“The Spice Girls; Balanced my mustache”: When Dale Earnhardt revealed 10 hysterical reasons why it took him 20 years to win Daytona 500

Legendary driver Dale Earnhardt once shared his 'top 10' reasons for taking almost two decades to clinch the prestigious Daytona 500 race.

Seven-time Cup Series champion Dale Sr. was a force to be reckoned with in the '80s and '90s. In his storied career of almost 27 years, the Kannapolis, North Carolina native competed in over 650 races and triumphed 76 times. However, it took him close to 20 years to finally drive through the victory lane of 'the greatest American race', the Daytona 500.

Back in 1998, David Letterman hosted Dale Sr. on his late-night talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, where the NASCAR Hall of Famer showed his humorous side and listed his reasons for taking so long to win the famed race.

Earnhardt started from the 10th reason on his list and claimed it took him 19 years to realize he had the emergency brake on. Followed by the No. 9 reason where he said:

"Finally rotated and balanced my mustache." [0:53]

He also took a dig at the Canadian snowboarding team and joked about his cousin, Ricky, riding shotgun with him all this time. Earnhardt Sr. then added:

"Just figured out that if you mash the gas pedal all the way down, the car takes off like a son of b**ch." [1:44]

"My new pit crew - The Spice Girls," Dale Sr. ranked third on the list.

In the end, Dale Earnhardt shared his No.1 reason why it took him 20 years to clinch his first and only Daytona 500 win and said:

"My secret to success: One can of motor oil in the engine, one can of motor oil in the pants."

Here's the full video where the NASCAR legend showcased his impeccable delivery and timing while he listed his hilarious top 10 reasons during the show:

In his time with Richard Childress Racing, Dale Sr. finished runner-up three times and inside the top 5 four times before lifting the Harley J. Earl trophy at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

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"I was cheering and crying at home" - Dale Earnhardt's mother Martha once opened up on witnessing her son's first and only Daytona 500 win

Dale Earnhardt (Source: Imagn)

In a conversation with David Poole, the famed motorsports journalist, Martha Earnhardt reminisced about the moment she saw her son, Dale Earnhardt, win the 1998 Daytona 500 race. She said (via NASCAR):

"I was home watching, and I was cheering and crying at home just like I would if I had been there. Dale called me from winner’s circle and that made me feel real good. He said, “Mom! I finally won the Daytona 500! I said, ‘Yeah, son, I saw you did!’"

Martha added:

"For the last 10 laps, I walked the floor. I would sit down, I’d get up, I’d sit down. … I couldn’t stay sitting down until I knew he had won it. It was just a really great feeling because I knew how hard and how long he has tried to win and how close he has come."