Dale Earnhardt is regarded as one of the greatest NASCAR racers of all time. So it is not at all surprising that a number of Dale Sr memorabilia will be very highly valued. In light of this, the reality TV show Pawn Stars aired an episode where one of his racing suits was up for sale. As is the norm, the show often displays background information of the item or the person who owned the item.
That was when things went wrong and brought the ire of the NASCAR fans on the show. The fact box read, “Born in 1951, Earnhardt was killed instantly in a collision during the final lap of the 2001 Indy 500“. What outraged the eagle-eyed fans was that Dale Sr lost his life during the Daytona 500, not the Indy 500. Both are two completely different races, at different locations in two different racing series.
PLEASE tell me this isn't a real screenshot. nobody is this stupid. right??? https://t.co/KesX2CuDYt
— David Katze / VTuber (@DavidKatzeVT) January 9, 2022
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ESPN = EStupido Pendejo Network #NeverWatchingESPNAgain https://t.co/zIxjOcfufa
— Mark Oliveras (16-22) #PalciskoStrong (@Mark215Oliveras) January 9, 2022
Now that is pretty obvious to any fans of Indy car or NASCAR. Someone involved here is NOT a fan of either. https://t.co/MEpfe2qnpR
— devin nunes missing conscience (@DevinMissing) January 9, 2022
what a disgrace #nascar #indycar https://t.co/TOJzMtnkXC
— Anthony Kernich (@AntJKernich) January 9, 2022
God this hurts my soul https://t.co/3RwHEFMnTB
— Josh (@901Joshyy) January 9, 2022
Indy car legend! https://t.co/tVIl4Tlc1j
— Joey Slogano (@joeysl0gan0) January 9, 2022
Mfw they didn't do a Google search https://t.co/lyyP6mzU7O pic.twitter.com/OTic4XDkZO
— Hyoukxtsu (@Hyoukxtsu) January 9, 2022
Hey @HISTORY @pawnstars y’all need to learn your damn history! Whoever wrote this “fact” apparently is an idiot. The Indy 500 is for @IndyCar and the Dayton 500 is for NASCAR. Get your shit straight or don’t call yourself the History channel https://t.co/cg91B0FzjA
— Austin Osbun (@Oz_thewizard_33) January 9, 2022
OMG that's a freaking travesty. 😡🤬 https://t.co/wljNB6Qv4Y
— Sean Sedor (@SASedor2994) January 9, 2022
@pawnstars seriously? My friends who don't even know what NASCAR is know he died during the Daytona 500 not the Indy 500. Lol. Please fix, thank you. https://t.co/jZEYRk4idl
— Nathaniel Ostrowski (@NathanielOstrow) January 9, 2022
Disrespectful on so many levels https://t.co/kcuXiJxJSk
— Ryæn (@Ryan2k18) January 9, 2022
Ugh and I JUST watched Intimidator too https://t.co/bvQ3cOlauZ
— Let’s all meet up in the year 2022 (@lennysundahl) January 9, 2022
@Henry_Tyler22 The Indy 500 huh? https://t.co/SsivNLI7KY
— ThePitMarine | Brandon Henry (@ThePitMarine) January 9, 2022
what the fuck…. https://t.co/Cgrgmey4cG
— DO IT FOR DALE!™ (@DOITFORDALE8) January 9, 2022
This is pathetic @pawnstars https://t.co/3NYb3Ztp6J
— Dillon (@Dillon_W21) January 9, 2022
What in the chicken fried fuck? @HISTORY
Fire your editors and producers on Pawn Stars. That’s an unforgivable fact fuck up. https://t.co/MImJ8Lg6IN
— Ruddkip (@TRuddkip) January 9, 2022
Did the Dale Earnhardt suit actually sell?
Controversy aside, the owner of the suit confirmed that it was a 1993 suit from the Coca-Cola 600. Apparently, the owner got it from a friend of his, who got it that year itself at an invitation-only event. He even confessed that when ‘The Intimidator’ died, he never really watched racing since then. Coming back to the suit itself, it had signatures of blues singer Delbert McClinton, Dale Sr, Neil Bonnett, and Teresa Earnhardt.
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The owner of the suit wanted to sell it for $100,000. However, resident expert Steve Grad, the Principal Authenticator at Becket Authentication Services, had a different estimate. He acknowledged that Dale Sr’s signature was real, so it was the genuine article. However, he declared that the suit was valued at $20,000, which was far below the owner’s expectations. Unfortunately, $85,000 was his best offer, so there was pretty much no deal. Now, the item would probably go back and up on the wall.
READ MORE: How a Jeans Company Saved Richard Childress & Dale Earnhardt’s NASCAR Career