Dale Earnhardt Jr Shares an Interesting Yet Shocking Trivia Title Involving Two of the Greatest NASCAR Drivers

Published 01/24/2022, 9:45 AM EST

Fresh from being inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently shared an interesting NASCAR trivia involving two of the greatest drivers in history. Perhaps it was the air in the HoF that got Dale Jr. ‘historically nostalgic.’

But whatever it was, the trivia is quite interesting.

He posted on his Twitter, “In 1969 at Bristol Motor Speedway despite being locked in a tight points battle, Richard Petty would relief drive 155 laps for David Pearson. Pearson was piloting the car as it crossed the finish line winning the race. Relief drivers were utilized in the top 3 finishing cars.”

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“Pearson came into the weekend with the flu. Petty hopped in the car after he wrecked out at lap 100. Petty then became sick and nearly vomited into the floorboard. Pearson (now refreshed) would climb back in just past the halfway mark in the race at lap 255.”

Pearson came into the weekend with the flu. Petty hopped in the car after he wrecked out at lap 100. Petty then became sick and nearly vomited into the floorboard. Pearson (now refreshed) would climb back in just past the halfway mark in the race at lap 255. https://t.co/oUHlHhAE6z
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) January 23, 2022

Interestingly enough, David Pearson also filled in for Dale Jr’s father, the great Dale Earnhardt.

In 1979, Earnhardt broke his collarbone when he was at Rod Osterlund during a crash at Pocono. This paved the way for David Pearson, who was without a seat at that time.

And the driver with the second most race wins in history won his 105th and his last win filling in for the driver who would become the seven-time Cup champion.

Has Dale Earnhardt Jr ever been a relief driver or received one for himself?

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Yes. In 2016, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was unable to take part in the races towards the end of the season as he was recovering from a concussion. As a result, the current Hendrick driver, Alex Bowman filled in for the last 10 races of the season.

Alex Bowman finished inside the top ten thrice with a best finish of sixth in Phoenix, where he also got the pole.

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And while he couldn’t have properly filled in Earnhardt Jr’s shoes, he did enough to earn himself a full-time ride later in the future.

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Shaharyar is an F1 & NASCAR writer at EssentiallySports. A graduate in Journalism from Amity University, he has been a passionate follower of motorsports for a better part of the decade. A Max Verstappen and Ferrari supporter, he dreams of a pairing of the two in future.