Darlington Throwback: Dale Earnhardt dedicates 1989 Southern 500 win to his dad

Darlington and the Southern 500 are woven into the fabric of NASCAR. Dale Earnhardt won three of these races in his career. While The Intimidator won every Crown Jewel there is to win in the Cup Series, this Darlington win meant a little more to Earnhardt and his family.

Those who aren’t really NASCAR fans likely don’t know how important Ralph Earnhardt was for the sport. Ralph, father of Dale, was a dirt track legend. He won dozens and dozens of races throughout the NASCAR ranks.

That weekend at Darlington in 1989, Ralph was inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame.

Alan Kulwicki won the pole for this Southern 500. Dale Earnhardt was all the way back in P10 by the time qualifying was over. While Rusty Wallace and Harry Gant would lead for 94 and 83 laps each, respectively, Earnhardt came on strong late and dominated.

After leading for 153 laps and taking the checkered flag, Earnhardt dedicated the win to his late father, who had passed in 1973.

“We won this one for him,” the driver said. “He was riding with us all the way.”

“We won this one for him. He was riding with us all the way.”

Dale Earnhardt dedicated his 1989 Southern 500 victory to his Dad, after a special weekend for the Earnhardt family. pic.twitter.com/0EUhVTkJPc

— NASCAR Classics (@NASCARClassics) August 31, 2023

There was a quote that Dale Earnhardt had about Darlington. While he won there three times in the Southern 500, he had nine total wins at The Track Too Tough to Tame. It was a track he loved to race on.

“You never forget your first love, whether it’s a high school sweetheart, a faithful old hunting dog or a fickle race track in South Carolina,” Earnhardt said. “And, if you happen to be a race car driver, there’s no victory so sweet, so memorable as whipping Darlington Raceway.”

Who is going to whip The Lady in Black in the Southern 500 this week?

Southern 500 favorites ahead of Darlington weekend

In this day and age, Darlington and the Southern 500 are the first round of the playoffs. Long gone are the days of Earnhardt and his domination. For this generation of active drivers, it is Denny Hamlin who has the most wins with four

It is harder and harder to dominate the sport as drivers did in the past. However, in many ways that makes it even more impressive when drivers are able to pull off multiple wins at a track.

While anything can happen, Martin Truex Jr. is the favorite. At 5-1 odds, he leads Kyle Larson and William Byron at the top of the list. It helps that Truex might be the most dominant driver in the last two months.

Then again, what is going to stop Chris Buescher from winning another race? He did it at Richmond, Michigan, and Daytona. Darlington feels like the next logical step in that progression, right? Racing is all about momentum and at 15-1 odds, looks like a solid pick to me.

The NASCAR Playoffs start with the Southern 500 this Sunday night.