|| *Comments on the 1989 Holly Farms 400:* View the most recent comment <#57> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. Jake posted: 11.26.2004 - 4:03 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) This race occured the day before I was born. But I've seen it several times on ESPN Classics, and boy was it a classic. Dale Sr. dominated the race until Ricky Rudd wrecked himself and Dale Sr. on the final lap while battling for the win. Loved what Dale Sr. said after the race. Dick Berrgen: "How will this affect your championship, you got 3 more to go..." Dale Sr: "What do ya think? They oughta fine that son of a bitch and make him sit out the rest of the year, I dunno." 2. Chicago posted: 11.04.2005 - 2:37 pm Rate this comment: (8) (3) Earnhardt banging people into the wall and spinning them out of the way was fine until the shoe was on the other foot. 3. Steve posted: 01.18.2006 - 10:59 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) If Dale Earnhardt and Ricky Rudd had not spun on the last lap, Dale would likely have won, and Rusty Wallace would have finished 9th. The points difference between leading the most laps and winning, and leading the most laps and finishing 10th, which Dale did, is 41 points. The difference between finishing 7th and 9th, which is where Wallace would have finished if the leaders had not spun, is 8 points. Rusty Wallace won the Winston Cup that year by 12 points. So you could say that Ricky Rudd cost Dale Earnhardt an 8th championship. Also interesting that winner Geoffrey Bodine went a lap down before halfway. 4. Canadian Fan posted: 01.03.2007 - 8:53 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSi3gQ3_sZo 5. Anonymous posted: 01.07.2007 - 4:58 pm Rate this comment: (7) (3) I thought then and still think now that Earnhardt chopped Rudd off. Earnhardt's post-race interview was a joke. "Fine him and make him sit out the rest of the year?". Yeah, maybe they should've sat out Earnhardt for all the stupid things he did over the years. 6. Darrell posted: 04.11.2007 - 4:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bodine had already announced that he would leave Hendrick at the end of the year, and Ricky Rudd would replace him. Yet another twist of irony. 7. NascarMan posted: 09.24.2007 - 10:52 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) !!!!!And both of them spin!!!!!!!! 8. Mark O. posted: 11.13.2007 - 6:56 am Rate this comment: (4) (0) You could also point to the two last place finishes Earnhardt had at the 600 and the fall Charlotte race as to why he didn't win the championship. 9. Scott posted: 05.11.2008 - 9:41 am Rate this comment: (3) (1) My heart sank. I could taste that championship, he was so good and so close that year. 10. Ryan posted: 08.18.2008 - 1:36 am Rate this comment: (4) (5) Dale ran the same line the whole race just like he did on the last lap, and Ricky ran the same line the whole race too, except for the last lap... Morgan Shepard also cost Earnhardt in '95 when he turned him at the first Talladega race on the last lap... It cost him about 60 points and he lost the title by 34... He should have at least 8 titles 11. GJinVA posted: 08.25.2008 - 4:18 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) Rudd had the lane, but it doesn't matter. It was just good hard short track racing and neither driver was at fault for anything but trying to win a race on the last lap. Plenty of Dale's wins over the years came from far more blatant and intentional moves than this. If people want to say he should have 8 championships because of this, then I say he should still have 7 because Mark Martin won the '90 championship. I'd rather we have a finish like this in our sport's history than have my favorite driver come out on top. On a different note, wasn't this the first ever race with radial tires? 12. 18fan posted: 10.24.2008 - 8:32 pm Rate this comment: (5) (5) Dale cut off Rudd! Ricky had the inside, Dale cuts a dumbass move on him, and Rudd hit him. He deserved it every race. Dale sucked 13. Ryan posted: 01.02.2009 - 12:27 am Rate this comment: (7) (2) lol at "dale sucked" what a clown 14. jp posted: 04.11.2009 - 9:58 am Rate this comment: (0) (3) Every NASCAR fan in my family says that this is what cost Earnhardt the '89 championship. Including me. If it wasnt for this, Earnhardt would have won it by any where from 150-180 points. 15. Clayton posted: 05.18.2009 - 7:44 pm Rate this comment: (5) (5) Senior derserved this. He was the dirtiest driver in the sport. It's about time someone paid him back! 16. Sébastien posted: 05.20.2009 - 12:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dave Marcis ran a Monte Carlo in this race. 17. Sébastien posted: 05.20.2009 - 1:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Bob Jenkins said on the broadcast that the Dinner Bell car DNQed for the race. I assume it was Greg Sacks in the #48 : his only DNQ for 1989 on this website is Richmond fall so this would be one more (Dinner Bell finally made the show, on Ernie Irvan's car). 