Bristol Motor Speedway Radio

As the father and son walked back to the parking lot after an amazing experience at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon, April 1, 1979, the nine-year-old first-time NASCAR fan, still trying to process all the action that had unfolded to him in a whirlwind of colorful sights and loud sounds, quizzed his father. “Did your favorite driver win today?” the son asked his dad, who was proudly covered from head to toe in green and white No. 88 Darrell Waltrip gear. “Naw, he didn’t. He had a chance, but finished third,” the father said, dejectedly. “Well, who was the winner of the race?” the youngster shot back, still trying to piece it all together. “Ahhh, it was some rookie named Earnhardt,” the dad said in frustration. Little did the pair know – or really anyone who attended the Southeastern 500 that day – that the race was actually the official launching pad for a driver who would become one of the most dominant, revered and greatest champions in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history. The rookie wi