For many NASCAR fans, Dale Earnhardt Jr serves as a link to the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr. Of course, Junior is his own person and has established his own legacy in the sport. He does have plenty of stories about his father, which he has happily shared with many of his fans. However, the ‘Intimidator’ persona on the race track is very well-known to all, and now the son shows his fans another bold side.

Without a doubt, Dale Earnhardt Jr knew all the best stories, and fans were thoroughly entertained. In a recent podcast episode, he narrated another story from the vast recesses of his memory. This one had to do with his father and his utter disregard for his own body when trying to help others. One thing was for sure: the late great Dale Earnhardt was always ready to help someone in need.

Dale Earnhardt Sr’s 30-minute run with “tan leather old school gloves“

Dale Jr said on his podcast, “I was probably 6 or 7 years old, I just moved in with him. 1981-82. Long long time ago. There was a guy that was going to build a deck on the back of his lake house. Dad told the guy he would come over there and saw this tree down, that was in the way of this deck. On a Wednesday, between races, he goes to this guy’s house. I don’t know why he took me, but he’s like, ‘Do you want to come along?’ I’m like, ‘Sure!’. I get out of the truck and he gets his saw, chainsaw. I’m standing on the backyard, looking up at this tree.”

Dale Jr continued, “He climbs up this tree with the chainsaw and he’s sawing the limbs off. Going and going 15-20 minutes and he saws the tree in parts, right as he’s coming down. He’s been up there 25-30 minutes, finally comes down. Comes down, and his glove, he’s got these tan leather old school gloves—you remember the original outdoor – I don’t even remember if they make them like that anymore. His glove was ripped, from knuckle to knuckle, across the back of his hand.”

“He pulled his glove off and his hand was wide open. Serrated from knuckle to knuckle, bad! My eyes were gigantic! I’m a kid, right? He’s just looking at it. I thought that had just happened. The chainsaw laid on his hand, and he had just come down. I was like, ‘When did that happen?’. He was like, ‘Soon as I got up there’.”

In essence, Dale Sr often played the good Samaritan and helped out his neighbors. Obviously, this all took place during the weekdays, because he is otherwise indisposed during the weekends. To be frank, this would probably instill a sense of normalcy and some humility in the 7-time Cup Series champion. In other words, Dale Sr would like to be perceived as approachable and an ordinary person, away from the race track.