As a NASCAR driver, there wasn’t much that was more intimidating than looking in your mirror and seeing that black #3 car behind you.
Although seeing the driver of that car in his underwear may be pretty close.
Dale Earnhardt was a legend on and off the track, and more than earned his nickname of The Intimidator for his take-no-prisoners, hard-nosed racing style behind the wheel.
So it probably came as quite a shock when Kevin Harvick walked in and saw the Man in Black in nothing but his underwear and driving gloves.
Harvick, of course, famously replaced Dale Earnhardt after his tragic death on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. But the reason that he got the gig was because Harvick already drove for Richard Childress Racing, the team that Earnhardt drove for, in the then-Busch Series (now the Xfinity Series). And he also served as the driver of the #3 car during test sessions (because Earnhardt hated testing).
Now that he’s retired, Harvick has started his own podcast (in addition to joining the NASCAR on Fox booth on Sundays to serve as an announcer for the Cup Series races), and he’s already delivered some great stories from throughout his long racing career – like the time he saw Earnhardt in his underwear.
As Harvick recalled, he was walking through the garage at Michigan International Speedway with team owner Richard Childress shortly after signing his deal with RCR. And Childress decided to take Harvick to see Earnhardt in his trailer.
“We walk up in the #3 trailer and walk up in the lounge, because we’re like 15, 20 minutes before practice. And we walk in and it was absolutely nothing that I ever thought I would see in my whole life.
But I walk in, and there stands Dale Earnhardt. You know, you’re thinking this guy in this big GM Goodwrench suit.
He’s got his underwear on, and two gloves on his hands.”
What a sight to see.
“He’s like, ‘Hey Richard. How you doing Kevin?’
And he walks over and shakes my hand in his glove, standing in his briefs.
I’m like, ‘Well, uh, what’s happening in here?’ He’s like, ‘Well, I gotta wear these new gloves, and so I don’t like ’em if I don’t wear ’em for awhile.’
So he’s just standing up there in his race gloves and his underwear walking around.”
Imagine walking in on one of the legends of your sport, wearing nothing but his underwear and a pair of gloves. It’s no wonder that’s one memory of Earnhardt that stands out for Harvick all these years later.