18. Sean posted: 06.13.2009 - 11:49 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) "Every NASCAR fan in my family says that this is what cost Earnhardt the '89 championship. Including me. If it wasnt for this, Earnhardt would have won it by any where from 150-180 points." Huh, how? He lost the title by 12 and he lost 41 points in this race if you assume a win (185 points) or 36 points if you assume second place (180 points). How would he have won the title by 150-180 points if he won this race? 19. ttspencer posted: 03.13.2010 - 6:17 pm Rate this comment: (4) (5) Dale chopped Rudd on the last lap. Anyone can see that. Earnhardt fans are so biased, not to mention dumb as hell 20. fannie l davis posted: 04.23.2010 - 8:04 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) tt spencer no need in name calling , we like who we want no matter how smart a person is , also in that era of racing there were many drivers who made moves and drove like sr and some still do i am a very proud earnhardt fan and always will be rip sr and thanks for the memories ..... 21. myself posted: 06.04.2010 - 11:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) ttspencer just hit the nail on the head!!!! 22. RaceFanX posted: 11.23.2010 - 11:01 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Geoff Bodine gets his only Cup win of the 1989 season by leading just the money lap. Hey, that's all you really need. 23. Anonymous posted: 02.03.2011 - 10:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) "Dale ran the same line the whole race just like he did on the last lap, and Ricky ran the same line the whole race too, except for the last lap..." This might be the most ridiculous argument I've ever seen anyone make. 24. DaleSrFanForever posted: 03.15.2011 - 8:05 pm Rate this comment: (2) (4) How could Dale have chopped him? Rudd was in his door before they even got to the part of the turn where they go for the bottom. Taking the white flag Rudd was all the way against the inside pit wall. No way he was making that turn. Just like Dale on the last lap of the 1992 Winston. You can't dive that low and make the corner. Look, that is racing. Every driver screws up at some point. As I said, Dale made the same mistake in the 1992 Winston. But don't say Dale chopped him. He didn't even get the chance to. Also remember, Dale and Rudd had bumping rivalry going anyways. And let's face it, this is the highlight of Rudd's career. It is the only championship battle he made a difference in. 25. Anonymous posted: 06.28.2011 - 4:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) >And let's face it, this is the highlight of Rudd's career. It is the only championship battle he made a difference in. Hardly. Ricky had some nice wins, the great win in 1984 at Richmond with taped up eyelids after his nasty Daytona crash, the 1997 Brickyard 400, the Martinville race in 1998 when he won despite boiling for over 300 laps in a failed coolsuit, the 2001 Richmond win when Harvick nearly spun him, he recovered, caught Harvick and did the bump-and-run on him for the win, and some classic road course battles and wins against Rusty Wallace. Ricky was the best heel-and-toe, upshift and down shift driver of his generation. He also had a great second at Pocono in 1986 to Tim Richmond at perhaps the best race ever held at that track with a car that probably had close to 20 less hp than Richmond's. 26. Ryan posted: 08.22.2011 - 1:52 am Rate this comment: (2) (1) "And let's face it, this is the highlight of Rudd's career. It is the only championship battle he made a difference in." As Jeopardy's Alex Trabek (sp) would say, Ewwewwwewww, lol "Hardly. Ricky had some nice wins, the great win in 1984 at Richmond with taped up eyelids after his nasty Daytona crash, the 1997 Brickyard 400, the Martinville race in 1998 when he won despite boiling for over 300 laps in a failed coolsuit, the 2001 Richmond win when Harvick nearly spun him, he recovered, caught Harvick and did the bump-and-run on him for the win, and some classic road course battles and wins against Rusty Wallace. Ricky was the best heel-and-toe, upshift and down shift driver of his generation. He also had a great second at Pocono in 1986 to Tim Richmond at perhaps the best race ever held at that track with a car that probably had close to 20 less hp than Richmond's." You talk about his rare wins, DSFF is talkng about championships... You know, the big picture? 27. DJ posted: 12.30.2011 - 12:40 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Earnhardt made a foolish decision and it cost him a championship.This was one time he should of been content with second. 