About this episode
In 1979, Dale Earnhardt scored the biggest opportunity of his budding career to run in the NASCAR Cup Series full-time for upcoming car owner Rod Osterlund. While there are remnants of that season’s events preserved through television and radio broadcasts, as well as other memorabilia, Dale’s older sister Kaye did what any supportive sibling in the 70s would do: she started scrapbooking. Within these scrapbook pages lie a comprehensive picture of what the 1979 NASCAR season was like from the perspective of the rookie Kannapolis driver. Decades later, it was these very scrapbooks that inspired Dale Earnhardt Jr. to create a new podcast series documenting the monumental season and his father’s rapid, meteoric rise to stock car stardom. In episode one of Becoming Earnhardt, listeners will gain a better understanding of what the world was like in 1979, not only in motorsports but the world as a whole. The landscape of NASCAR in the late ‘70s is unpacked, and the cast of characters who would set out to compete for the season crown of ‘79 are introduced. We also learn how 28-year-old Dale Earnhardt drove his way through the dirt short track ranks of the Charlotte area to land one of the most coveted opportunities in the NASCAR Cup garage, chauffeuring the number-2 blue and yellow stock cars for Osterlund Racing. DraftKings State-Specific Problem Gambling Information: In Massachusetts, call (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org, In New York, call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369). In Tennessee and Kansas, Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & Resort (KS). In West Virginia, Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit www.1800gambler.net . All games regulated by the West Virginia Lottery. Please play responsibly. In partnership with Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races. In Connecticut, Help is available for problem gambling call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.