Incredible Story: How Dale Earnhardt's Death Impacted Rusty Wallace's Retirement 

I grew up watching this era of greats racing each other and I so miss those times. It’s just not the same, and it will never be the same, today or ever. Rusty, Earnhardt, Jarrett, Mark Martin, all those guys - truly a “golden era” of NASCAR.

Rusty was the driver I pulled for from '89 till he retired. Some great years back then watching those races. Glad he made it out and has enjoyed his retirement. Dale was the evil villain (race fan wise :) back in those days. The day he died, was so unbelievable. I watched the next race, then tuned it out the rest of the year. It sucked, just wasn't the same without this guy my friends and I used to curse at on TV. I watched Rusty's fairwell season, then that was it for many years. Still follow it, but rarely ever watch a race unless its the 500, Talladega, or a Bristol. RIP Dale...you really are missed.

What I can’t believe is Junior is almost the age his dad was when he passed. Great convo with ur bro.

Some of the best race party's we ever had! 93 & 94 my roommate was a Rusy fan , of course I loved Dale. Incredible times with friends.

Thank you both so much for sharing this with all of us race fan's. We appreciate 🙏 it very much. Thank you for the interview Kenny and thank you for opening up with us Rusty.

Dale was the reason I got into NASCAR, back in his Wrangler days. Rusty was my second favorite. I'd always be watching to see where the 3 and 2 cars were running in the field. Lots of ❤!

One of the best drivers ever! A lot if talent and a tough guy

Amazing interview, thank you to both of you for your honesty. The truth is so powerful and compelling, I love hearing these kinds of life/racing stories directly from the folks involved. You are doing a great service to all race fans who care so much for all of our favorite drivers, and members of the racing community. We all are passionate about the same things and hearing these elements makes us continue to feel like part of the big racing family. Thank you.

I love Rusty! He’s a good old boy. Tough as nails. I thought Rusty was gonna whip him at Bristol in 96

Thanks for sharing that... I was always a Mark Martin fan and fan of the old ASA drivers. I feel you should enjoy the time you raced and how the sponsors and fans supported the sport.. I was one of them! When u finished second behind Mikey Waltrip that day, I was happy for both of you, but broken on the news we later heard .

that's Real Talk Rusty and Ty for being open and honest. as a Dale Earnahrdt fan, i was real rough on Rusty Wallace trackside and with his fans. looking back now with 20/20 vision i wished i'd shown you more respect, a missed opportunity for myself. because of that bad behavior, in 2023 i do apologize to you Rusty, your wife Patty and your fans. i never knew you and Sr were close like that. ignorance not being excusable i am truly sorry.

I'll never forget the day Dale died. I grew up in Cambridge watching Matt Kenseth, my family and friends were racers and some still are after 45 years. Jefferson Speedway. Columbus 151, Madison International, Slinger, and Rockford Speedway. I was the biggest Dale Sr. Fan. That day I took everything down and packed it away. My Dale memories are still packed away. I met Kenny at Madison International for a big event that had Matt Kenseth, Kenny Wallace, Kenny Schrader, Dick Trickle, and Joe Sheer? It was 1996 or so when Matt was just starting to come up. It was an extreme OMG moment for me. I got all of the autographs and got Trickle's on his ROY NASCAR trading Card. Thank you for the memories Kenny. Thank Rusty for me for pushing Dale to beat the best. ✌❤🏁🏆

Interviews like this are golden Herm.

Always been a fan of the Wallace brothers I was in both fan clubs

God I miss Rusty,Ricky,Dale,Mark, Davey and all them boys going at it...

Loved this discussion! Rusty’s view almost nobody has ever heard. Ken, great interview!

Love that picture (1:23) --- Miss those days!

Just seeing this. Our house used to be interesting come Sundays because I was a Rusty fan, and my husband was an Earnhardt fan.

Been watching NASCAR since the early 60s its just not the same anymore without drivers like Rusty,Fireball roberts ,Petty,Ricky Rudd,Dale E,Dale J,Cale,Benny,Harry Gant and the list goes on im 76 now and l consider myself very lucky to have watch these great drivers at the track and on TV it was fun while it lasted.

Sir Wallace! Great stories. Its awesome to hear from Rusty!

I'm not even going to lie..I quit Nascar after Rusty retired

Miss the legends racing. I haven’t watched since Dale died. I hear it’s really changed and sucks now 😢. Great video guys. Chevy still rules.

