[Video] Watch Dale Earnhardt carve from 16th to victory | GRR
At the start of this video, Dale Earnhardt is running in 16th place. Way back in the field with no visible hope of adding to his tally of 75 NASCAR victories. Even if we didn’t know the sad events that would follow, the racing world knew it was the twilight of The Intimidator’s career.
Dale struggled to make as much of an impact as he had previously for the last five or so years of his career. Wins came, but only in ones or twos per season, never in great numbers.
But there was one place he was still the king. Talladega’s high banks require a special kind of bravery. Running in close packs drivers need to be prepared to use their cars to get places. Dale was a master at that.
But sitting sixteenth in what would turn out to be his final Talladega race would surely be a step too far? You’ve seen the title of this video, so you know what happened, but to understand the real majesty of pack driving that Dale could showcase, you need to watch him do it.
Carving through the field nothing can stop the number three car from making its way all the way to the front. At first you don’t notice, Dale just suddenly appears in the top ten, but from then on his skill in working the traffic is phenomenal.
Little did anyone know it would be not only his final NASCAR win, but he would only have five more races to go. But even without knowing what came next, this late-era Earnhardt show can’t help but make you feel a little emotional.
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