Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not only a NASCAR Hall of Famer, he’s also a student of stock car racing and takes pride in being an unofficial historian of the sport.
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But longtime driver and broadcaster Kenny Wallace said on his podcast this week that Earnhardt pales in comparison to Kyle Petty, whom Wallace has anointed a better historian than Junior.
“I really feel like I’m a little controversial at times, but I’m going to say it like this: Kyle (Petty) is No. 1 at great memory in (NASCAR) history.
“I think Dale Earnhardt Jr. is No. 2. That’s just my response right here.”
Wallace then turned to Petty and added, “You’re No. 1 because you were born before Dale Jr and Dale Jr. sees what you’re doing, but you two, it would be incredible to see you guys get together one day about cars because Junior studies.”
Petty acknowledged that besides being born into an iconic racing family, led by his father Richard, the winningest driver in Cup history (200 wins), he also watches YouTube videos like the younger Earnhardt to recall some of the greatest moments and drivers in the sport.
“Yes, I watch it, and here’s the funny part,” Petty said. “Listen, Junior’s knowledge is phenomenal because he’s gone back and researched.”
Earnhardt May Study NASCAR’s History, But Petty Lived It
While the younger Earnhardt studies the sport for hours on end, Petty isn’t, shall we say, as studious as his younger counterpart.
But Petty still holds an edge in historical superiority over Junior because he’s older (by nearly 15 years) and has seen more NASCAR racing over the years.
In fact, Petty started racing in NASCAR at the age of 19 when Earnhardt was still practically a baby at 4 years old. So Petty saw much, much more, experienced it, and lived it. He’s literally a walking highlight film himself.
And with his transition from average driver to excellent broadcaster has also served him well to be considered as an expert or historian of the sport, even though he doesn’t consider himself an expert or historian, per se.
“Here’s the problem: I’m not (a researcher of the sport like Earnhardt),” Petty quipped. “I just live this. I lived seeing Cecil Gordon at the racetrack and seeing JD McDuffie at the racetrack, and watching him race.
“And (that I) was there when JD was killed (August 11, 1991, at age 52 at Watkins Glen International) was just part of it, you know what I mean? Those are memories that are personal memories, not book memories, not TV memories, not YouTube memories.
“Those are memories that are personal memories. I may see it a little bit different, but it’s fascinating because the sport tries to rewrite its history sometimes and make everybody think everything was sunshine and roses, and it wasn’t. It was tough sometimes.”
Petty and Earnhardt Aren’t The Only Students of the Sport’s History
Another driver who is a big student of NASCAR, although most fans likely don’t know this, is Kyle Busch.
He loves both watching and reading about former NASCAR drivers and lights up with a big smile when he gets to meet many of the former greats that are still with us.
If there ever was a contest pitting Petty vs. Earnhardt vs. Busch, they’d all have similar takes on the sport’s history. They almost always have an opinion to offer and don’t care if their analysis is controversial or perhaps goes against the grain of NASCAR, its former greats, or longtime fans.
