“Not Too Many People Can Say That Dale Earnhardt Finished Second to Them”—Cocky Jeff Gordon Details His Experience Defeating Dale Earnhardt Sr

For fans and spectators, it’s the spirit of the game that makes the experience more wholesome. But it’s long-drawn rivalries that keep them engaged to the core. And NASCAR has never had a dearth of those throughout its 75 glorious years.

Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon are some of the biggest names in the sport. Together with their contrasting personalities and driving styles, and the fact that they were virtually impossible to pass, the Dale Earnhardt-Jeff Gordon rivalry has gone down as one of the most intense yet healthy ones that the sport has seen.

Ahead of the much-awaited Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Jeff Gordon embraced his brash self when he revealed the time when he got the best of ‘The Intimidator.’

Jeff Gordon reveals the time when Dale Earnhardt came second to him as he recalls his championship-winning year

The Earnhardt-Gordon rivalry is one that still fascinates fans. Both were highly aggressive on the track, however, their personalities couldn’t have been further apart. Gordon, the “Wonder Boy” had a knack for publicity while Dale Sr was, well, Dale Sr. One was the young and upcoming phenom, while the other had experience on his side and commanded the respect of his peers and bosses alike.

This changed the perception of the sport, fans took the rivalry to their heart as the iconic feud between the two is still very much talked about in the community. Recently, Gordon, the Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports revealed some lesser-known facts about his late rival.

Gordon won his first Cup race back in 1994 when he crossed the checkered flag at the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte. Now, ahead of the 600-mile race recalled the battle for the 1995 championship as he fought his rival, the #3 driver Dale Earnhardt.

In an exclusive with The Charlotte Observer’s Scott Fowler, Gordon spoke about his late rival, “I really wanted to learn from him, on and off the track. My popularity started growing and I think what really happened is in 1995, we battled together for the championship.

“And so we’re doing more media together. We’re racing together more. It just helped me get closer, or at least to understand him, a lot more that year. And I maybe earned a little bit respect back because we won the championship that year. Not too many people can say that Dale Earnhardt finished second to them.“

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Gordon amassed over 90 plus Cup Series wins and is regarded as one of the sport’s most influential and well-known personalities. The recent exclusive also had the 51-year-old reminisce about the larger-than-life character of The Intimidator.

Gordon discloses the time when Dale Sr took him “under his wing”

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Despite being arch rivals, both men exuded class and sportsmanship. During the interview, Gordon recalls the time he burst onto the scene, saying, “When I came into the sport, he was ‘The Man.’ He won his seventh championship in 1994, the same year I won my first race. So when you went to driver introductions, it was all about Dale Earnhardt. When you were on the racetrack, you know, he was the guy. And so I of course looked up to him and admired him. Respected him.”

Gordon proved his excellence by clinching the championship the very next year, and the community became fascinated big-time. On-track rivalry aside, the two drivers were quite close and Dale Sr even had a peculiar nickname for his younger rival, “Wonderboy.”

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At a time when the #3 jet black Chevrolet laid siege to the track, NASCAR was at its epitome, and its popularity was on the rise. Merchandise used to sell like hot cakes and the sport spread its wings across the country. Gordon himself recalls, “Dale was also very involved in the business side of things—the licensing and merchandising and, you know, sponsorship side. So he kind of took me under his wing a little bit there.”