During an oral history series on the life and legacy of Dale Earnhardt Sr, “The Intimidator,” NASCAR veteran Kyle Petty revealed that he was once disappointed in Earnhardt. Taking part in the second chapter of NBC Sports’s oral history series, Petty shared that after the incident in 1999 where Earnhardt spun out Terry Labonte at Bristol, he was upset.
The controversial finish at the Bristol Night Race is one of the most talked-about moments in NASCAR history. Labonte was leading on the final lap when Earnhardt made contact with his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, sending him spinning and damaging his car.
Kyle Petty Impressed With Dale Earnhardt’s Talent but Not His Unnecessary Aggression
Although Petty, the son of racing legend Richard Petty, was always impressed with Earnhardt’s immense talent, he believed the incident with Labonte was unnecessary.
Speaking to NBC Sports, he said, “I think people respected his driving ability and what he could do with a car. When you stood back and watched what he could do with a car, you thought, gosh, man.”
However, he added, “Sometimes, you were just disappointed in Earnhardt. When he spun Terry at Bristol, that’s a disappointment, man. There were times when things happened, and I looked at him and thought, ‘Man you’re so much better than that.’ When he wrecked Terry at Bristol, that was bad for me. That was just, you can get out and say you were rattling a cage, but you planted the guy, man. I think of the moments like that because they didn’t need to happen.”
Despite moments of disappointment, Petty also praised Earnhardt’s ability to push his cars to perform better than they could.
He said, “You knew he had a 10th-place car, and he’d just run fourth with. If you’re out there racing with the guy, you know a lot of times what they’ve got. You know it’s not the best car. He was doing a lot with it. Whether it was (Rod) Oesterlund. Whether it was (J.D.) Stacy. Whether it was (Richard) Childress or Bud (Moore). He did stuff with Bud’s Ford that was pretty special at the time. So you respected that ability.”
