Dale Earnhardt Sr. had one too many foes on the race track back in the day. Very few among them were as cold-hearted as he and strong enough not to let him bully them around. Ricky “Rooster” Rudd was one of them. The battle between them was one of the most classic NASCAR rivalries, defined by tough on-track battles.
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Speaking on Dale Jr. Download, Rudd detailed how their rivalry began and how it ended six months before Earnhardt passed away in a crash at the Daytona International Speedway. At the end of the 1983 season, there were some key changes in the garage. Rudd, who had been racing for Richard Childress, moved to race for Bud Moore.
Dale Sr., meanwhile, took the spot that he left behind. Rudd said on the podcast, “1983 is over, and all of a sudden, I come to find out that Dale is going to drive for Richard. That kind of hurt. That’s what bothered me. Taking all the emotions out, in hindsight, I can see why Richard did what he did. Back then, two-car teams didn’t exist.”
Ricky Rudd buried the hatchet with the Intimidator only 6 months before he passed.
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Rudd had spent two seasons driving for Richard Childress Racing and was just beginning to find his groove. The notion that he was let go of at such a crucial juncture is what had troubled him the most. He continued, “It was almost like a family saying, ‘Hey. We are done with you, kid. You’re out the door.’ That’s when it turned bitter.”
Following that moment, he had made it a matter of personal interest to go after the Intimidator and try to best him in races. The peak of their rivalry came in 1989 at North Wilkesboro. A crash that they got involved in became a matter of huge public interest and nearly sparked fan riots.
How the hatchet was buried
Rudd went on to detail how he resolved things with his father to Dale Earnhardt Jr. He said, “Six months before your dad died, we actually kind of buried the ax, you know?” Naturally, Dale Jr. wasn’t well-versed with this part of the story and listened with his interest piqued.
Rudd explained that he learned a lot from the battles that he encountered with Dale Sr. and that he never got close to any other driver throughout his career. He had consciously chosen to isolate himself and work on his craft alone. He retired with several accolades to his name and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2025.
