“Truly One of the Best and Very Much Missed”: Rare Dale Earnhardt Picture Makes NASCAR Fans Reminisce on the Intimidator’s Little-Known Personality Trait

Dale Earnhardt Sr. was miles ahead of any other driver who competed against him. His relentless nature and unforgiving attitude behind the wheel earned him the nickname ‘Intimidator.’ But he had another side to him—a more lighthearted and fun-loving one. Former NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler shed light on the same through an old photograph.

The picture, taken in 1993, showed him and Earnhardt sitting next to each other and sharing a laugh. He shared the moment on X and wrote, “Was looking for something on my phone and ran across this pic of me and Big E together at an appearance in 1993. Most people don’t realize what a sense of humor he had. Good times.”

Fans responded to him by stating how much they missed the icon and reminiscing about his jovial character that many failed to see. One comment said, “Absolutely Awesome! Miss this man badly, so do many.” Another added, “Great picture. Thanks for sharing. He was always up to something.” One fan pointed out how he had to keep up his image and maintain grimness.

They wrote, “He had to keep up the intimidator look. I remember watching races and seeing him joking around with other drivers and the reporters, also love to hear the old drivers tell stories about Dale behind the scenes.” The fact that Earnhardt was a man who ran contrary to the created image of him is further evidenced by some funny yesteryear videos.

When Earnhardt poked fun at himself for taking 20 years to win the Daytona 500

Earnhardt won the Great American Race in 1998 after years of failed attempts. It was one of the most important moments of his career and lifted a weight that had been on him for over two decades. Following the achievement, he paid a visit to The Late Show with David Letterman and, funnily, discussed the top 10 reasons it took him so long to win.

He started by explaining that it had taken him 19 years to realize he had the emergency brake on. He then went through reasons such as quitting training with the Canadian snowboarding team and that his new pit crew was the Spice Girls. His final explanation was that he’d finally begun flipping off every driver he passed.

In one of the pointers, he hilariously poked fun at a fellow competitor and mentioned, “Who cares it took me 20 years? At least my name isn’t Dick Trickle.” 

The entire segment was a hilarious one that showcased Earnhardt in his truest form. It is moments like this shared over social media that help the fandom remember him as he would have wanted.