:29:24up there.
00:29:26We call it
00:29:27the deer head shop
00:29:28because there's probably
00:29:29125 deer head
00:29:30hanging up on the wall.
00:29:33When I turned 16
00:29:34I started working over there.
00:29:36You could be working
00:29:37on race cars one day.
00:29:39The next day
00:29:40you could be pulling
00:29:41barbed wire on the farm.
00:29:52It's tough.
00:29:53There's not enough time
00:29:54in a day.
00:29:56You've got your businesses
00:29:57and then you're racing
00:29:58and you've got
00:29:59your personal life
00:30:00with your family
00:30:01you've got to look after
00:30:02and you don't give
00:30:03much time with them
00:30:04a lot of times
00:30:05and it suffers.
00:30:15It's Mother's Day.
00:30:19I never really heard
00:30:20from Dad or Teresa
00:30:21at military school.
00:30:25And then
00:30:26one day
00:30:27I walk outside
00:30:28and
00:30:30my sister walks up
00:30:32and she's wearing the shit.
00:30:34She's a student.
00:30:37My mind could not register
00:30:39what I was seeing.
00:30:41I'm like,
00:30:42what are you doing?
00:30:43And she goes,
00:30:44I'm here.
00:30:45I missed you.
00:30:47I made the choice to go
00:30:48because I wanted
00:30:49to take care of Dale.
00:30:51He was this
00:30:52scrawny little skinny
00:30:54we used to call him
00:30:55chicken legs.
00:30:56Even in military school
00:30:57it was like
00:30:58kid, kid, kid, Dale.
00:31:01So I had to go there
00:31:02and protect him
00:31:03because I didn't
00:31:04have a clue
00:31:05what was going to go on
00:31:06at military school
00:31:07but I figured
00:31:08that he wasn't
00:31:09going to be able
00:31:10to handle it without me.
00:31:13And then it was like
00:31:14immediately
00:31:15she fit right in.
00:31:17Here I am
00:31:18missing home
00:31:19wanting to be home
00:31:20and here she is
00:31:21looking at it
00:31:22as if she's starting
00:31:23her first semester
00:31:24in college.
00:31:26You just had to
00:31:27follow the rules
00:31:28like no matter
00:31:29how hard it was
00:31:30or how tired you were.
00:31:33My experience
00:31:34as my home life
00:31:35wasn't that much different.
00:31:50Dale,
00:31:51you and Teresa
00:31:52just had a child.
00:31:53How is that going
00:31:54having another
00:31:55infant around the house?
00:31:57Well,
00:31:58learned to be daddy again
00:31:59to Taylor and Nicole.
00:32:00She's been a
00:32:01great addition
00:32:02to our family
00:32:03and she's great.
00:32:08We would come home
00:32:09Christmas
00:32:10to get out of school.
00:32:14I remember being
00:32:15excited about her being born
00:32:16and I remember
00:32:18I liked being
00:32:19looked up to
00:32:20as a big sister.
00:32:21Hey, Taylor.
00:32:23Give me a kiss.
00:32:26Give daddy a kiss.
00:32:28I thought
00:32:29he was a really,
00:32:30really great dad
00:32:31for Taylor.
00:32:33I love you.
00:32:34I was certainly
00:32:35envious of that
00:32:36a little bit.
00:32:38Hey, Dale Jr.
00:32:40What do you think?
00:32:42What was Dale
00:32:43like as a father
00:32:44with Taylor?
00:32:46Different
00:32:47from how he was
00:32:48with the kids.
00:32:50He was more loving.
00:32:53I remember
00:32:54going to Dale
00:32:55and Teresa's house
00:32:57and I said,
00:32:58I need to go back to town
00:32:59because I'm flying out
00:33:00in the morning.
00:33:01He said,
00:33:02oh no, you can't go yet.
00:33:03You've got to see Taylor.
00:33:06She just did
00:33:07this little jig.
00:33:09He giggled
00:33:10like a schoolboy.
00:33:17And I was
00:33:18and I'm like,
00:33:19I have never
00:33:20seen this
00:33:21in my life.
00:33:22I mean,
00:33:24it was him
00:33:25in a whole different
00:33:26light.
00:33:33Tell me
00:33:34when to race.
00:33:36Who?
00:33:37Daddy.
00:33:38Okay.
