Dale Earnhardt Sr. earned his reputation as ‘The Intimidator’ after the dramatic 1986 Richmond Race, where he was involved in a controversial wreck that brought the wrath of NASCAR down on him.
50 years ago, the Richmond Race was already fraught with showdown after showdown, with several yellow cards dished out and clashes at almost every turn. In the final lap, Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip went toe-to-toe at Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway, both eying the win.
However, both drivers were involved in a controversial crash, allowing Kyle Petty to sneak past the carnage and steal the win. That win gave Petty his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory.
NASCAR Came Down Heavily on Dale Earnhardt Sr.
With 299 laps to go on that fateful night 50 years ago, Earnhardt was leading the race. As the driver entered the final few laps, Waltrip edged past Earnhardt. Trying to get back into the lead, Earnhardt’s No. 3 Chevrolet clipped Waltrip’s bumper and sent him spinning into the wall. The crash that followed took out the top four, and easing his way through the pile-up, Petty went from fifth to clinch his first Winston Cup Series win.
After the late crash, NASCAR penalized Earnhardt for reckless driving and fined him $5,000. They also put him on probation for the rest of 1986.
February 23, 1986: One of NASCAR's most memorable moments of the last 50 years, the wild Cup race from Richmond Fairgrounds. Kyle Petty won his first race after the top-4 crash in the closing laps.
After the late crash, NASCAR penalized Earnhardt for reckless driving, fining… pic.twitter.com/VLJVqrC06N
— nascarman (@nascarman_rr) February 23, 2025
Earnhardt, who admitted his mistake, denied he did it on purpose. He said, “I misjudged the distance between the cars. I turned him sideways. It’s my fault; I’m not denying that. I made a mistake and hit him. But I don’t think I’m guilty of reckless driving or wrecking somebody purposely. It was an accident.”
However, NASCAR was having none of it. The then-NASCAR vice president Bill Gazaway said, “There is a fine line between hard racing and reckless driving, and Earnhardt clearly stepped over that line Sunday. We cannot tolerate or condone such actions. We must preserve the integrity of our sport.”
The fine and probation on Earnhardt had set the tone. NASCAR was not going to be a push-over, and they had just used arguably the toughest driver to make their point.
