Dale Earnhardt in the Indy 500: The Story of a Rumor
Вставка
- Опубліковано 30 лип 2024
- In 1995, Dale Earnhardt was offered a ride in the Indy 500. Whose car was it? Why did he say no? Did he ever want to drive an IndyCar? We cover it in this video.
** The idea for this video came from my friends at KeepIt35 who do great NASCAR history stuff too. Subscribe to their UA-cam channel: / @keepit35youtube **
Follow Brock and I on Twitter:
nascarman: / nascarman_rr
Brock Beard: / lastcaronbrock
Support Brock on Patreon:
/ lastcaronbrock
Footage Owned By:
NASCAR
IndyCar
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum
ABC
@ngmaki on twitter
#NASCAR #IndyCar #Indy500 - Спорт
As far as I remember, this is absolutely true. Dale did a private test for Roger Penske. Earnhardt had reservations about Indy when he posted to the lap close to 188mph. He knew the pole speed would be closer to 224 to 225mph. Teresa did not want him to do it at all. There was a snippet of a video played under a yellow flag and the test occurred at Michigan or Indy late in the 1993 season as I remember. This is where my memory fades because Roger Penske owned Michigan International Speedway at the time. Roger stated in an interview that he wanted provide IndyCar fans with the Senna-Mansell rivalry but thought it would be more interesting if Dale Earnhardt Sr was racing with the F1 veterans. Later, Team Menard offered Earnhardt a ride at Indy more as a publicity gag. Norm Turley and Vince Neil ended up working with Team Menard.
Well this is a video that's gonna get a million views! Can't tell you how many times I've heard about this. Neil Bonnett was entered in 1982, the rumor I've always heard is that Dale Sr did test laps in 1983 in a Wrangler Sponsored March.
I saw that 1983 rumor too researching this. Said the car was supposedly owned by Bruno Giacomelli, number 53, Tim Richmond helped. Another cool urban legend.
Allison bros, LeeRoy Yarbrough, and Cale Yarboro did run there or at least tried too.
nascarman History part 2? 😂
Bonnet was also entered in '79 to drive a car powered by a turbocharged stock block AMC V8. Then the Dover Cup race got delayed by rain, so he had to bow out, and Jerry Sneva took over the ride.
Ken Schrader attempted to run Indy in '83 but wrecked the only car the team had. He talked about it on the Dale Jr Download about a month ago. He never mentioned Dale Sr though.
I have to believe that now that Dale is gone, John Menard would be willing to tell a lot of this story. Someone should really get hold of him for a full interview to get the 411 on this whole thing...
I met him last summer. I wish I would have asked him. I was just kind of in awe at the time 😂
Marshall Pruett podcast?🤔
Does Dale Jr know anything about it?
Imagine a black Goodwrench Indycar with Chevy/Illmor power....🏁
In 95 the Ilmor engines had a Mercedes badge on them.
Probably be one of the baddest looking Indycars of all time
Would not have happened in 95, Chevy pulled it's CART IndyCar program after 1993, that was what opened the door for Roger to build his secret Benz powerplant in 1994. GM pulled the plug all together at the end of 1994 which was why Menard took over the Buick V6 program and renamed the engine the Menard V6...
A fun fact is that Danny Ongais actually drove a black and grey March Buick sponsored by Goodwrench for the 1986 Indy 500. It looked pretty cool.
@@denistudorie7980 yep, it looked almost exactly what you would picture it to look like too.
In 1995 Dale only had two things on his mind: Winning his 8th Cup Championship and winning the Daytona 500, those were his real bucket list dreams considering he hadn't won a Daytona 500 or an 8th Championship yet. I'm sure he was flattered and his feet were twitching at the idea of racing in the Indy 500! If he had achieved those goals by 95' I'm sure he would've given that offer a serious consideration.
As an Indianapolis 500 nut, and a guy that loves and admires Earnhardt...my mind is blown. I was too young to even realize all the rumors, etc at the time (and wasn't into NASCAR yet). Thank you for this video.
It sure would have been interesting to see Dale in an open wheel car 😇🙌💯💚
Dale sr in an indycar is almost unthinkable just like how he and Dale Jr ran the 24 Hours at Daytona in 2001.