00:33:41He's still recognized
00:33:42as NASCAR's
00:33:43toughest customer.
00:33:45Yet so far
00:33:46this season,
00:33:47Dale Earnhardt
00:33:48has been a choir boy.
00:33:50I mean,
00:33:51Earnhardt hasn't even
00:33:52put a scratch
00:33:53on Jeff Boudin's car.
00:33:55And without any
00:33:56controversy,
00:33:57Dale Earnhardt
00:33:58leads in points.
00:34:01He's done
00:34:02a hell of a job
00:34:03trying to stay
00:34:04out of trouble.
00:34:05I know he'd come
00:34:06on the radio
00:34:07and say,
00:34:08I'm not the best
00:34:09at this motherfucker's ass.
00:34:10But, you know,
00:34:11we're both
00:34:12trying to do right.
00:34:13I tried to
00:34:14get Dale Earnhardt
00:34:15back into
00:34:16the frame of mind
00:34:17he needs to be in,
00:34:18the Ralph Earnhardt
00:34:19frame of mind.
00:34:25Right around
00:34:26that period of time,
00:34:28Dad decided that
00:34:29he had had enough
00:34:30of us being gone.
00:34:32He started to want us
00:34:33to come home
00:34:34from military school.
00:34:38You know,
00:34:39I'm going to the track
00:34:40and I got
00:34:41a couple guys
00:34:42that are sons
00:34:43of crew chiefs
00:34:44and sons of
00:34:45drivers.
00:34:46And we're just kids
00:34:47running all over
00:34:48the racetrack.
00:34:49Let's get on
00:34:50the highest thing
00:34:51we can find
00:34:52and get a good view
00:34:53so we can watch practice.
00:34:57Dad came to me
00:34:58one day and said,
00:34:59you're going to get
00:35:00fitted for a uniform.
00:35:01When you're going
00:35:02to the races,
00:35:03you're going to help.
00:35:04I show up
00:35:05to the racetrack
00:35:06and my buddies
00:35:07see my uniform
00:35:08and they're like,
00:35:11what are you doing?
00:35:12And I'm like,
00:35:13I don't know,
00:35:14what do you want me to do?
00:35:17I was excited
00:35:18about being around him
00:35:21and I realized
00:35:22I wanted that life.
00:35:23I want to race.
00:35:30The race fans
00:35:31have been tough on me
00:35:32over the years
00:35:33but now they're
00:35:34pretty much behind me,
00:35:35the majority of them.
00:35:38What do you think
00:35:39has changed their heart?
00:35:40Have you been around
00:35:41so long?
00:35:42Yeah,
00:35:44well he's a pretty
00:35:45likable guy,
00:35:46let's start pulling
00:35:47him around.
00:35:48I don't know,
00:35:49I think just the
00:35:50competitive year
00:35:51we've had
00:35:52is building back
00:35:53to trying to win
00:35:54a championship.
00:35:57Ready for a race,
00:35:58aren't we?
00:35:59Yeah, I'm ready.
00:36:00Alright,
00:36:01you got your buddy
00:36:02hammered on.
00:36:05Sold out crowd
00:36:06here at Atlanta
00:36:07Motor Speedway
00:36:08rises to a peak.
00:36:14Dale Earnhardt
00:36:15is on his way
00:36:16to another
00:36:17Winston Cup championship
00:36:18if things can hold on
00:36:19for just two and a half
00:36:20more laps.
00:36:22He's perhaps
00:36:23trying to change
00:36:24his race strategy
00:36:25and just take it easy.
00:36:26That's all he's got to do
00:36:27is circle this race track.
00:36:30Here's the checkered flag.
00:36:32Dale Earnhardt
00:36:33wins the Winston Cup.
00:36:43Woo!
00:36:44Yeah!
00:36:51For Dale
00:36:52to get the four,
00:36:53he was breathing
00:36:54some rare air
00:36:55because only one other
00:36:56person had ever
00:36:57made that clock.
00:36:59Taylor Nicole
00:37:00and Teresa's wife
00:37:01and young daughter
00:37:02getting in here.
00:37:06Put you in some
00:37:07elite company,
00:37:08you're a four-time
00:37:09champion now.
00:37:10Well, it does
00:37:11and I'm proud of that.