Was 11 in 2002. My dads friend in Earnhardt gear, his daughter, & i went shopping for the Daytona 500. Clerk asked about my driver. Read the name on a poster, was RW.

Rusty, you're the man. You had several good years left. But you're here, and the sport does need you. 2 car forever

Rusty was the first driver I pulled for when I first got into racing…my ex pulled for Dale Sr and we had some interesting battles ourselves while we would watch those two racing! Good times!

Everytime I hear these Earnhardt stories I get choked up. And I wasn't even an Earnhardt fan.

I was 23 and just moved to Nashville from NW of Chicago (best move ever) and hung out with my current manager now as friends and watched that Daytona race as a huge Dale fan. After the race they just went to the next show on TV without ANY coverage of what had happened or how he was... Saw Schrader go to his car waving the paramedics and was like WTF?! I tried every MSM channel I could find to get some kind of answer and nothing... Buddy had already left. My dad who was also a big Dale fan called and asked if I'd heard? Told me he died. I instantly went to tears and I was like 23 at the time. I said umm holy shit, I gotta go and went upstates and friggin cried like a damn baby. I'll never forget it. I got him to sign my Brickyard 400 die cast car the year before with pit passes. I'll NEVER sell that thing. What a walking talking icon he was. RIP Dale. GREAT interview, Kenny I used to watch you and Ken and Michael every night on SPEED CHANNEL show you were on and y'all were so fun and entertaining to watch. Rusty... Clearly an icon too. You Dale and Darrell were so great to watch battle! Thanks to all involved in the excitement of the day that sadly just isn't the same ♥️. Hope y'all see this

Kenny, tell Rusty he is missed on the racetrack. I understand why he retired, and I think he went out at just the right time. I saw in a video that Rusty said he liked the Miller Genuine Draft paint scheme the best, I agree with him. It's a cool looking race car for sure. Rusty was also a great spokesperson and ambassador for the sport. His opinion was always respected by Nascar, and they always knew what he was thinking. Good, bad or indifferent.

Great show,,, always have admired kenny,Rusty,,super cool guys that added a great deal to NASCAR as I remember,,,I just lost interest after Dale Sr. Was gone,,,,that tragic day I was wearing a brand new number 3 shirt , eating birthday cake with my dad,son , family,,,cheering him to victory,,,,,it was my birthday and I will never forget it,,,,,Feb 18 long live the king!!!!! Thank you for what you do ,,,it's a great show

Perfect example of leaving the drama on the the track

Good show Kenny I miss Dale Earnhardt sr ❤❤

Rusty is so honest and humble Losing Dale made me stop watching Thanks for the memories you guys it was fun

THANK YOU ! THANK YOU ! THANK YOU !

I'm a Rusty Fan from the days of the Kodiak 27. 1989 was a special year still can see Rusty jumping down from the roof on to the hood. 🏆

You know, Rusty was actually really good at the plate tracks. He always seemed to run well at Daytona and Talladega, he just had absolutely TERRIBLE luck on those tracks. It seems every time the Cup series went to those tracks, Rusty always ended up getting taken out in crash caused by someone else. That had to be incredibly frustrating for him.

Rusty retired at the right time. He was on the decline. The main reason 2005 was such a good year for him was he had zero DNFS. Which is just a really rare thing to do. So rare it was the only time in his career he finished every race. Had he stayed a couple more years he would have been running 15th-20th every week. Glad he left on a competitive year in 2005.

I feel that had Dale Sr. been propertly secured with his seatbelts and been wearing a full-faced helmet we would not have died. His seatbelts positions where they were connected to the car were not fastened in the correct spot that were standard for NASCAR safety regulations. Had he been forced tl wear a full-faced helmet on top of that seatbelt issue.

I spent so much time rooting against Rusty. When he retired I quit watching. Turns out I loved Rusty more than I thought.

2 of the greats of there era: #3 Dale Earnhardt 7× champion (1980, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994) #2 Rusty Wallace 1× champion (1989) R.I.P Dale Earnhardt (1951-2001)

I was always more of a rusty Wallace fan than a Dale Earnhardt fan, but when Dale got killed for some reason they both became equal to me! Granite i was a kid too!