They ran good, I think their 2001 Corvette finished in 2nd or 3rd at the 24 Hours of Daytona in the DP series that year. Not bad for rookies in their first sports car series start!
KK85 Heck yeah! Dale was so impressed with the series he talked about teaming up with Chevrolet to create a Corvette car similar to what they won with. I could have seen him racing a few more 24 hours after that.
If he had lived to see retirement (probably sometime in the late 2000's) he might've done it like how Danica Patrick made it her last Bobby Allison drove the 500 in the 70's.
@@chasee3797 they were building the Corvette when he passed
It’s fun to wonder what could have been if some of the greats like Earnhardt and Senna would’ve given Indy a shot.
That would’ve been awesome! Dale would’ve had to totally change his racing style though. You so much as rub tires in an Indy car and both cars are in the wall and flipping through the air.
If the Intimidator couldn't put a donut on the side of the competition he wouldn't be interested. It would have been easier to see Dale flipping drivers off with a open cockpit.
I wonder what the aerodynamics of a middle finger is like at 200mph
Dan Wheldon probably shared his Indycar with Dale in heaven
I know it wouldn't have been allowed, but it is sure is fun to imagine Dale Earnhardt running an Indycar at the brickyard while wearing an open-faced helmet. That would've been a real crazy sight to see!
There just isn't enough front bumper on an indy car for Iron Head. Besides, I think Big E had his first kneck injury in '94. I think no matter what, there would have been a lot of pressure on him if he took that on. Like, could he still see the wind without a roof? How could he trade paint without fenders? All kidding aside though, if Dale were to run Indy and finish out of the top 5 he may have taken a PR beating like you read about. Not that, that meant anything to him in the early days but he made more money selling t-shirts and his name than he did driving.
I'll always have a ton of respect for Dale Earnhardt. All joking aside he was a great driver and in the end, was a great humanitarian too. Would've been great to see him knock it off the bucket list.
At least he was able to do the scca race in the 24 hours of Daytona with his son in a Corvette. He looked like he had alot of fun doing it and it was equally as fun watching him do it with style!
Its badass to imagine him in a Black and silver IndyCar, but sadly I don’t think he would have tried out IndyCar. I do believe he would have raced a few more 24 Hours at Daytona. But he wanted to get that eighth championship and it sucks we never got to see how he would have been that year in 2001.
Won the Brickyard 10 Weeks Later
This is kind of a story about nothing. An offer wasn't accepted, nobody wanted to talk about it, and then we get into a rumor that probably didn't happen. But interesting anyway, hahaha.
You gonna do more Stories about Rumors?
@@RunningOn7CylindersYT Maybe if I can think of some more good ones
It's still cool! You always post the coolest things!
I mean has anyone asked Jr about it? He usually will spill some behind the scenes details.
nascarman History; Once again you've done a marvelous job of telling the most interesting stories of historic events regarding the Indianapolis 500. As an avid fan of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" since 1961 I've always felt that I was a dedicated student of all things Indy 500. You, however, have enlightened me about the little known, to me anyway, tale of Big E's near brush with Indy 500 greatness, Thank you for your fascinating knowledge of aspects of the event so near and dear to my heart. Sincerely yours.
That’s pretty wild I didn’t know about that! Thanks for sharing and making these videos
Yes, I believe Dale Sr. Could have driven a Indy car. But to sit on the front row for the 500. No Way! Dale would not risk his image in Nascar. Because if he couldn't win. He wouldn't even get behind the wheel. He was fearless. Not stupid! Maybe Bill Elliot would have been a better choice. Shawn
Elliott tested an indycar at Michigan..on his 10th lap he ran a 212mph..fast enough to qualify. I stood in front of the car as he climbed in. The year before Geoff Bodine also tested one. The fact IROC ran the same weekend with CART made it possible.
3:32 thats rare Dale Earnhardt in a full face helmet
Nice work 👍👍
Didn't get to far into the speculative aspect of the story.
Here's a good idea for my alternative NASCAR and IndyCar timelines
Would love to see a black Goodwrench paintscheme for one of the Menards cars. Off to rFactor!
Idea : JJ in the indy 500
@@henriquepaladino3779 Maybe... in real life, sooner or later...?
