Dale Earnhardt, Sr. on Letterman, November 29, 1990 

notice how he doesn’t say “i won” he says “we won and we won 3 million dollars”. he recognized his team and not just himself. amazing man.

I miss Dale Earnhardt so much there will never be a driver quite like him.

I can't even remember the last time I've seen a NASCAR driver on a late night show this guy was truly a superstar rest easy legend I guarantee you'll never be forgotten and you'll always be missed kids nowadays still hear the stories of Dale Earnhardt especially in my area of North Carolina

I really miss that guy, and so does NASCAR.

This interview gives me the chills, so much foreshadowing

He did win 7 like Petty

RIP Dale Earnhardt Sr. (April 29, 1951 - February 18, 2001), aged 49 You will be remembered as a legend.

My man. Lost interest after he died. Never missed a race before. Never was the same, tried getting on board with jr but the excitement was gone. Still rock the 3 on my truck to this day.

Nascar has never been the same.. Gone but not forgotten!

Remember that Dave is a huge sports fan, he always talks about the Pacers and Colts, with his favorite athlete being Peyton Manning. Dave also owns an IndyCar team Rahal Letterman; so Dave is well versed in auto racing. He knew Dale's accomplishments at the time and had a great deal of respect for The Intimidator.

What a loss. Love him or hate him you cannot deny the talent. R.I.P. #3

“Remember a lot of air and sky, thought I was going to heaven.” Well sir I hope you got the helicopter ride to heaven when you passed

Thanks for posting man I miss the glory years of NASCAR these new drivers are slick chinned Mama’s Boy’s

To go faster, can be safer, at times. Dale seemed to drive out of a lot of close calls. To take so many death defying chances, and live to tell about it for many, many years. The most entertaining race car driver that ever lived. He is missed greatly.

He did appear on the Letterman show in 1998 after he won the Daytona 500 to do the top 10 countdown.

More than anything, it reminds me of the events the bookended 2001: the Death of Dale, Sr, and 9/11. These two events, in totally different ways, changed the world. Dale was representative of all mega-athletes, and when he died, suddenly, the world of sports didn’t want to lose their heroes to preventable causes. Look how much sports have changes since 2/1/2001. Then, on a much grander scale, 9/11 changed the landscape not only of NY, but of the world. Nothing has been the same since 2001.

nobody seems to remember that Dale could be an amazingly kind human being. he was a jerk on the track but an amazing soul in person and selfless for those close to him

Grew up a fan of Earnhardt from 1979 until his death. I was 7 in 1979 and he became my favorite after watching the 1979 Daytona 500. I live near his hometown of Kannapolis NC area so I chose him that day. Still can't believe he's gone. Thanks for the video.

He got 7 like Petty and he Went to Heaven

Dave actually knows quite a bit about NASCAR

Dave was such a unique interviewer. His sarcasm is hilarious because he knows when to do it and he knows when to be somewhat serious. He got more words and personality out of Dale than anyone else I’ve seen interview him. Great little interview.

I miss this man everyday 😢 . A true American Superstar 😢

I love how he said "I reckon" 💜💜💜 continue to rest Dale 💜

Wow everything he talked about (winning 7, Daytona 500) came true ... shows the power of positivity and mental toughness

Thanks for having this video. Man I miss watching him race.

20 years, time has really gone by, RIP.

My parents are from NC (statesville) Momma is in heaven and daddy is in a home. I listen to dale talk and I feel like I'm with my family. I was born and raised in Bakersfield.

Thanks for posting this Don. I put up a tribute song to Dale, hard to believe 20 years have passed

Just love Letterman, and Dale what a legend

Does it have a radio? Yeah...2 way. Good one Dale.

It still chokes me up thinking about his accident and our loss.

3:54 love the way he says "le mans"

Creepy foreshadowing at the end

I miss this guy.

Went to the memorial held at Sears Point at 11:00 a.m on the Thursday morning after his death.. It was raining and storming all morning with black rain clouds filling the sky on my drive in from Sacramento... except over the track where there was a break in the dark clouds showing blue sky with rays of sunlight coming down. i shit you not. It was very ethereal.

The man, The legend.

God the amount of hitting the wall talk in this video is gut wrenching

Wow I felt this today! I hope experiencing heaven on his last crash! God bless you Dale!

When Dale left us, so did NASCAR. The sport was never the same and now it is not worth the time to tune it in. Earnhardt was part of NASCAR golden era.

If you ain't first. ... you're last

I couldn't love a hero anymore than I love Dale Earnhardt. Sr

I used to think I was a NASCAR fan until I realized I was just a Dale Earnhardt fan

He talks about the worst wreck; sadly, the worst was yet to come.

9 out of 29? What? No wonder you Americans love this guy. That's one hell of an achievement on such a competitive sport. He really seems humble too.

Every story I've read about fans and casual people meeting Dale has been the same - he is an engaging and kind man who always takes time for others. Read one story about how nice he was to a group of young workers doing bar and wait staff for a dinner one of his sponsors held and he attended. Went out of his way to walk up to every one of them and tip them individually and thank them for the job they did. So true that only the good die young.

I wonder if he actually sold Dave a car...and I think Dave knew exactly what he was doing..."just sell me one of your old ones," so casually. He knew what that would be worth and 100k is a steal.

Man....I really missed watching Dale race......there will never be another!

This is a bittersweet interview.😔

What an absolute gentleman. There will never be another like him. This man was my childhood hero. I would park my ass in front of the TV every Sunday with my dad (a Richard Petty/Kyle Petty man) and my dad (who liked Rusty Wallace) and we would watch them go round and round. I would break out my Earnhardt shirt just for the race. I had all the little cars, shirts, plaques, etc. NASCAR in the early/mid 90's was the best era of all time as far as im concerned.

Awesome rare interview Dale Earnhardt Late Night with David Letterman November 29th 1990 on NBC 😂 that cracks me up hilarious

The Intimidator was absolutely the best of all time I really miss him

Nascar's Master of Racing Mr. Dale Earnhardt 👍🇱🇷👍

God I miss Dale Earnhardt #3Forever

5:25-5:26 "I hit the wall. I hit the wall" Dale never retired, of course. I just have a bad feeling about all of this.

Unfortunately, just 11 years later he would go to heaven while racing.

Legend. R.I.P.

OMGGGGG this interview!!! ICONIC!!

I became a fan at the 1980 World 600. He didn't win that one but saw him win one of them. Saw him win a lot of races.

He also made an appearance on the show in 1998!

That’s a surreal interview

Humble af. True Champion.

The INTIMIDATOR, the best driver to ever drive NASCAR period!

I was sitting on the backstretch in 1990 when he blew the tire. Was the best day ever then the worst. I think he led 150 laps that day. My first NASCAR race!

Great interview. So sad he is gone.

3, Forever...

That grin before he said “flat out” rip legend

Miss him like crazy!

actually this was his 1st appearance, the second was in 1998 after he won the Daytona 500 and named the top 10 reasons it took him 20 years to win the Daytona 500.

David: "I hit the wall, I hit the wall." Dang wouldn't that become a poignant phrase

I worked for GM Performance Parts when GM sponsored Dale Sr. and Jr. I was able to meet and talk to both of them for a few minutes when they both gave short speeches at one of our meetings. Sr. seemed a little tight and uncomfortable with the crowd of about 100 of us. Jr. was easy going, relaxed and funny.

My brother loved that guy and I love him for that. I love my big brother anyway.

the man, the myth, the legend

Met him and Richard. Dale was and will always b the greatest

He was the best of the best and they’ll never be another one like the Intimidator loved him like a brother

NASCAR pretty much died when Dale died. Love him or hate him, he was one of the coolest guys that ever lived. Like Elvis or Sinatra - but cooler...

I miss that man!

I miss this man and there will never be another.

The Best that was and the Best that will ever will be in NASCAR.. this Guy was a Man’s Man. He was Just Great at what he Did.. The Best!

RIP to this legend

His passing was one of the reasons I stop watching nascar.

David Letterman is an Indycar team owner now and it's cool to see his passion for motorsport come out in these conversations with Dale.

I was sitting on the back stretch when at Daytona in 2001 when Dale hit the wall. I was a Mark Martin fan and said good Dale hit the wall, it didn't look that bad, he has had a lot worse looking crashes. My wife and I flew home in my son's single engine plane and when I saw the news that Dale had died, I couldn't believe it. There was a much worse crash where Tony Stewart and some other cars flipped right in front of us. I actually became a Dale fan although a little late and a Jr fan after that.

NASCAR just ain't the same without this guy, I miss him

5:16 a tell tale sign from the heavens....

God Bless Dale Earnhardt, and David Letterman!

They broke the mold after they made Dale!

I remember the day before the Feb.18, 2001 Daytona 500 and Dales tragic wreck took his life he was interviewed by Terry Bradshaw who was a NASCAR reporter for that race and the video was shown on TV in the prerace segment before Dales final race the next day. In that interview Dale took Terry for a ride around the track and teased Terry a bit trying to scare him by going pretty fast in a street car and coming around Turn 4 he told Terry you didn't want to get too close to that wall or you might crash and suddenly Dale jokingly swerved the car toward the wall. How ironic and unnerving that had to be for Terry and I'm sure it is something Terry remembers and will never forget.

Dale was a humble dude

I Got A Dale Earnhardt Sr Olympic Race Car Miss You Dale Earnhardt Sr 😔🕯3

Dale Earnhardt, the Intimidator... once said if you finish second in a race you are the first one to lose.

The clap back with dale when he said "id what about you, are you gonna retire?" He really knew how to get a good jab in

#3 for life 💜💜

Damn i still miss this man

Miss him even today…

I do not understand people saying they miss somebody when they absolutely did not know them personally

I miss Dale! 3 forever!

I thought I remember seeing him participate in a Top Ten List closer to the end of his life. Maybe I am remembering wrong. RIP Dale.

Dale was a man when men were men. Too bad its a driver race now instead of a manufacture race .

And a few years later racing changed for the worse .... RIP Dale and you dropped the value of my race diecast collection

Like the way Dale pronounced Le Mans....