LEGENDS

Rusty was the Underdog in the days when #3 was king. When 3 was a sacred number spoken in hushed tones over the homemade rolls and fried catfish. My dad was a mechanic and big car guy. At first I absolutely HATED Nascar because I always had to wait till the race was over on Sundays so dad would go with me out to the yard to drive my go-kart! But then as I got older I came to love it. My dad was #3 all day! So I picked the only guy who seemed to have a chance against him. I shook Rusty's hand one day...snuck onto pit row..he was in his Miller Lite black and gold...that color scheme had a big effect on my choice too. Was at Talladega for one of the only Sunday races in 94 when #3 sent him up like a 747...crazy!(see RU-vid) Go #2! Always and forever!! Woohoo! (Loved his devil may care attitude too..) Only thing my dad could say against him was "yeah, he's a good driver..but he's a Yankee!"😅😅😅😅

1972 I was in shop in Des Peres across from Luigis with Rusty Wallace, Dave Munari, My Dad Ed Dixon (Professional Drag Racer) Don Miller and Dog . I was 11 years old. Sign in Shop said "12:00 Black Out Man" They were all Bad Asses and FYI I could already drive a car by that age.

Kenny I worked as a commercial painter for Turner Baxter Inc and i painted Rusty's house on Lake Norman. I was working and Dale Earnhardt walked in and he said where is that sorry assed Rusty at? I didnt know that they was friends but I found out both of them was really close. I will always remember that.

Huge Rusty fan when he entered Nascar, watched every weekend with friends through the 90's, and remember Rusty saying that he would race until it wasn't fun any longer, and I would guess losing a close friend took some of the fun out as well. When Rusty retired I hung my hat on Tony Stewart, because I saw a lot of Rusty in him, and by the time Tony quit , the racing had lost some of its zest, and my love of watching had as well, and now I am extremely out of touch with the NEW Nascar.

I grew up a Rusty Wallace fan, haten Dale Earnhardt, then i became a big Earnhardt jr. Fan. Now im a Chase Elliott fan.

Rusty gave the best post race interviews. Happy or mad he never held any thing back. I was so into the sport I drank MGD because of Rusty. Always knew Earnhardt had a ton of sway in how the sport was governed. Glad to hear Rusty was too. Earnhardt dying and Bill France Jr. taking over really led to the decline of NASCAR. Not overnight decline but a decade or so later I was done primarily due to the rules changing all the time. The playoffs and all of the “created” drama that even the announcers got on board with.

Rusty in that Pontiac = Magic!

I really liked RUSTY but i was and still am a BIG DALE EARNHARDT SR FAN.

AT LEAST YOU GOT TO RACE THE DAYTONA 500 ! ❤

Definitely needed to see that 2 car after dale died

This gotta be at leat an hour long😊

Know body talk about rusty and Dale fighting after a race. You like talking about the good times

Thank your Herman

Heros to me

What does that hand gesture mean?

I don’t get the hand sign. Can someone explain please

What was the signl Bill France gave to Rusty?

Rip dale Earnhardt 🥲😭🙏🙏

Back when it was worth watching

If Rusty in his prime was out there today, some punks would get slapped, FAST!

I miss real nascar. It’s gone forever with all the crappy stages and you can run last place in every race and win 1 race and you’re in. It’s so stupid

I never liked Rusty, but damn I miss the days when he was racing

Kenny I’m happy to see you have an absolute NASCAR icon on! I know he’s your brother but Rusty is one of the pillars that NASCAR was built on! Rusty and Penske go hand in hand, Rusty and the MGD #2, Rusty and the Kodiak car that he won his championship in is iconic. Even Rusty in the Miller Lite car is iconic!! He is what NASCAR was built on. I will always be a super fan of Rusty and loved how he raced!!

Rusty was my guy when I first started watching NASCAR in the early 90’s. His battles with Earnhardt were epic! Thanks for sharing this!

Dale Jarrett-RustyWallace-Dale Earnhardt-Terry Labonte-Mark Martin- IMO, these guys kept you glued to the TV. These were MEN- not 18 year old silver spoons.. NASCAR needs to evaluate why they are where they are in attendance. God, I miss seeing Midnight on the track, especially at Bristol

Thanks for sharing. Love "this is what really happened" stories. One of my most "good" memorable times being a race fan was watching Rusty and Sr. running side by side at Richmond for like 30 laps straight. So hard you couldn't read the numbers on the doors. I'm not even sure if it was even for the lead, just good racing. Gosh, I miss good racing.

I got into NASCAR in 1999 so I had to watch alot of old races to understand the rivalry but never saw it in real time in its prime. I became a fan of Rusty in 2000 when i noticed he kept winning all the poles and leading what seemed like 10,000 laps a race that year. But what made me respect him was he never backed down from Earnhardt, Gordon or anyone. He was a all around talent BUT to me almost more importantly a GREAT NASCAR personality back when NASCAR personalities was at a all time high imo from 2006 on back. I miss Rusty Wallace to this day.

