"Only time Dale Sr. ever got booed" - Carson Hocevar leads drivers reflecting on memorable NASCAR moments they’d like to witness

Carson Hocevar, Corey LaJoie, and three other NASCAR Cup drivers shared what moment in the sport’s history they would like to witness in person. In a recent video on Instagram, Hocevar picked the 1995 Goody’s 500 from Bristol Motor Speedway.

The No. 77 Chevrolet driver believed that race was the “only time Dale Earnhardt Sr. ever got booed" following a racing incident between Earnhardt Sr. and Rusty Wallace. Here's what Hocevar had to say in the interview with Chat Us Up:

“When Dale wrecked Rusty Wallace at Bristol. I mean it’s the only time Dale Sr.’s got booed. It’d be cool to see and just, you know, wondering if Rusty’s [going to] fight him in Victory Lane and whatnot and everything."

The incident happened on the 32nd lap when Earnhardt Sr., driving the #3 Chevrolet, executed a bump-and-run move on Wallace’s #2 Ford, causing the latter to spin just beside the start/finish line. The American also spun Terry Labonte in the final lap but he managed to cross the line sideways to win the race.

Amid the rising tension, Earnhardt Sr. and Wallace had an altercation, albeit the former looked like he kept his cool during the heated exchange.

LaJoie, who drives alongside Hocevar for Spire Motorsports in the #7 Chevrolet Camaro, chose the infamous Daytona 500 fight between Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough in 1979.

“I would love to be on the outside of the track of turn 3, 1979, for the fight… or driving a tow truck, you know, riding a tow truck, roll up, and these guys just start beating each other in the head with helmets,” LaJoie said.

Michael McDowell and Erik Jones picked the 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 from Darlington Raceway where Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch had a photo finish. The neck-to-neck battle, which was named one of NASCAR’s '75 Greatest Races' in 2023, saw Craven win by 0.002 seconds.

“I’d probably be sitting at the start/finish line at Darlington for the Kurt Busch finish there. That was pretty wild, right?” McDowell said.

Meanwhile, Jones said:

“I mean for my generation, I always think of Darlington with Craven and Kurt. I mean being there watching that finish in person I think would be pretty incredible."

Harrison Burton, who drives for Wood Brothers Racing in the No. 21 Ford Mustang, also picked a Dale Earnhardt Sr. moment, his first win at the Daytona 500 in 1998. Despite entering the race as a 7-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, that was Earnhardt Sr.'s only win at NASCAR’s most prestigious race on the calendar.

“I would probably choose Dale Earnhardt’s first win at Daytona in the 500. That would be really cool just seeing all the teams high five and stuff, that’s pretty insane,” Burton said.

The 1995 Bristol race was not the only one when Dale Earnhardt Sr. got booed

Despite Carson Hocevar's assumption, the 1995 night race at Bristol wasn’t the only time Earnhardt Sr. received boos from the crowd. Four years later, on the same track, the 7-time NASCAR champion spun Terry Labonte in the closing laps and eventually won the race.

Fans didn't like Earnhardt Sr.'s move and started booing him. When Labonte relived the moment in 2019, he said:

“I don’t think I’ve ever been to a race and heard that [booing] in a race like as loud as that."

While booing will likely never leave the sport, it could be a reflection of an athlete's greatness.