Over the years, much has been said about Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s relationship with his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr. In fact, Junior has openly shared how his father was absent for much of his childhood. But now, a new docuseries sheds light on how Dale Sr. experienced a similar dynamic with his father.
Amazon Prime Video’s new four-part docuseries, “Earnhardt,” offers a deep dive into Dale Sr.’s life, and naturally, that includes his complicated bond with his father, NASCAR legend Ralph Earnhardt.
How were things between Dale Earnhardt Sr and Ralph Earnhardt?
Like many father-son relationships, Dale Sr. admired his father and probably even wanted to be like him. How could he not? Ralph Earnhardt, nicknamed “Mr. Consistency,” was a legend. He won over 350 NASCAR Modified, Sportsman, and Grand National series races.
Even racing great Ned Jarrett once said, “Ralph Earnhardt was absolutely the toughest race driver I ever raced against. On the dirt and asphalt short tracks in Sportsman competition, when you went to the track, you knew he was the man to beat.”
Dale Sr. never hid his admiration for his dad. Watch his reaction when NASCAR historian Ken Martin surprised him with an old tape of Ralph behind the wheel.
But the new docuseries reveals the relationship wasn’t as perfect as Dale Sr. might have wanted it to be.
His longtime friend, Hank Parker, shared a revealing insight: “One thing that I know about Dale more than anything else, he was starved for Ralph Earnhardt’s approval.”
The series’ creators had promised to unveil never-before-heard stories, and they did just that, sharing the dynamic between Earnhardt Sr. and his father. Even Dale Sr.’s sister, Cathy Earnhardt Watkins, echoed the same sentiment as Parker: “He maybe wanted a relationship, daddy wasn’t capable of giving.”
Watkins also shared a story of Ralph Earnhardt’s tough love for Dale Sr. “For Christmas one year, Dale got a model motor. It comes in pieces, and Dale put it together all by himself. And my daddy looked at it, he said, ‘Well, wasn’t that supposed to be on this side?’ and walked out of the room. He never said, ‘Good job, boy.’ nothing.”
Ralph Earnhardt passed away in 1973, when Dale Sr. was just 22 years old. He never saw his son become one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. Seven Cup championships. Over 75 wins. Millions of fans. The “Intimidator” became a racing icon.
We’ll never know if Ralph would’ve approved of that nickname. But after everything Dale Sr. achieved, it’s hard to imagine he wouldn’t have been proud.