We all know and remember the late great Dale Earnhardt Sr as The Intimidator, but the prankster side of the 7-time Cup Series champion is something that’s quite underrated. In a recent episode of The Dale Jr Download podcast, NASCAR TV producer Ryan McGee spoke about the time when Earnhardt completely ruined the clothes that he had worn for a date and how at the time, he did not find it funny at all. It all happened because the former FOX sports producer had to cover a test session that only included a few drivers at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The Intimidator did not consider a lot of people to be his friends but McGee was a man he liked interacting with. The fact that he pulled a prank on him, as per the former producer, was proof that he considered him a friend. With hindsight, it was quite a good moment for McGee, who at the time did not appreciate the gesture at all.

Ryan McGee was not happy with The Intimidator’s ‘bear grease’ stunt

Ryan McGee had planned to meet his date straight from the racetrack in Charlotte, so he was already in his date attire. This surprised some people on track, including the 7-time Cup Series champion who did not shy away from letting his feelings be known. “I go to the racetrack and Dale pulls into the garage…’Hey!’ I looked at him and he said, ‘You’re dressed a little damn preppy for the racetrack,'” McGee revealed. After he revealed to The Intimidator that he had a date, things started going downhill.

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After the session, McGee had to speak to the 7-time champion about the test before he could set off for his date. Earnhardt knew that and did his best to make things as quick as possible for his friend. After he got out of his car, he went to the washroom and perhaps that is where he devised his evil ploy.

“He gets out and he goes ‘Alright let me go to the bathroom, I’ll come back and we’ll knock this out.’ And when he comes back, he grabbed my shoulders, he squeezed the back of my neck and he took his hand and smacked me right in the center of my back. ‘Oh my man’s got a date tonight, hot date. We’ll get you out of here.’ What I didn’t know was he had put his fingers in some sort of bear grease, something and just put hand prints on my back, the reason why he kept smacking me and stuff,” McGee recalled.

The worst part is that the then NASCAR producer got to know about all this a lot later when he stopped for gas and saw something on his seat. McGee said that he took his shirt off in the parking lot of the gas station to see The Intimidator’s handprints on the back of his shirt along with a sticker. He laughs about it now, but back then, he was not happy. “It was typical Dale Earnhardt prank because it was funny but it wasn’t funny,” McGee added.

However, when the time for jokes was over, The Intimidator was kind to the former FOX producer. He recalled the time after his mother had passed away and how the 7-time Cup Series champion’s words had a huge impact on him.

When Dale Earnhardt Sr made the ex-FOX producer cry with his words

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It was the 1999 Cup Series season and Ryan McGee was a regular on track at the time. After his mother had passed away, right before the spring race in Vegas, he stayed away from NASCAR for a month. The former FOX producer made his return at Darlington that year and Dale Earnhardt Sr. comforted him for a few seconds with some kind words. But perhaps the 7-time Cup Series champion did not realize at the time the impact those words would have on his friend.

“Dale walked past me and I walked past him, and he just kind of nodded at me, and all of a sudden he goes, ‘Ryan.’ It’s the only time I heard him say my name. And I turned around and he walked up to me, put his hand on my shoulder and he goes, ‘I heard about your mom, I’m so sorry.’ And now I’m trying not to cry in front of The Intimidator. He goes, ‘I need to tell you something. Everybody’s gonna tell you that you’re gonna get over this one day. You are never going to get over this. My dad died 25 years ago…you never get over it, you just learn how to live with it. You just do what you can to make her proud.’ And I’m like thank you, and he turned to the bathroom and I just fell apart,” McGee said.

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It was one of the most emotional moments of his whole life and those words have still not left his mind even today. McGee said that he used The Intimidator’s advice at the time he tragically passed away at Daytona in 2001 as well. Quite ironic how things turned out in the end, especially for the former producer.