28. TT posted: 03.04.2012 - 4:08 am Rate this comment: (2) (2) "How could Dale have chopped him? Rudd was in his door before they even got to the part of the turn where they go for the bottom. Taking the white flag Rudd was all the way against the inside pit wall. No way he was making that turn. Just like Dale on the last lap of the 1992 Winston. You can't dive that low and make the corner." Just to put it out there, I'm not a Rudd fan... and I'm sorry man, but this isn't even close to true. The video's on youtube and everything. At the s/f line, Rudd is up against Earnhardt. You can compare the ideal solo racing line from other laps to what Rudd was doing, and it's pretty clear that Rudd was fine. He was absolutely gonna make the corner, and Dale absolutely turned down as if Rudd didn't have his car low for the entire frontstretch. The only thing that's deceiving is that Earnhardt spins at a section of the track where the pit road exit is, and since Rudd isn't against the grass, suddenly people believe that Rudd wasn't on the "bottom". Rudd absolutely was on the bottom groove, though. It's really easy to compare how low Rudd is when the contact is made to how other side by side battles looked the entire race, as well as how low Earnhardt was in the lead the lap before. 29. Dave posted: 05.14.2012 - 3:53 am Rate this comment: (5) (0) Can everyone please shut up about "he should have 8 titles" & "if this didn't happen" or "if he won this race." That's just the way racing goes. Do you know how many drivers lost titles because of one or two bad races??? The points system rewards drivers on consistency, regardless of bad luck. Not to mention when you drive the way Earnhardt did you draw a bullseye on yourself( & I mean no disrespect to the man, just stating facts) 30. Dave posted: 05.14.2012 - 4:01 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) & Yes Ricky went too hard into the corner but it was for the lead on the LAST LAP. Are you trying to tell me we should criticize drivers for giving it everything they have for a win?? Just good hard short track racing & as fans you should stop whining & appreciate a classic finish! Oh and just to state the obvious, Earnhardt would've done the same thing in Rudds shoes 31. wrank fakefield posted: 12.29.2013 - 1:48 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) Either the way Rudd raced Earnhardt on the last lap here is fair game, or the way Earnhardt raced Waltip at Richmond in 86, or Labonte at Bristol in 95 and 99, isn't. Take your pick. 32. Michael Schwartz posted: 06.30.2015 - 2:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Only Winston Cup appearance for Dale Fischlein, who would later compete in the Busch & ARCA series. 33. 52 posted: 12.10.2015 - 6:12 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I have watched this ending many times. I don't agree with those who say it cost Dale the title. If everyone remembers, Rusty had to only finish 18th or better to win the title. Atlanta was a place where Rusty ran very well, so much like Bill Elliott the previous year, he was ultra conservative. I feel he easily could have placed in the top 6 if he had to. Rusty did just enough to win and not lose a motor again. 34. Maverick posted: 10.23.2016 - 6:44 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Should be parked and fined? Sounds like the Intimidator couldn't handle being intimidated. 35. chevyfan98 posted: 10.23.2016 - 6:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) Pretty much. Also whined about Mayfield at Pocono when he got a taste of his own medicine. 36. DaleSr3Fan posted: 07.02.2017 - 9:41 am Rate this comment: (1) (1) Wow... 343 laps led. I wish the last lap crash wouldn't have happened, but this and the Charlotte mechanical failure really sunk the 3 ship that year. 37. cjs3872 posted: 07.02.2017 - 11:25 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Especially the broken camshaft at Charlotte, @36, because that relegated Earnhardt to a last place finish. Now if Earnhardt had given Rudd more room on the bottom of the track, he might not have won this race, but he certainly wouldn't have finished any worse than second. And I think Earnhardt used the mistake he made on the final lap of this race to his benefit in later championship battles, because in later seasons, he was willing to give up the little battles, such as individual races, to win the big prize, the championship. The 49-point swing on the final lap of this race (Earnhardt dropping from first to tenth, losing 41 points and Rusty Wallace moving up from tenth to eighth, gaining eight points) was certainly far more than what he would lose the championship by (12 points), but it might have given him a far more valuable lesson in how to race for a championship going forward. 38. 95McDowellFan posted: 08.20.2017 - 4:19 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Earnhardt's fault, he came down on Rudd, I liked Sr. but some people seem to think he doesn't make mistakes... 39. Greg24ChaseFan posted: 09.10.2017 - 10:29 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I remember there was still a bit of Hugo damage around Wilkesboro at the time. Nothing major, but I remember going as a kid and seeing some trees down still. 