“Dad was one tough dude”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. recalls bloody affair of when Dale Sr. avoided major NASCAR disaster

Known as "The Intimidator," the late Dale Earnhardt was a fierce competitor, ready to push his car to the front of the pack by any means necessary. Yet, there were moments when he narrowly avoided disasters. One such instance was in 1985 when he escaped getting struck in the face by a drive shaft from another car, avoiding a major accident, and continued the race. Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently shared the video of the incident on X and analyzed how mentally strong his father was.

Over his 26-year career, Dale Earnhardt Sr. won 76 Winston Cup races, including four Winston 500s in 1990, 1994, 1999, and 2000, and the 1998 Daytona 500. He also secured seven Winston Cup championships, a feat matched only by legends Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson. Although he died at the Daytona 500 in 2001, Earnhardt's maneuver 16 years earlier at Talladega showcased his mentally tough personality as he averted a potentially catastrophic wreck.

Recently, a fan dug up a clip from the 1985 Talladega 500 that captured a piece of debris from another car that struck Earnhardt in the face. Sharing the video, the fan wrote:

"July 28, 1985- Dale Earnhardt narrowly avoided disaster in the Talladega 500 when a piece of driveshaft from Trevor Boys' car smashes through his windshield...and almost hits him. Earnhardt would finish 24th, 32 laps down."

Reposting the video on X, Dale Jr. shared his own memories of the aftermath, writing:

"I went to the shop the next week and saw the car, and the driveshaft that went through it was still in the floorboard. The entire driveshaft came out of one car... was kicked into the air by another... and struck dad's roof... sending half of it over the car and the other half through the windshield."

"Dad was on tough dude, bloody and face full of glass. I don't think there was a driver any tougher but know in those days they all had to be tough. RCR would end up getting to the finish line somehow that day," he added.

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What went down at the 1985 Talladega 500 with Dale Earnhardt?

Dale Earnhardt Sr. had already won the Talladega 500 in 1983 and 1984 and was gunning for another win. But during the 1985 race, just after the halfway mark, a drive shaft from another car failed. Back then, windshields were made of glass and not as sturdy as today. The flying debris smashed into Earnhardt's car at speeds topping 200 mph, bending the roll bars, shattering the windshield, and elevating the roof by about six inches.

Glass sprayed inside the car, cutting the #3's face and leaving his chin bleeding. He steered his #3 Wrangler Chevrolet onto pit road, windshield gone and face bloodied. While his crew scrambled to fix the roll bars and fit a new windshield, The Intimidator used a damp towel to dab away the blood, unflinched in the chaos.

CBS pit reporter Mike Joy, who was covering Dale Earnhardt during that race, also reshared the video and commented on X:

"So, I didn't actually climb OVER the wall to interview Dale as repairs were made, but what a moment on live CBS-TV!"

Earnhardt lost several laps in the pits while his team hustled to make repairs. However, he never retreated behind the wall and stayed in his car throughout. At the time, he was sponsored by Wrangler Jeans, whose marketing slogan 'One Tough Customer' couldn't have described 'The Intimidator' better.