Dale Earnhardt Sr. has been part of several great NASCAR Cup Series races but few could match up to the drama of the 1984 Talladega 500. The Intimidator had already won the Cup Series once by then and was in his first season racing for Richard Childress Racing. Over 188 laps, the race saw a whopping 68 lead changes among 16 drivers. The race featured the who’s who of NASCAR at the time – Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Bill Elliott, Terry Labonte, and several others.
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In the race before Petty had edged Yarborough to the race win at Daytona which was attended by former President Ronald Reagan. It was The King’s 200th race win. This time around, Yarborough hoped to be in Victory Lane driving from pole position. Petty’s transmission issues left him way back in the pack which was a good thing for his competitors. As the race gradually neared the end, it became clear that it was going to be a game of fuel management.
Dale Earnhardt's last win for Bud Moore was in the 1983 Talladega 500 and his first win for Richard Childress was pretty much exactly a year later in the 1984 Talladega 500. Different teams, same fire suit 😉 pic.twitter.com/mFXYVkQrzV
— The Dale Earnhardt Archive (@ArchivesDe) December 1, 2023
That was until Trevor Boys spun and flipped on lap 157, bringing out the caution. This allowed drivers to get the fuel necessary to make it to the start/finish line. The battle raged on for several laps and with seven to go, Labonte made his move on Buddy Baker and took the lead. With two laps remaining, it seemed like the #44 would comfortably take the checkered flag. However, no one saw The Intimidator coming.
Driving past those ahead, Earnhardt played a patient game in the last two laps as Labonte tried to defend. At turn 3 of the final lap, the #3 car moved to the top lane and squeezed its way past the #44.
Labonte had given him just enough space on the outside but even the slightest error could have spelled disaster for the RCR star. It was an incredible move in a race that had seen countless lead changes. At the end of it all, The Intimidator won his first race for the team that would help him win six championships.
The motorsports legend was quite pleased with himself after the event as he believed it was “undoubtedly the most exciting race I’ve ever been involved in.” He had driven beautifully and deserved the finish, kicking off one of the most iconic driver-team pairings in the sport’s history.