To hear someone as accomplished as Rusty call him Mr France, shows what kind of guy he was, respect, the sport, and a lot of people really miss him. 😢 Great stories Herman!

Thank you Kenny you and your family are awesome. Keep the interviews coming.

Rusty was always an exciting driver to watch. His Miller Genuine Draft car was as iconic a Stock Car paint scheme as there ever was. Just want to THANK YOU both for all the INCREDIBLE NASCAR memories. Always a Fan...

I was a fan of Rusty . Dale and Rusty had trust between them They new how to race each other . Just like Martinville . Rusty started 23 Dale started 28 , Rusty waited until Dale got on his bumper and to the front they came

Rusty looks really good. I was a huge Earnhardt fan and my best friend was a huge Rusty fan. The 80’s and 90’s were awesome! Thanks Rusty for the memories.

I live in South Florida and a buddy of mine was into deep sea fishing and often visited the Florida keys. I think it was in the 90’s but can’t remember to be honest. He said one time he was at a Marina in the keys and he looked over seen Dale Earnhardt on the dock near his boat. He said hello and introduced himself. Said he was a fan and told Dale to enjoy his day fishing or whatever he was doing. Dale said hang on a minute and went in his boat and came back and handed my buddy a bottle of Dale Earnhardt Sunscreen. My friend still has it to this day.

Grew up watching Rusty, Dale, Dale, Daryl, Ricky, Mark, Terry, Bobby, and Jeff battling it out week after week. Rusty was always my favorite. Finally got to meet him in south bend Indiana before a Michigan race one year. I miss watching them guys so much.

I liked Dale but I was a Rusty fan as a 7 year old in the early 90s because the Miller Pontiac looked so damn mean

My best friend was a 2 fan and I was a 3 fan. We went to races all over for 35 years. The memories our back and forth are priceless! Thank you Rusty!

Kenny , i was at Talladega for the no Bull. I saw it. I had my 3 hat on and knew you were behind dale. If you ended up winning that day i was good with it. In other words i wouldn't have been pissed. You have always been such a good clean driver and of course no one had a personality like yours. Good interview with Rusty. Thanks

Wow, what a thing to do right after Dale is pronounced dead. I sure would like to hear what Rusty was saying to Dale, that night in Bristol, after the water bottle toss. Great conversation Herman.

Wish the blue deuce #2 miller lite car was still on the track.

Thank you Kenny you’re a mans man, Dale was my man and I can tell how much he meant to you. I appreciate the fact that continue to discuss Dale and please don’t let his memory ever die. Thanks Kenny love you man.

Got into nascar in 1987. Davey allison was my favorite, and after watching the races that year, davey and dale were my 2 favorite drivers. After davey passed away, rusty and dale were my favorite drivers. Awesome to hear this stuff. Love you too kenny, love your personality and what you brought too. Nothin but love and respect to all drivers honestly.

Thanks for sharing this interview. I am 42 years old now but I grew up being a huge Rusty Wallace fan. That white and blue car and the black and yellow car were way more iconic to me than any other car, and still are. I was pretty bummed when Rusty retired. I loved that Rusty could start at the tail of the feild and be running up front in no time at all. When he retired my new guy became Jeff Gordon until he retired. That was the same year Kyle Busch broke both legs and came back to win multiple times and win the championship. I already liked Kyle so it was natural for me to join Rowdy Nation. Now still a big KFB fan and will be until he retires.

Man, what a haunting story...........but a great one. Thanks Kenny, and thank you Rusty, for sharing that with us. God Bless you both and your families.

Rusty is my absolute favorite driver of all time. He was a fierce competitor and man do I miss him in the track. MGD 2 forever!!

Thanks for the memories guys. I was a big Rusty Wallace fan and Kenny being his brother I always wanted to see you run good.

One thing I would like you to ask, Rusty, Darrel, and other old time drivers is the full containment seats we have now. Would they have been able to drive more. Rudd flips at Daytona is almost out of the car. And the HAN's do they wish they had it in their career and yours too.

Watching Earnhardt and Rusty race was such great racing, Dale usually won, but Rusty kept coming back again and again he didn’t lay down, these guys were racers to the core!!! All the respect for both!

