================================================ Subject: NCR: Growing up Earnhardt. From: "Misty Farmer" To: Date: Wed 4 Apr 2001 12:32:24 -0000 ================================================ Darrell Waltrip: When I think about the first time I ever met (Dale Earnhardt), he was a hard-working man. He worked on race cars. He did a lot of work himself. Were you that way? How did you get started? Dale Earnhardt Jr.: For some reason I didn't get into working around the shop or helping the Busch team that Dad was driving at the time. We'd go to the shop here across the street. They were running the Busch car out of it. I'd go over and hang out, run my go-kart around in the parking lot. I wasn't real into working on cars so it just took a while 'til Dad said, "Look man, you got an opportunity here to race if you want it." We put together an opportunity to run a sreet stock car over at Concord (N.C.) It was a new series... starting up so we did that. Then I went to two years of automotive school in Mitchell (Community College) in Statesville (N.C.) We called it M.I.T. -- Mitchell In Town (laughs). I had a lot of fun there and learned how to work on cars. I ended up getting a job at the dealership (Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet in Newton, N.C.), changing oil for a while then I was assistant motor man. I went down to the body shop and taped cars up, painting and things like that. I went all over the dealership to learn about that because I figured that was probably where I was going to end up. Waltrip: So your dad, because of the way he grew up, he wanted you to grow up differently, I believe. But he didn't hand you anything on a silver platter necessarily? Earnhardt Jr.: Not so to speak. He gave me a lot of help in a lot of areas.... He helped me in ways or assisted me in ways that I wouldn't take advantage of. He helped us in areas that didn't necessarily spoil us. But we wouldn't have been able to race without his help. It was important for me to do a few things that he didn't do when he was my age. He didn't finish high school. He wished he had. There was just some things that he wanted me to do. We had some kind of an unspoken agreement that if I did all those things and kept my head on straight that, he'd be there when I needed his help. When I started driving race cars, his version of helping was making sure the roll cage was in there right and making sure the car was safe. We could build the motor and put it in upside down if we wanted to but as long as the car was safe, that was what was important to him. Waltrip: Was he a good dad? What was your (relationship with him?) Friends? Buddies? Earnhardt Jr.: Yeah, especially the last several years, probably when I was running late models, the last two or three years..., I kept my car in his shop-- the Deerhead Shop. This Deerhead Shop I keep talking about is his little playground. That's where he always messed around with everything he had. I was fortunate enough, realizing this now, I was fortunate enough to be able to work out of there with my late model. I didn't really understand how important this building was to him until I started working in there, and I realized how clean he wanted me to keep things. We started really building a relationship then I think. I was always home. I got to go to a few races -- Charlotte, maybe Daytona in July, a couple here and there. But we never really made that connection. He was so serious and so in tune with his life and racing and all the things off the track. He had a focus (that was) second to none. I never really understood. It was hard for us to, plus I was young. But the last two or three years, we really got on the same level to where we were talking about things and enjoying the same things. And our conversations were interesting to each other. You could see it. You could understand. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE Budweiser E-mail account at http://budweiser.com Budweiser E-Mail must be used responsibly and only is for consumers 21 years of age and older! Disclaimer: Neither Anheuser-Busch, Inc. (the makers of BUDWEISER beer) nor the operator of this E-Mail service or their respective affiliates have seen, endorsed or approved any of the content in this e-mail and expressly disclaim all liability for the content in whole and in part. To unsubscribe or change your preferences for the Creed-Discuss list, visit: http://www.winduplist.com/ls/discuss/form.asp