Dale Jr.'s guest Travis Carter remembers Dale Earnhardt's hidden generosity that "people need to know existed”

Former NASCAR crew chief Travis Carter recently told Dale Earnhardt Jr. a story about his father’s generosity that “people need to know existed.” Travis Carter spent two decades in the sport as a crew chief. His notable achievements were winning the NASCAR Winston Cup championship in 1973 and the Daytona 500 in 1975 with Benny Parsons.

Carter also worked with other Hall of Famers like Cale Yarborough and Junior Johnson. In a recent episode of Earnhardt Jr.’s Dale Jr. Download podcast, Carter recalled when Dale Earnhardt Sr. gave him a commemorative knife during a pre-season health evaluation at Daytona. He first acknowledged Earnhardt Sr.’s character and then proceeded with the story.

“I think he’s just a great guy. I always, you know, everybody respected him,” Travis Carter said.

“And I remember at Daytona. The drivers would have to go to this little hospital thing for whatever check-in before the season started,” Carter said. “So he (Earnhardt Sr.) walks from there and he comes brushing by me and I feel something, and he just keeps going, and I reach, and he slid a commemorative knife in my pocket,” Carter recalled.

“Just stuff like that he did for people just because he was... either liked him or appreciated them or saying hello or whatever. But that’s part of Dale Earnhardt that people need to know existed,” the former crew chief shared.

Earnhardt Jr. told Carter that his father and Junior Johnson were very similar. Both NASCAR Hall of Famers were said to be doing good deeds for people without needing to let others know.

The former crew chief continued recalling the character of Earnhardt Sr. on the podcast, saying:

“He appreciated what he had and what he had worked hard to earn. He didn’t want to flaunt it. He just appreciated being that fortunate and being in that position, I think.”

Carter was Yarborough’s crew chief when the fight with Donnie Allison broke out at the 1979 Daytona 500. It was one of the most memorable races in NASCAR's history as the infamous brawl put the sport on the map.

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Travis Carter shared that Dale Earnhardt Sr. asked him to work with him at Richard Childress Racing

During the same podcast, Travis Carter told Dale Earnhardt Jr. that his father asked the former crew chief to work with him twice. The second time was when Earnhardt Sr. was with Richard Childress Racing. Carter refused the offer to work on his team and be his boss instead.

Speaking to Earnhardt Jr., Carter said turning down the offer was a "bad choice." Regardless, he always thought of the Intimidator as a friend for whom he had great respect.

"A second time when he was with Richard Childress, they called me and asked me about coming to work for him. I thought, you know, I kind of want to have my own team, be my own boss, I just don't want to do that because I'm not sure I would give them what they needed," Carter said. [0:36]

Dale Earnhardt Sr. tragically died in a last-lap crash at the Daytona 500 in 2001. His son, Earnhardt. Jr., was ahead of him in P2 when his No. 3 Chevrolet was hit and got into the wall. He secured the NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship seven times - a feat only he, Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson achieved.