40. Guest posted: 11.08.2017 - 2:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (4) Hey Ricky Rudd, how many laps did you lead in this race? ZERO, but you sure had an impact on the finish. Did they even interview Rudd after the incident? I've seen this race 100 times and can't recall one, that's how irrelevant he was. I fault Earnhardt, he should of given Rudd more room he would of beat him back to the start finish line even if Rudd pulled ahead as his momentum from the high side of the track would of pulled him ahead. 41. Mile501 posted: 11.08.2017 - 8:13 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) How exactly is someone irrelevant when they're battling for the lead on the final lap, regardless of how many laps they led prior to that? 42. Ryan posted: 05.13.2018 - 11:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't recall Dale "whining" about Mayfield at Pocono in 2000, I do recall him after the race mentioning that it was a good points day on Bobby Labonte. Fact is he messed up in tunnel turn and that put him in a position to get bumped by Mayfield in the 3rd turn. I think it's hilarious that people get on Dale about being aggressive all the time, yet anytime when he was aggressive had an effect on the outcome when he won the championship, except when he was taken out by Rudd in this race that helped cause him to LOSE one. Charlotte hurt, and earlier in the year Darlington was hard on him when he cut a tire and hit the wall and caused him to have a bad finish. And at Bristol earlier in the year he hit a loose tire on pit road that wasn't his that bent his tie rod and he finished 16th. Usually at those two tracks during that time period he was money. 43. Josh posted: 06.05.2018 - 2:37 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I'm surprised no one has mentioned this, yet. Coming to two to go, Bobby Hillin, Jr. spun in Turn 1, and the ESPN broadcast was wondering if the caution was going to come out with Ricky Rudd and Geoff Bodine breathing down Earnhardt's neck. NASCAR elected to stay green, Hillin, Jr. got his car running in time (barely, you can see him in the picture of the leaders coming to the white and spinning down into Turn 1) and we all know what happened there. Even if the two had not tangled, I'm not convinced Earnhardt even wins the race. He was all over the place since the restart with three to go, going high in Turn 2 with two to go and then getting hella loose off of Turn 4 coming to the white, which is what allowed Ricky Rudd to get underneath him. Rudd, for his part, was fairly gracious and humorous when interviewed by Dick Berggren. Berggren asked what "you guys" were discussing, and Rudd said "The weather. It's a nice, warm day today." The race had been postponed two weeks from its original date due to incessant rain. Earnhardt, predictably, was not as cool. "I gave him the whole bottom lane and he knocked the $&!+ out of me." Typical Ironhead. 44. Ed posted: 06.05.2018 - 2:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @wrank fakefield, Earnhardt hooking DW into the wall head-on at Richmond was vastly different than the other three incidents you mentioned 45. Ryan posted: 06.05.2018 - 7:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @43 Yes, I'm surprised to this day NASCAR didn't throw the caution for the Hillin spin. He was in a bad spot. It kind of shoots down all this bs about "Earnhardt being NASCAR's boy". If they throw the caution Earnhardt wins the race because they didn't have a GWC then. I've watched this replay several times and if people actually take the time to watch it detail for detail then they'll see that Rudd was in the wrong. As soon as they took the white flag, Rudd started dipping very low on the race track. So low that he almost hit the pit wall! There is no way he was going to make that turn going that low without making contact with Earnhardt. He knew that, too. He hadn't ran that line the whole day when passing people. It was a cowardly act on Rudd's part. He went into that turn thinking "whatever happens, happens." He purposely wrecked Jeff Gordon at Charlotte in 1994. As @24 mentioned it was the only championship battle that Rudd ever made a difference in. 46. Tim posted: 09.19.2018 - 7:30 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) It was mentioned in the broadcast that the reason Ernie Irvan's #2 had the Dinner Bell Foods sponsorship was because Greg Sacks's #48, which normally carried the sponsorship, was entered for this race, but was not high enough in owner points to qualify (the field was set per points before Charlotte, as the race was originally to take place 10/1/1989, but was moved because of a hurricane). As often happened with DNQ's back then, Dinner Bell, wanting to be in the event, went to the Ulrich team for this race only. 47. Turn 4 posted: 11.02.2018 - 2:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race took place two days before the Great 1989 San Francisco Earthquake. 