00:37:12We're happy to be
00:37:13right there
00:37:14and behind the king.
00:37:27But let me tell you something.
00:37:29There's not many men
00:37:31in this whole wide world
00:37:32that are satisfied.
00:37:43When you achieve
00:37:44what you think's
00:37:45going to be the pinnacle
00:37:46and you're going to be happy,
00:37:48you realize you're not.
00:37:49So you need to step it up
00:37:51and it's a constant challenge.
00:37:55I always look at it
00:37:56that if I set a goal
00:37:58and I get to it,
00:37:59I didn't set it high enough
00:38:00and if I don't ever
00:38:01get to it,
00:38:02then I set it too high
00:38:03and I'm always going
00:38:04to be disappointed.
00:38:06Back to back.
00:38:07Winston Cup champion,
00:38:09Dale Earnhardt.
00:38:10Dale said,
00:38:11I'm looking ahead
00:38:12to a six and trying
00:38:13to join Richard Petty
00:38:14in the record books
00:38:15as the only seven-time
00:38:16Winston Cup champion.
00:38:18He couldn't come
00:38:19to the point in his career
00:38:20and say,
00:38:21OK, I think I'm going
00:38:22to sit back and take it easy
00:38:23for a while.
00:38:25How are you going to do that?
00:38:28How do you slow down?
00:38:31When I come around
00:38:32the racetrack,
00:38:33I want to get involved
00:38:34and I really get depressed
00:38:35at times.
00:38:38I go to the racetrack
00:38:39and it just kind of sinks in.
00:38:40Hey, I can't get in
00:38:41one of those things.
00:38:42I can't do what I want to do
00:38:43and it's almost like
00:38:44throwing a brick wall
00:38:45in front of you.
00:38:47Everybody in that garage
00:38:48are friends of mine.
00:38:50And I just miss the fans.
00:38:52I miss the fans.
00:38:53I miss the fans.
00:38:54I miss the fans.
00:38:55I miss the fans.
00:38:56I miss the fans.
00:38:57I miss the fans.
00:38:58I miss the fans.
00:38:59I just miss the fans.
00:39:01How are you doing?
00:39:02Fine.
00:39:03We enjoy you on TV.
00:39:04Well, glad to do.
00:39:06We miss you racing, though.
00:39:07Yeah, I kind of miss it myself.
00:39:18Hi, I'm Neal Bonnet.
00:39:19Welcome to the show
00:39:20and welcome to my home
00:39:21here in Hueytown.
00:39:23I honestly thought
00:39:24when I had that injury
00:39:25I'd get well in a year.
00:39:26And then it didn't work out
00:39:27so then I figured two years.
00:39:28I said, I got to stay around.
00:39:29I got to keep that visibility.
00:39:32When you're hot, you're hot.
00:39:34And when you're not, you're not.
00:39:36Now, y'all just think about that.
00:39:38And we'll be back in a minute.
00:39:42All right, now,
00:39:43what do you want me to do?
00:39:44We'll just bullshit
00:39:45as we walk over there.
00:39:46What's our top of the conversation?
00:39:47All they're going to do
00:39:48is just get some footage
00:39:49of us around the car
00:39:50and then when they set over there
00:39:51and ask about us running it,
00:39:53then they'll show this
00:39:54as we're talking some.
00:39:55Anyway, I was talking about
00:39:56the time we was fishing
00:39:57and you asked me
00:39:58did I ever want to run anymore.
00:39:59And I said, well, I'd like to try it.
00:40:01All of a sudden, you got a car
00:40:02that you wanted to test for yourself
00:40:04that I ended up...
00:40:06We're still going to test it some.
00:40:08But, shoot, it's a good race car.
00:40:11Whatever the conversation comes up,
00:40:13we talk about things
00:40:14and I know it's been
00:40:15killing him inside
00:40:16because he's driving inside of it
00:40:17and he wants to go out there and race.
00:40:19I mean, he's not lasting by it.
00:40:21You know, he's a proud man
00:40:23and a proud person.
00:40:24But, I mean,
00:40:25I'd do anything in the world for him.
00:40:33I said, why don't we just test this car
00:40:35and see how you feel about it.
00:40:56What's your favorite part about racing?
00:40:58Just being here.
00:41:01You know, I want to be
00:41:02a race car driver someday.
00:41:04It's a great sport.
00:41:05I love it.
00:41:06It's all I've ever known, racing.
00:41:10What does your dad think
00:41:11about you wanting to be a racer?
00:41:12I don't know.
00:41:13It kind of looks like
00:41:14he's kind of hesitant.
00:41:16He said he can't trust me
00:41:18since I don't pay enough attention.
00:41:21My dad never did promote
00:41:23racing to me.
00:41:24As a matter of fact,
00:41:25he really just sort of
00:41:26played it down.
00:41:28His philosophy was always,
00:41:30you help yourself
00:41:31and I'll help you.
00:41:33I think that's what I do
00:41:34with Dale.
00:41:35If he wants to race bad enough,
00:41:37he'll show the interest.
00:41:39Dad's like, well, if you want to do it,
00:41:41just go in the shop
00:41:42and start cleaning tools.
00:41:44I need to see some initiative.
00:41:46But if I was around Dad's cup tea
00:41:49it was so hard to approach them.
00:41:52They were tough, mean,
00:41:55always that look on their face.
00:41:57Like, hand time for you.
00:42:00I didn't know how to
00:42:01treat a little boy.
00:42:02I could have given him
00:42:03more stuff to do
00:42:04and let him be a bigger part of it.
00:42:06He's a smart kid.
00:42:08It's kind of like double dutch.
00:42:09I didn't know how to jump in there
00:42:10and start skipping rope.
00:42:13And I was probably
00:42:14a little spoiled,
00:42:15a little unaware.
00:42:17I'm here with Dylan Hart
00:42:18after he just won
00:42:19the Die Hard 500.
00:42:20What's the question, dude?
00:42:22Are you going to give me
00:42:23some money when you get home?
00:42:24I doubt it.
00:42:26You spent enough
00:42:27down here this week.
00:42:28Oh, okay.
00:42:30But I just wanted him
00:42:31to talk to me
00:42:32and give me some damn wisdom, right?
00:42:37Where were you during that?
00:42:39Well, I just had a uniform.
00:42:40I wasn't in the pits.
00:42:42I don't know if he didn't
00:42:43think that girls could
00:42:44drive race cars or whatever.
00:42:45I don't know.
00:42:46I think my dad
00:42:47just wanted more for me.
00:42:52He wanted me to go to school.
00:42:53Like, that was
00:42:54a number one thing for him
00:42:56was that he quit school
00:42:58in the eighth grade
00:42:59and so finishing high school
00:43:01and even going to college
00:43:02was very high on his list.
00:43:07Growing up,
00:43:08my dad just had expectations.
00:43:12You made straight A's
00:43:13because you were supposed
00:43:14to make straight A's.
00:43:15There were no kudos, you know,
00:43:17but if you made B's
00:43:18or you made C's
00:43:19or you made D's,
00:43:21the wrath of, you know,
00:43:23Deler and Hart was upon you.
00:43:26As we got older,
00:43:28I mean, not that I didn't
00:43:29want to make good grades,
00:43:30but you start questioning
00:43:32why you were doing it, you know?
00:43:34Like, you're doing it
00:43:35just to please your dad.
00:43:39So I went to school
00:43:43in Wilmington
00:43:44and I was away
00:43:45from my dad and Teresa.
00:43:48I really didn't come back home.
00:43:53Kelly was very strong-willed,
00:43:56independent,
00:43:57and I thought
00:43:58once she got out of the house
00:43:59and was going to school
00:44:01that, you know,
00:44:02I didn't know
00:44:03if she'd ever come back.
00:44:09Let's turn around this way.
00:44:12Wait a second.
00:44:13That's a little far.
00:44:20Maybe come through this way.
00:44:21I don't know if that's going
00:44:22to help this weekend or not,
00:44:23but he can try.
00:44:28Basically, I guess the thing
00:44:30that we need to say
00:44:31is that Neal received
00:44:32clearance this morning
00:44:33and will drive
00:44:34a Richard Childress-owned car
00:44:36at Talladega Super Speedway
00:44:38in two weeks.
00:44:41My main concern is
00:44:42I don't want to jeopardize
00:44:43those other guys.
00:44:44If I'd have done it
00:44:45a year ago, I would have.
00:44:46If I'd have done it
00:44:47six months ago,
00:44:48it'd be questionable
00:44:49if I was in a position
00:44:50to do it.
00:44:51I feel comfortable doing it now
00:44:52and I've taken every test
00:44:53in the world
00:44:54and I want to see where I'm at.
00:44:55I asked Dale before
00:44:56this last thing,
00:44:57I said, you know,
00:44:58how do you feel about
00:44:59how he's going to be
00:45:00around the other cars?
00:45:01He said, no problem.
00:45:02He said, he's going to be
00:45:03right in there good.
00:45:04During the process
00:45:05of doing all this testing,
00:45:06I got really close
00:45:07with Childress's crew,
00:45:08you know,
00:45:09all the guys
00:45:11and they do not have
00:45:12one thing to gain
00:45:13by going to Talladega
00:45:14with that second race car
00:45:15other than a favor to me
00:45:17to go down there
00:45:18and have a good time
00:45:19and there's no way
00:45:20I can repay that.
00:45:24Neil, all I can say
00:45:25is for us as fans,
00:45:26it's good to see you
00:45:27back in the race car.
00:45:28I know you must feel good too.
00:45:29Man, I tell you,
00:45:30I've been looking for this
00:45:31a long time.
00:45:32I can't wait to get in that thing
00:45:33and see what it feels like.
00:45:35Neil Bonnett,
00:45:36choosing the hottest day
00:45:37we've had in years
00:45:38at a stock car race
00:45:39to come and make his comeback.
00:45:41Neil, how do you hear us
00:45:42down there?
00:45:43Everything looks good.
00:45:44We're going to see
00:45:45what we can do here.
00:45:46It's going to be a lot of fun.
00:45:47What he's been saying
00:45:48all week.
00:45:54He's within striking distance
00:45:55about a second back
00:45:56from the leaders.
00:45:58Number 31,
00:45:59Neil Bonnett.
00:46:00You know, the doctors
00:46:01were the guys
00:46:02that told me
00:46:03I had to quit before.
00:46:04And I really honestly feel like
00:46:05after I run this race,
00:46:06I can step out of this car
00:46:07and say,
00:46:08hey, if I want to quit,
00:46:09I can quit on my own.
00:46:10But I've got a lot of race car
00:46:11under me right now.
00:46:12We haven't used it all yet.
00:46:13I'll just have to see
00:46:14how this thing plays out.
00:46:20He's got it.
00:46:21He's got it.
00:46:22He's got it.
00:46:23He's got it.
00:46:24He's got it.
00:46:25He's got it.
00:46:26He's got it.
00:46:27He's got it.
00:46:28He's got it.
00:46:29He's got it.
00:46:46There are four,
00:46:47five cars that have crashed
00:46:48here in the trial,
00:46:49but there is Neil Bonnett's
00:46:50number 31
00:46:51torn up front and rear.
00:46:56Wow.
00:46:57His car is upside down.
00:46:59Into the catch fence.
00:47:19All right.
00:47:21Neil looks okay.
00:47:30If you go back and look at that,
00:47:32Neil Bonnet gets out of the car,
00:47:34changes clothes, and goes up in the booth
00:47:36and finishes calling the race.
00:47:38And Neil Bonnet has swapped the race seat
00:47:41for a seat up here again.
00:47:43Boy, am I glad to see you.
00:47:45Yeah, Ken, I tell you what, I wanted to make sure
00:47:46nobody gave my job away up here.
00:47:48That's a heck of a way to do it.
00:47:50Oh, man, I tell you, that was...
00:47:52It's a shame, man.
00:47:54For a change, I was having a lot of fun.
00:47:56Yeah, but, I mean, you're okay.
00:47:57You checked out okay.
00:47:58Yeah, but now I got to go face Earnhardt.
00:48:00That could be the hard part.
00:48:04Man, it's close racing all day long.
00:48:06Lucky my buddy Neil didn't get hurt.
00:48:08I was thankful for that.
00:48:09He was having a good time, though,
00:48:11and I don't think I scared him any.
00:48:12I think he's ready to go again.
00:48:17I know that everybody was worried
00:48:20what happens if Neil gets back in the car
00:48:22and he gets hurt.
00:48:24But he didn't get hurt.
00:48:26He went through a violent crash,
00:48:28got out of the car, and had a smile on his face.
00:48:33So maybe he has healed up.