@@FMecha yeah, might happen
@@henriquepaladino3779 hello from future: Jimmie's IndyCar schedule for 2022 is full-time and that includes the Indy 500.
Back as a young teen, I used to recognize him as a winner in a fantasy open wheel series that's loosely based on Driven. Yep, like the movie itself, unrealistic.
He Was and always will Be My Favorite Driver.
Hey, love your videos. I think another good driver for your Who Was series could be Tom Pryce because he’s another driver that’s really just known for how he died.
You really have to be ignorant. Dale Earnhardt is only known for his death if you're still working on your first pubic hair. Some of us grew up watching him dominate the most competitive racing series on Earth.
You’re telling me Scott Brayton was almost teammates with Dale Earnhardt? That would have been yet another odd connection Brayton had with a driver who passed away at the wheel.
He probably refused because he couldn't ram people in Indy.
Paul Tracy has entered the chat.
@@darthairbox8692 with the mic drop
I mean everyone was dumping each other back then that was just how they raced.
Craig G yeah
@Holy shit, it's a talking muffin how are you going to trade paint in an Open Wheel race car? When you trade paint like they do in NASCAR then you're tired goes flying off.
I only picture Dale driving an IndyCar at 230mph with an open faced helmet lol
Wow! I didn't know that about the Intimidator in the Indy 500
Buick engines finished the entire 500 miles exactly twice: in 1992 with Al Unser, and in 1995 with Arie Luyendyk (just barely, Luyendyk just passed race winner Jaques Villeneuve at the yard of bricks to get his lap back). They were fast but unreliable, so even if Dale had taken the offer, he never would've had a realistic shot at the win.
Unser finished 3rd in that Buick in 1992, so I wouldn't say "no chance." The gist of your point is well-taken though; the Buick failures were many.
It was a 3 car team regardless of Dale being there; Buddy Lazier, a non-entity at the time, was in a 3rd Menard car in 1995. If Dale had accepted, Buddy wouldn't have been with Menard. I suppose Dale's number would've been 30. 3 (Paul Tracy) was taken, as were 8 (Gil de Ferran), 31 (Andre Ribeiro), and 33 (Teodorico Fabi). 30 would also keep in line with Menard's other chosen car numbers for 1995 (40 and 60).
If he could "see the air" then how would he have done in the draft and in race conditions?
Had he not passed away. Dale would've probably did an Indycar season in 2005 or something.
I heard he's the lone gunman on the grassy knoll.
It's strange Earnhardt stayed away from open wheel cars. I never saw him in a Nascar Modified either.
Well like they say "NO GUTS NO GLORY" . Earnhardt Jr. I guess must have been scared of open wheel cars,because I never heard if him
driving any either.
Loved those old stock block Buicks.
I can't help but wonder how much the issue of Dale's absolute aversion to wearing a full-face helmet might've played into a potential Indy 500 ride. He would NOT wear one in a Cup car, so could that have been at least partially responsible for not running Indy? Maybe? I wish we could ask him.
Nascarman rocks, thank you for all of the great docs
I'd like too have seen that!
Rubbin' is racin' doesn't work well in Indycars @ 230 mph. He might have been a draw for fans but I think even he knew he'd be a fish out of water.......
Yes …..Brayton got the pole in 1995 . But it was obtained with an illegally modified turbo pop-off valve (unlimited boost)
Interesting.Would he have run the 500?And he was considering ALMS too.Tell you what,maybe he would have retired after his 8th title,and became a legendry owner/manager,like Junior Johnson.
I think Dale would've tried it had he not been focused on that 8th. He seemed open to running other series as there was rumors he was considering American Le Mans post Nascar career in 2001.
What if stuff is always the big fun.
Yep. IIRC he planned to retire from Cup at the end of '02 or '03 and run ALMS full time (and Le Mans itself) with DEI-run customer C5-Rs.
I would like to see Lewis Hamilton in the Indy 500. Espically after winning his 7th F1 world championship
Something tells me the second this offer was made, Bill France would have been trying to stamp it out
Cool video, but one comment- you used the Ford or Honda engine sound when showing the Menard car clips instead of that actual engine. Sorry, don't mean to be a stickler! You've got great content.