This great interview Kenny with Rusty. Had to be heart breaking Dales passing. So hard on racing community.. for us thst saw dale comr up from Short tracks and struggle to make it so big . The common mans hero. For those of you that knew him personally it has to be so hard. I miss rusty on the track . Saw him finish second at Atlanta Early on driving for Penske then hsving to go back down and work his way back to superstardom. On the other hand . I'm so glad rusty still here .

Love these conversations, miss Dale. Thank you Rusty for sharing. Thanks KW

Rusty was the 1st driver I rooted for. I was devastated when he retired, but understood. We got married on his cruise the year he retired. That was so much fun!! Miss him a lot and now my driver since Rusty left is retiring. I think I'll just be a NASCAR fan for now. 🏁🏁🏁🏁

1995 the Bristol Night race was very heated for Both Rusty and Dale. Rusty was gonna fight with Dale in the infield but didn't happened. Both drivers at the time were rivals until Gordon came along.

Rusty was my driver. He was amazing to watch. When Earnhardt passed then Rusty left Nascar went down the tubes. Hope Rusty is doing well. Thank you Rusty for all the great entertainment. I have the Rusty`s last call leather coat hanging in my closet. It was a sad day when he retired 😢

Brad was in the 2 car for along time and won a lot of races but still he never cast a shadow as big as Rusty did.

The funniest thing I ever seen was I think it was Bristol Rusty got new tires maybe he did to anyway Dale Earnhardt kept Rusty pushed up on the outside and would not let him get ahead of him they zoomed at times you could see Dale smiling and Rusty poking him the bird he made Rusty wear his tires s lol slap out like a cat playing with a mouse...

As a lifetime fan of Dale I have a lot of respect for Rusty. There were a lot of races he should have won if not Dale. The #3 would find a way to get by the Blue #2 in the last lap or the last corner. Rusty would be fighting mad sometimes. Their friendship was strong enough to get past it though. Kudos to Rusty and you too Herman.❤

This was a nice interview. The 90s was truely an awesome time to be a race fan in Nascar and I had the pleasure to be in those seats and taking it all in. So many memories I had between Earnhardt and Wallace. These two always seem to intertwine at some point either on the track or off the track. Just start with the numbers literally...both distinguishing black cars: #2 & #3. Highly visible sponsors. In 1993 Rusty won 10 races but Dale won his #6 championship. When Rusty switch to Fords he won 8. Dale still end up winning #7. Both were real competitors but had true sportsmanship. I still remember at the end of the '93 season both Dale and Rusty saluted Alan and Davey who passed away that year by holding a flag each as both were going on the track slowly. That was so respectful & thoughtful of those two to do that. But other then that, it was business on race day. The tumble in '93 at Daytona for Rusty was scary. But then when Earnhardt took him out at Talladega at the start and finish line at the end of the race was equally shocking. Earnhardt looked so dejected afterewards and went to check up on him. You can tell he didn't want that to happen to Rusty by the tone of his voice during the interview. Anyone remember the water bottle episode at Bristol? That was such a laugh but it created such an uproar in the crowds that the following weekend it was still being talked about. The battle lines were clearly drawn. FORD VS CHEVY! Earnhardt fans vs Rusty fans. The jeers and the cheers. The place I use to go to always was at MIS. The June race would be the Miller Genuine Draft 400. Illustrations by Sam Bass would always have a nice cover design to show the #2 car. Which I still have all of them to those that I went to. Here Rusty had the edge over Earnhardt. Rusty was always running well but Dale would struggle if he didn't get fresh tires at every pit stop. I got to see Rusty winning there however, best I seen Dale do was finish 2nd in 2000 behind Stewart. The one uncanny ability Earnhardt had though was how fast he would March forward (till his tires gave up). He could start in 38th but in 15 laps he's in the top 25. I thought that was simply amazing. But then he would start slowly be losing spots till the next pit stop occurs. Just wish he was able to conserve his tires a little bit. But it is a race after all. Good times!

Rusty Wallace, A certifiable wheelman, A gladiator & in my respectful opinion , an underrated tough customer. The Black Miller lite ford Taurus an iconically menacing looking racecar.

Quiet as kept, Rusty was a better road course racer than Dale Sr. and held his own on short tracks and intermediates, especially with Midnight. Where Dale Sr. really distanced himself as a driver compared to Rusty was at Atlanta, Darlington, and plate tracks.

I was never much of a Rusty Wallace fan as a young Earnhardt fan but as I’ve gotten older I have gained a lot of respect for some of the old greats like him, Martin, Gordon, etc. You guys made the sport and represented it with class.