Call it a gimmick or an alter-ego, The Intimidator’s legend echoes loud, even today. That nickname certainly served the man well. After all, for Dale Earnhardt’s rivals, there weren’t many sights as jarring as the black GM Goodwrench #3 car getting bigger in their rearview mirrors. Off the track, many assert he was the exact opposite. But make no mistake; The Man in Black was never one to mess with.

From his seven Cup championships to the nearly $70 million fortune he left behind, Dale Earnhardt never left a loose end. And if that meant ruffling a few feathers along the way, so be it. Just ask Steve Uline, the marketing mastermind who played a key role behind the iconic Budweiser partnership with his son Dale Jr. And guess what? Years ago, Uline came face-to-face with Earnhardt’s legendary intimidation tactics, right across the dinner table.

Uline is a man who’s worn many hats in his lifetime. He was one of the top marketing minds at Anheuser-Busch for nearly 22 years. But his most notable feat in the world of NASCAR has to be getting their flagship beer brand, Budweiser, to sign with Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) in 1999. For eight straight years, Junior’s #8 Bud car enthralled audiences worldwide. This Saturday, it’s returning once again to the prestigious South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway. But before that, Steve Uline sat down with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller for the most recent episode of her Business of Motorsports podcast.

The duo delved into many topics, but when Earnhardt-Miller probed Uline for some stories about her dad, this is what the guy had to say: “You said something like a story with your dad. So this is right in the beginning of the relationship. We haven’t even got everything set. We had the deal done, but I couldn’t get the merchandising deal done with y’all.”

“(Don) Hawk was too tough for me,” said Uline to Kelley Earnhardt Miller. From the sound of things, there were some tensions between the former DEI president and Uline. He continued, “We just couldn’t get it done. So, we’re at dinner one night. And it’s a long table. And your dad’s at one end of the table. I just happened to be at the other end of the table… Everybody’s having wine and beer. Everybody’s happy… At one point your dad says, ‘Uline! Do you and I have a problem?’ And you know, the whole room goes silent.” 

 

 

To hear The Intimidator press you like that out of the blue is a daunting prospect. “And your dad could be intimidating, there’s no question,” agreed Steve Uline. But he asserted that he’d built a good enough relationship with Earnhardt by that point even though the man was “going like this, (points) ‘Do you and I have a problem?’” Regardless, Uline kept his cool and returned Earnhardt’s gesture “like this. (Points) and said, ‘You and I don’t have a problem. Hawk and I have a problem.’”

“And he goes, ””Okay!'”—remembered the marketing head. “‘I am going to fix this,’” Kelley Earnhardt Miller completed the sentiment her guest had in mind about her father. Putting this feel-good moment in the background, Steve Uline finished his story. “So then the next morning my phone rings, and it’s Don.” They both talked for a while and after some back-and-forth, the merchandising deals were done. He concluded, “And Sr. and I never had a problem.”

By this point, Budweiser had partnered with drivers like Terry Labonte, Darrell Waltrip, Geoff Bodine, and Bill Elliott. But before they signed with DEI, the brand was at Hendrick Motorsports sponsoring the team’s #25 car. A lack of results drove Bud to look for a new star to attach its brigade to. And there couldn’t have been a better match than Dale Jr., who was inching for Cup Series glory under his family organization’s banner. Their association remains etched into the hearts of Earnhardt fans even today. Fortunately, their return at the South Carolina 400 will be a welcome sight. However, beyond all the celebrations, there might lie a different story.

The lesser-told story of a ‘dumb’ decision

Ever since The Man in Black sadly passed away after that tragic crash at Daytona on February 18, 2001, the stories that have come up in his absence only add to all the intrigue. It seems like everyone who crossed paths with Dale Earnhardt, even briefly, has a unique and meaningful story about him. The same goes for Hank Parker, a professional fisherman and a close hunting buddy of The Intimidator, who is also a part of the International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame.

Last September, Parker visited Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the Dale Jr. Download for a conversation and revealed something about his father that probably took more than a few people by surprise. The pair were camping in Silver City, New Mexico, talking about life. That’s

when Earnhardt told Parker about the “dumbest thing” he ever did back then. “The dumbest thing I ever did in my life is getting that boy that bud sponsor… I should have went with Burger King… that has not been good for him.”

 

“That boy” in question, of course, was his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Burger King at this time, who was already sponsoring his father. Yet hearing the man’s longtime friend reveal he wasn’t entirely on board with Dale Jr.’s Budweiser partnership raises more questions than it answers.

Additionally, Hank Parker noted that it wasn’t necessarily

“the environment” Earnhardt wanted his son to be in. So, maybe it was just the concern of a father talking. Regardless, their partnership has truly stood the test of time, and somewhere down the line, Dale Earnhardt receives his due credit for making it all happen.