You're good. That was audio from Arie Luyendyk's Ford during his 1996 qualifying run. Hard to find raw engine sounds for the Menard.
If 2019 NASCAR points and playoffs had been applied in 1995, you bet your ass Dale would have run the 500, he would have already made the chase
Keen observation!
@@GhoStrider-bg5lnwho knows when this year's 500 will be run. We could see Fernando Alonso, Jimmie johnson and Kyle Busch in the field you never know
3:36, little creepy that it's Schrader's helmet, given how 2001 played out.
Might've been around the time of the infamous "don't look at him, and whatever you do, don't BREATHE on him!"
He probably didn't want to do it because he knows that every point counted, knowing this by winning by only 26 points over Mark Martin in 1990. If he had won his 8th in 1995, I believe he would of maybe considered this offer more seriously.
would *have*
Thank you Mr. Teacher
You're welcome.
Oh wow & I thought I had concern about Kyle Busch running the Indy 500... Dale Sr. running the Indy 500!? That would have been a disaster! Not because of ride quality, but because of Earnhardt Sr.'s driving style, which wouldn't fly in IndyCar at *ALL!*
No chrome horns on those
Earliest I've been to any video
Have you ever looked into the story that Dale Earnhardt wanted to drive the Yates 28 in 1995/96?
It would have been awesome and a coup for Indycar if the Intimidator had raced, even if it was just the Indy 500
Would have been interesting to see & anyone who says Dale couldn't drive an IndyCar, the guy could drive anything, I have no doubt that he coulda got the car in the show maybe front row like the author said. His problem would have been with the reliability of the engine, those V6 engines were very unreliable under 500 mile load...
How about this one Michael Schumacher tested a RCR or Hendrick Chevy at Texas in like 96 just to see what it was like . I always heard it was a RCR car
Apparently, it was a stock car racing experience type thing in 2002 - and nobody recognized it was Schumi!
@@FMecha no that was was a fun time with friends when they where on a road trip r riding a Harley Davidsons. No this hap happened in mid 90s
@@charlesrichardson4032 What? Schumi has never tested a stock car from what i have heard.
Schumi never tested for Nascar 2 top Chevy teams cars.
He wouldn't have missed the 600 which Coke then sponsored & his having a long standing personal service contract with Coca-Cola. That included a full-length life size likeness of him on the front of Coke vending machines.
He wouldn't have missed it the double has been run several times, most recently by Kurt Busch
@@chrismurphyracing94 being his first time, and what it would take to learn in the buildup, I doubt he would have tried both. The sponsor ok's alone would have been a nightmare
They shouldve tried to capitilize on this. The Intimidator at Indy
And ironically Menard son would at one point point race for DEI
What race team owner wouldn't want Senior to drive anything of yours with four wheels? But kinda glad he didn't. Good topic of conversation over beers.
And now everybody is laughing because Jimmie is going from NASCAR to IndyCar.....
If Dale Earnhardt drove in the Indy 500, would he have become a full time IndyCar driver? Hmm, so many questions...
Earnhardt’s bump and run maneuver would probably not work in open wheel car
Earnhardt wasn’t an open wheel guy....And besides he got a win at Indy on his terms
John Menard is such a weird dude.
That was a false story, a few months later, Dale Earnhardt won the Brickyard 400.
Dale would have got his ass kicked against that 1995 field. 1996 however......
If he could have won the 8th cup in 95, would be then consider the 96 Indy 500?
I heard he didn’t do it because he looked at the car and figured he would actually have to pass guys without dumping them.
My guess is that it would look a lot like an Indy car on it roof skidding down the back stretch. How in the hell was Dale going to knock people out of his way if he doesn’t have any fucking finders??!?? Dale Earnhardt was a fucking joke, and his son was a bigger joke!
3:32 VERY RARE SIGHT....( Dale) your helmet sucks Schrader
Earnhardt would have sucked in an Indy car, you can't run into someone in front of you and gain an advantage...
Thing is the so called intimidator needed a roof over his head and his wheels covered by mudguards to be able to knock other cars out of the way without any risk to himself. In any other motor racing event in the world other than NASCAR he’d have been black flagged on the first lap.