The following is a production of Dirtymoe Media.

Now there's the kid to watch.

This kid Earnhardt in the Austerlund number two, the car out of California, the driver from North Carolina,

second generation driver, his father, one of the most famous short track drivers in American racing history.

The well-known Ralph Earnhardt, his kid looks pretty good.

It's been a rookie season for the ages.

Through the first 18 races of 1979, Dad has seven top five finishes,

including that monumental win at Bristol.

And despite a couple of crashes, some mechanical failures,

he's fifth in the season

points destined to make a big enough splash in his freshman year to assure that he'd have a place

in stock car racing for years to come. That is until July 30th. Here's my dad's sister Kay,

who was driving home from work at the time. I was listening on the radio going home, and there was a commercial,

and when they came back from the commercial, there had been a wreck.

Cumble and turn, Joe, it's luck out, Dale Earnhardt, right below us,

that slammed the wall with a blown tire.

He is all the way around the wall, all the way around the second turn. Here's my aunt Kathy, who was also home and got a phone call. You know, they said, you know, Dells had a wreck. He's heard. Well, how bad? I don't know. He was walking. He, you know, he got out of the car. I said, well, then he's okay if he got out of the car.

The outcome of the spectacular crash at Pocono has left dad with broken collar bones

and other injuries.

And after chasing stock car glory week after week, he's suddenly relegated to the sidelines

for the foreseeable future.

I'm Dellenhart Jr.

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