Dale Earnhardt Jr. once admitted that his biggest fear when racing against NASCAR veteran Mark Martin wasn’t losing the race — it was losing Martin’s respect.
Back in 1999, at just 24 years old, Earnhardt had already made a name for himself in NASCAR beyond his famous last name and even more famous father. With 13 wins in 65 Busch Grand National starts and a 1998 championship, he was earning praise not just for his talent but for a racing approach that stood apart from his father, “The Intimidator.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and His Admiration for Mark Martin’s Clean Racing
In a post-race interview in 1999, after scoring his sixth win of the season in Richmond, Virginia, Earnhardt reflected on what it meant to compete against someone he idolized just as much as his dad.
Earnhardt said, “I used to go to races at Bristol and watch Mark [Martin] drive the Stroh’s Light car around there. I know about as much about him as I do my old man as far as racing goes.”
From admiring Martin as a kid to racing him on the track, Earnhardt explained how much Martin’s opinion meant to him. “Mark races me clean,” Earnhardt said. “I have a lot of respect for him, so I race him the same way because I certainly don’t want to lose that respect.”
He added, “You’re going around the track side by side there at the end of the race and you look over and you wonder what he thinks. You wonder what he thinks about you … if he’s impressed or surprised.”
Even though Earnhardt admitted to tapping Martin’s car a few times during that Richmond race, he made it clear it wasn’t dirty driving. “Just enough to get him looking in the mirror a little more than he was,” Earnhardt said.
Martin, one of the most respected drivers in NASCAR history, was known for racing clean—a quality Earnhardt admired and tried to mirror. “He’s not going to run into the side of you, he can guarantee you that. He’ll spin out before he does that, I think. He’s just that kind of guy,” Earnhardt said.
When Martin was asked about young Earnhardt, his praise was clear.
“I think that he’s just a really fine young man and that Dale Earnhardt should be proud, not only of his racing ability or success but the person that he is. I’ve watched him grow up from a distance and he’s pretty smart, and he’s very patient for what he is and what he’s doing and his experience level. He couldn’t possibly be doing a better job.”
High praise from one of the sport’s cleanest and most respected drivers.
- Source: NEWHD MEDIA
