‘Tis the time to remember a legend. With Amazon Prime’s arrival, NASCAR got many gifts. From fewer commercials to a post-race show at Charlotte, fans have been treated to a gala time. However, the biggest gift is probably Prime’s documentary on the one and only legend, Dale Earnhardt. His memory got a boost with his greatest moments under the spotlight, including one that gives fans and a NASCAR veteran goosebumps.
Dale Earnhardt had a signature style of racing that landed him the ‘Intimidator’ nickname. He would do almost anything to wrest a race win or prove a point to his biggest rival. And this aggression had a backstory that unfolded on February 23rd, 1986.
When Dale Earnhardt’s ferocity came to the surface
Well, it was turning out to be a thrilling race at Richmond Raceway. Dale Earnhardt, the 1980 Cup Series champion, was seeking his second title, leading 299 of 400 laps. Meanwhile, Darrell Waltrip, who had won three of the past five championships, was closing on him. Junior Johnson, Waltrip’s team owner, decided to sit atop the pit box that day and ordered his driver to pass Earnhardt immediately. After some hesitation, Waltrip nudged Earnhardt to slide him up the track and passed him. No wreck unfolded – not yet. A few laps later, a clearly ticked-off Earnhardt tagged the right rear of Waltrip as they sped into Turn 3, sending Waltrip slamming into the guardrail. Earnhardt also spun out, collecting other cars like those of Geoff Bodine and Joe Ruttman.
Kyle Petty was running 5th when this ‘Big One’ happened, and went on to win the race. He recollected the wild wreck recently in an interview with Ryan McGee: “Come off Turn 2, and there’s all hell breaking loose. I downshifted to second. That’s how bad the racetrack was…how much carnage there was. Then everybody that came behind them got in. We rode around for two laps when Eddie Wood told me that we had won the race. I didn’t realize we won the race; I thought we ran third, second, and passed. But it was a huge day for us.” But what left a mark in Petty’s mind was the fierce rivalry on display.
A race that most people forgot who won. @ESPNMcGee and @kylepetty revisit that wild spring day at @RichmondRaceway. pic.twitter.com/leVGErDrwk
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 29, 2025
After the chaos erupted, Darrel Waltrip came down pit road for repairs. Dale Earnhardt did not, and instead wiped his own windshield while hanging out from his window and driving at the same time. What that moment marked was Earnhardt’s aggression and NASCAR’s iconic rivalry. Kyle Petty reflected on the same: “It solidified in so many ways who Earnhardt was and who Darrell was, and how much that was a true rivalry. That was a rivalry that went beyond the racetrack and went to a dislike. Petty and Pearson had a rivalry, but they liked each other. My dad and Bobby had a rivalry; they liked each other…Here’s two guys that wouldn’t want to stand on the same stage with each other…So it was a big day for me, but a big day for the sport too.”
That wild Richmond race remains etched in NASCAR’s history as a controversial yet iconic one. For Kyle Petty, it was a tribute to his family legacy.
Collecting his first trophy
Well, Kyle Petty had big shoes to fill when he started racing. His father, Richard Petty, was the previous generation’s legend before Dale Earnhardt came along. The ‘King’s 200 race trophies are undefeated to this day, and Earnhardt equaled his 7 Cup championships. Among his winning racetracks, Richmond stands tall as Petty won 13 times there, including six straight between the fall of 1970 and spring of 1973. What is more, the family patriarch, Lee Petty, also collected two trophies at the 0.75-mile short track. After Earnhardt spun off the wreck in the 1986 race, it was Kyle Petty’s turn to uphold that legacy. He was competitive all day in the No. 7 7-Eleven Ford. Even when Petty approached the carnage, he had no clue about the glory about to follow.
Kyle Petty recollected his emotional victory in a 2021 interview. He retraced those final laps when Eddie Wood broke the news: “I went down the backstretch and saw people slowing down for the yellow lights. At that point, I wasn’t sure if they were lapped cars or what. So, I slowed down and geared down, and picked my way through (turns) 3 and 4, behind some other cars. Man, there was carnage everywhere. I was running really slow until I got by the wreck, then went back up the gears to take the yellow. That’s when Eddie came on the radio and said he thought we were leading and that we were going to win. I said something like, ‘No (freaking) way, man.’ But we did, and I’ll never apologize for winning like that.”
Clearly, a lot of iconic moments unfolded in Richmond on that fateful day in 1986. As Kyle Petty said, it further consolidated Dale Earnhardt’s legacy as a fierce competitor.
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