Nicknamed “The Intimidator,” one of NASCAR’s most storied figures, Dale Earnhardt Sr. claimed 76 Cup wins and built an unmatched legacy at tracks like Daytona and Talladega. His Hall of Fame career made him one of the most iconic figures in motorsports history. But away from the roar of stock-car engines, Dale Earnhardt Sr. was most at peace in the woods on the water. When the schedule allowed, he slipped down to the 300-acre farm he built outside Mooresville or disappeared into turkey camps with his friends, like Neil Bonnett and Ken Schrader.

Those trips, friends recall, were his pressure valve: the megastar who couldn’t walk a garage without drawing a crowd became just another guy in the hunt camp, crawling through mud, tagging longbeards and laughing like a kid when the cameras were off. As Bill Jordan said, “behind his family there was racing, and after racing there was the outdoors.” But one such tale retold by Earnhardt Sr.’s longtime fishing partner conveyed how the former was equal parts outdoorsman, competitor, and practical joker.

Earnhardt’s inner circle knew the real prankster

In a recent episode of the ‘Marty & McGee CMA Fest Special’ podcast, 2-time Grammy winner and one-half of the ‘Brooks & Dunn’ duo, Kix Brooks, shared a hilarious story all wrapped in one unforgettable splash. In the blue waters of the Bahamas, the two families of the Brooks and the Earnhardts were out together, fishing, when Earnhardt played out his prankster moves, shocking everyone around. “We had our families together, on his boat, and we had caught fish all day long,” Brooks narrated. “I’m worn out, and went up top, was drinking a beer, and he’s cleaning off the back deck on his fishing boat, it’s a 51-foot Hatteras, nice fishing boat.”

Relaxing on the boat, the fishing enthusiast found a glimpse of prey. “I just looked out the front, and these marlin were just jumping and playing a couple hundred yards out in front of the boat, just kind of following along like dolphins kind of do,” said Brooks. “I said, ‘Earnhardt, check this out,’ and he says, ‘holy sh–.’ He starts throwing lines back in the water, we’re going to get them, you’re not going to catch those fish, and I am done pulling fish in, and we had caught Mai and Wahoo, and just fish all day.”

Trying to reel the fish in and getting the most out of their trip, the duo had been extremely focused on their catch. “I see a Mai hit back there, and he goes, ‘we got one, I told you get down there, you’re going to reel him in,’ and I go, ‘I’m not going to reel him in, you reel him in, I’m tired of catching fish, get your a–.'” continued Brooks, not knowing that the fun was soon to follow. “So, I go down the ladder, well, I put about two cranks on it, man, this marlin jumps out of the water.”

.@BrooksAndDunn knew Dale Earnhardt better than most. @KixBrooks shares a hilarious story about Big E on the Marty & McGee CMA Fest Special Presented by Regions Bank.
Watch the full show tomorrow at 7pmET on SEC Network. pic.twitter.com/u8yXfBBgby

— Marty Smith (@MartySmithESPN) July 14, 2025

Hooking a marlin wasn’t just about sport for Earnhardt; the pride of the catch and the satisfaction of proving a point were what excited him. “I was wrong, and he can’t get excited enough, he’s like, ‘you know what you’ve done, I told you,’ and we get him outside of the boat, and we plugs him with a tag, and gets his marlin flag up, and he’s just, what you’ve done, ‘I know, I caught another fish, I’m going to go finish my beer.’ He was like a kid, like a kid sports player,” Brooks joked. But what happened next was unprecedented for everyone on board, but Earnhardt knew what he was doing.

In the guise of asking him to come over and watch sea turtles, Earnhardt did the unexpected as soon as Brooks came near the edge of the boat. “He grabbed me by the seat of the pants and just threw me out there in that bloody water, and I’m sure it was like a Tarantino movie, because I wouldn’t even move my legs,” Brooks narrated. “I come up, and get a breath, I’m sure blood all over my face and everything, and he takes me, ‘let’s go, Terry,’ talking to the captain, and they take off, I can hear my wife screaming every time I come up, profanities as the boat gets smaller and smaller in the distance, and finally, it was funny enough, and he came back and got me, and I still have most of my body parts.”

Even Dale Jr. was shocked to learn about his father’s prankster side, as he commented under the post on X, writing, “That is f– insane.” But this reminded everyone that Earnhardt’s legacy isn’t just defined by his 7 championships or his fierce reputation on the track, it is also the stories shared by those who knew him the best. These off-track moments, filled with laughter, spontaneity, and mischief, paint the picture of a man who never stopped competing but also never stopped winning.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. reflects on the weight of his father’s legacy

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has always carried the famous “Earnhardt” name with pride, but as he opened up in the ‘Earnhardt’ docuseries and recent interviews, that legacy came with heavy burdens. While his father, Dale Earnhardt Sr., was rewriting NASCAR history, Junior was quietly navigating a world of pressure, isolation, and overwhelming expectations. “I was somehow adversely affected by his success,” he admitted, summarizing the complex push and pull of being born into greatness.

Junior recalled one particularly jarring experience from his school days. “I went to a lot of private schools, and Dad finally decided we’re going to go to a public school in Mooresville when I was going into the ninth grade… I thought, you know what? When I go to this public school… I’m going to enjoy it, all that attention. And it was the exact opposite,” he said. The stark reality of being seen as just the son of a controversial driver came crashing down week after week, especially after tough race weekends for his father.

The most vivid memory came after the 1987 Talladega race, where Bobby Allison suffered a terrifying crash. Dale Jr. recalled, “I go to school on Monday, and three or four kids come up to me and go, ‘Your daddy’s a dirty driver. He wrecked Bobby Allison.’ You know, it was that kind of thing every week.” Even though Dale Sr. wasn’t responsible, the association stung. But through it all, his father’s intensity, the spotlight, the judgment, Dale Jr. grew stronger. And from that pressure-filled foundation, he forged how own legacy, one built on resilience, honesty, and ultimately, success.