00:48:35Maybe we don't have to worry about this anymore.
00:48:45Then when I talk to you about the championships,
00:48:47you got six behind you now.
00:48:50Yeah!
00:48:51Yeah!
00:48:52Yeah!
00:48:53Yeah!
00:48:56I tell you, Neil, winning six championships
00:48:58is pretty gratifying.
00:48:59I'm pretty proud of that.
00:49:00And now we can focus on the seventh.
00:49:06What is it that keeps driving you as hard as you do?
00:49:09You can answer that.
00:49:10You wanting to get back in a race car
00:49:12is as bad as I'm wanting to be in one.
00:49:22Neil, you're coming back on an unlimited schedule for 94.
00:49:24You've got to be looking forward to it.
00:49:25Yeah, I'm going to run six races.
00:49:26Country Time is going to help us
00:49:27with James Finch's Phoenix racing deals.
00:49:31We ready?
00:49:32Yep.
00:49:33I've got to wish happy Valentine's to my wife, Susan,
00:49:35since I'm putting her through all this punishment
00:49:37while I'm running Daytona.
00:49:38Great. Thanks.
00:49:55NEIL BONNETT
00:50:18Well, unfortunately, tragedy tops tonight's sports news.
00:50:2047-year-old NASCAR driver Neil Bonnett
00:50:22suffered massive head injuries
00:50:24after he lost control of his car
00:50:26during a practice session today
00:50:27at the Daytona International Speedway.
00:50:29Bonnett was well known on the NASCAR circuit,
00:50:31not only as a driver...
00:50:33Earnhardt was there practicing
00:50:36when Neil was loaded up.
00:50:40Earnhardt went to his knees
00:50:42when that ambulance went past Enfield Care Center.
00:50:48He knew Neil was gone.
00:50:55Then the next week's the funeral.
00:50:58Hueytown, Alabama.
00:50:59I'm going to get a ride with Earnhardt on the plane.
00:51:01He ain't going.
00:51:03I said, I cannot.
00:51:04But he said, I talked to Susan.
00:51:07She's good. She understands.
00:51:09I'm not going.
00:51:13I mean, everybody in the whole world was there.
00:51:16But Dale wasn't there.
00:51:17His very best friend.
00:51:20I remember that weekend.
00:51:23He'd just kind of stand and stare once in a while,
00:51:27like he'd just get lost in space for a little bit.
00:51:35It was so obvious there was a void there.
00:51:39And he never feel that.
00:51:40There was no other driver out there
00:51:42that had the same relationship with him.
00:51:44When Neil was gone, that was a friendship that was gone.
00:51:47And it didn't exist anymore.
00:51:50He missed that. I know he missed it.
00:52:02Today, let us pause for a moment of silence
00:52:07to honor the memories of Neil Bonner.
00:52:10The memories of Neil Bonner.
00:52:22Earnhardt has said,
00:52:23I am not ready to share my feelings with anyone
00:52:26about Neil Bonner.
00:52:29The safest place for me to be right now
00:52:31is in my race car on that racetrack.
00:52:35And the winner,
00:52:37Berkley Earnhardt!
00:52:45I think he was a master at blocking things out.
00:52:49He went back to the track where his best friend died
00:52:53and go through that same corner.
00:52:56And it was just like his mind wasn't on anything else
00:52:59but racing.
00:53:00There is the checkered flag and he's done it.
00:53:03Dale Earnhardt moves into the points lead for 1994.
00:53:10He couldn't talk about death.
00:53:13He could not deal with it.
00:53:18So he didn't deal with it.
00:53:20He took all of his emotions and put it into that car.
00:53:24Dale Earnhardt gets his third on the year
00:53:26and a belated 43rd birthday present.
00:53:29He was 43 on Friday.
00:53:36Dale Earnhardt.
00:53:37Should he gain 50 points today,
00:53:39the Winston Cup Championship is his.
00:53:45Washington has come out here blocking out
00:53:47big trouble in the back straightaway.
00:53:52Earnhardt got through it all.
00:53:55It's a familiar sight,
00:53:56that three car coming towards the front.
00:54:00He just continues to ball down.
00:54:04I think Earnhardt wants to go all the way to victory lane
00:54:06and not share it with anybody today.
00:54:08We'll see.
00:54:15Here's Earnhardt, slips in four,
00:54:17Mast goes for the outside.
00:54:18Rick tries the outside,
00:54:19he can't get it,
00:54:20he draws to the inside at the straight.
00:54:22Holding off Rick Mast,
00:54:23and Dale Earnhardt will celebrate his record tying seventh.
00:54:27Record tying seventh NASCAR Winston Cup Championship.
00:54:32He's got the moon and the stars
00:54:33and everything in the heavens right now.
00:54:35Congratulations, Dale Earnhardt,
00:54:36clinching his seventh Winston Cup Championship.
00:54:46Congratulations, Richard.
00:54:47You showed us on a great day,
00:54:48a win and the championship.
00:54:50Yeah, you know, not a better way to end it
00:54:51for this good wrenched racing team.
00:54:58I thought nobody ever tied Richard Petty
00:55:00or catch Richard Petty's record in his championships,
00:55:02but I got to hand it to all the guys,
00:55:05and I tell you,
00:55:07I got to dedicate this to Neil Bonnet.
00:55:11He's been in my heart ever since we lost him,
00:55:14and he's really been close to us,
00:55:16and his family has suffered so much.
00:55:19I hope they'll be able to make it up to him.
00:55:21He's a great guy.
00:55:22He's a great guy.
00:55:23He's a great guy.
00:55:24He's a great guy.
00:55:25His family has suffered so much.
00:55:26I hope the best for them, Susan, and everybody,
00:55:28but this one's for Neil.
00:55:35It's really tough to try to put it in place.
00:55:38Why is he gone, or what if he'd still be here?
00:55:42You know what I mean?
00:55:43Gosh, what would I say?
00:55:56Okay, Dale, anytime you're ready.
00:55:58All right.
00:56:00Okay.
00:56:02I couldn't close without a few words about Neil.
00:56:05A man couldn't ask for a better friend.
00:56:08He was with me and the whole team this season.
00:56:12He was in the...
00:56:14I'm reading it.
00:56:15Yeah, and if there's ever a part that you don't...
00:56:18Don't want to read.
00:56:20You know.
00:56:26I couldn't close without a thanks to Neil.
00:56:30A man couldn't ask for a better friend.
00:56:32He was with me and the whole team this season.
00:56:38Ah.
00:56:42Let's try this, maybe, if you don't mind.
00:56:45You know, slowing that down.
00:56:47Okay.
00:56:48I just can't close without thanking you.
00:56:50Okay, I got it.
00:56:53Okay, I got it.
00:56:55All right, I got it.
00:56:59I couldn't close without a thanks to Neil.
00:57:02A man couldn't ask for a better friend.
00:57:05He was with me and the whole team this past season.
00:57:08He was in our thoughts and in our hearts.
00:57:11Nobody will ever know how much Neil Bonnet has helped me in my life.
00:57:16I just wish I had the chance to thank him.
00:57:22Dale, one final question.
00:57:24You know, with Richard Petty waiting until he was into his 50s to retire,
00:57:28you're still a young man at 43.
00:57:30How many championships do you think that you might be able to win
00:57:33before you decide to hang it up?
00:57:35As long as I can get in that race car and feel like I can win that race
00:57:39or my objective is to win, I'm going to be out there trying to win.
00:57:43Most great drivers, as long as you feel like you can get up off the couch
00:57:47and get in a car, in and over.
00:57:52There's always more.
00:57:56Until there's not.
00:58:14You see Earnhardt dropping back, losing a lot of position.
00:58:18This finish at the line, it's Jeff Gordon.
00:58:21Do you feel like time is starting to run out on Dale Earnhardt?
00:58:25Do you find yourself really wanting to make Dad proud?
00:58:29He was dedicated. He wanted to impress his father.
00:58:32His love was very conditional.
00:58:35I was exceeding all expectations that my dad ever had for me.
00:58:40In our mind, man, this is just getting started.
00:58:46What do you say to the people who say Earnhardt's done?
00:58:49I got a lot of tricks left in my bag, I guarantee you.
00:58:52Dale Earnhardt has won!
00:58:54Why would you want to do something that you know darn well could kill you?
00:58:57I never wanted to do anything else.
00:58:59Big trouble! Oh!
00:59:10MUSIC PLAYS
00:59:40MUSIC FADES