48. Jimnsimforever posted: 12.25.2018 - 2:46 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) In the drivers meeting before this race they told all of the drivers not in contention for the championship to give, Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin, and Darrell Waltrip a little extra room, don't mess one of them up, if you hit one you better go and hit the other 3, if you give one an advantage go give the other 3 an advantage too. Dick Bergrun (sp) reports on this not long after the caution that put both the Petty's out. Bob Jenkins and Benny Parsons then immediately agree with it, Ned Jarrett doesn't say anything, probably in a trance watching his son drive the Hardee's car praying for another good finish and knowing Jarrett will probably end up full time in Busch the next year or he would've agreed too. 49. RaceFanX posted: 12.28.2018 - 1:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race was delayed two weeks by inclement weather. Time trials were cancelled as a result with the field lined up according to points by where the standings had been at the original date, thus Dale Earnhardt still started first even though he'd lost the points lead to Rusty Wallace by this point. 50. Seb posted: 08.27.2019 - 8:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) There was 1 Monte Carlo in that race, #71 Marcis. 51. Turn4 posted: 09.22.2019 - 4:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Does anyone on here believe that the post race interviews with Ricky Rudd and Dale Earnhart looked staged (especially with Earnhart's post race interview because Dick Bergenns question to Earnhart is very random and vauge and Earnharts response to Bergrenns question is obvious he is trying to make it look good for the cameras by making it look like he's frustrated and Ricky Rudds humorous respons to Bergrens question about the last lap incident and I'm convinced that seconds after the race was over both Earnhart and Rudd just shrugged the whole thing off as just racing. 52. TheDewCrew posted: 03.19.2020 - 1:27 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) It is my opinion. No bias, I like any Earnhardt, but I also like anyone from my home state of Virginia. Earnhardt caused it. He went to try and block Rudd, or at least slow him down. Rudd has stated he just meant to run to Earnhardt's inside the entire last lap, to avoid Earnhardt using the bumper on him. Rudd never meant to make contact with him. Dale simply meant to block off Ricky. It was just unfortunate they made contact and caused the whole deal, that ended up losing Earnhardt the championship 53. Jordan posted: 03.19.2020 - 3:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I believe Rudd speaks to this incident during a recent appearance on the Dale Jr Download. He also spoke about a long ongoing feud with Sr, they didn't speak for 10+ years. Rudd's version of the events has Earnhardt causing the wreck. Rudd claims he got under him and was going to stay under him until running him up the track in 3/4. He knew if he got in front Dale would wreck him. (this is Rudd's story from the Dale Jr Download, I recommend listening to it!) 54. Tigerman posted: 05.20.2020 - 12:59 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Suggestions regarding DNQ's please correct me if I am wrong. James Hylton, self-owned #49 Buick Joe Ruttman, Douglas Smith-owned #62 Oldsmobile 55. BOBO83329521 posted: 05.21.2020 - 12:07 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) No one mentioned Tommy Ellis subbing for Neil Bonnett. Caution 1: #4 spin turn 3 Caution 2: #16, #30, #94 crash turns 3/4 Caution 3: #16, #42, #43, #57 crash front straight (no good cameras given on broadcast, so there may be more involved) Caution 4: #4 stalled back straight Caution 5: #43 spin turn 2 Caution 6: #7 spin front straight Caution 7: #15, #55 crash turn 4 Caution 8: #30 spin off turn 4 Caution 9: #94 spin front straight Caution 10: #88 spin turns 3/4 Caution 11: #8, #25 spin turn 2 56. AD posted: 07.15.2020 - 1:40 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Hindsight. Dale should have been content with second. But that aint Ironhead. As far as Dale's postrace comments.. Ricky did knock the shit out of him. Live by the sword. Die by the sword. Not many got Dale like Ricky did here. I think Dale is still is up as far as on track incidents go. Anyway. RIP Sr. 57. GGDC posted: 09.02.2020 - 10:15 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I want to add on to 54 I found a picture of Walter Surma attempting this race in an Unsponsored #77 Chevrolet So DNQs #49 James Hylton Hylton Racing Buick (James Hylton) #62 Joe Ruttman Baja Boats Oldsmobile (Douglas Smith) #77 Walter Surma Chevy (Mark Chapman Smith) Dale Fischlein ??? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: