“I Give Them the Finger”: Dale Earnhardt Unleashed His Inner Comedian After Major Feat In Iconic Performance Once

The late great Dale Earnhardt is a legend in the NASCAR Cup Series. His seven Cup titles and 76 race wins speak for themselves in terms of his talent. However, for a long time, there was one accolade that eluded him for years and almost spanned two decades. It was the Daytona 500, and he tasted several years of failure. All of that changed in 1998 when he clinched victory at the Daytona 500 for the first time.

On the back of that astonishing feat, Dale Earnhardt appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman. On the show, he swapped his steering wheel for a metaphorical comedian’s microphone. Dale Sr. then gave his Top 10 reasons why he won the iconic race, and they were hilarious. According to him, reason number one was, “It took me 19 years to realize I had the emergency brake on”. Then he spoke about his signature look, quipping, “Finally rotated and balanced my moustache”.

“Don’t Hit Me When You..”: Dale Earnhardt Sr Caught NASCAR Legend by Surprise in the Cheekiest of Manners in 1998

What other quotable quotes did Dale Earnhardt come up with?

His next joke took a cheeky dig at a professional sports team. Earnhardt Sr. quipped, “Quit training with the Canadian snowboarding team”. The 7-time champion also proved that he was not above taking shots at his own family. Case in point, the next reason being, “Stopped letting my 300 pound cousin Ricky ride shotgun”.

Earnhardt Sr. then listed a brand new strategy of his. He said, “New strategy: Pretended I’m Dave driving home on the Merritt Parkway”. In his next sentence, Dale Earnhardt took a cheeky swing at one of his rivals. The driver joked, “Who cares it took 20 years, at least my name isn’t Dick Trickle”.

Other jokes were, “Just figured out, if you mash the gas pedal all the way down, the car takes off like a son of a b***h”. He also ‘introduced’ a new plan, “My new pit crew, the Spice Girls”. Finally, he said, “This year, whenever I pass somebody, I give them the finger”. Earnhardt Sr. also revealed his ‘secret to success’, “One can of motor oil in my engine, one can of motor oil in the pants”.

Which one is your favorite among the ten reasons given by Earnhardt Sr.?

WATCH THIS STORY: WATCH: Dale Earnhardt’s Classic Act for Hendrick Motorsports Rival Jeff Gordon That Proved Why “The Intimidator” Was Loved by NASCAR Fans