GET THIS, TRUE STORY: We camped in the infield for the 1989 Daytona 500 next day. Very early in the race, Dale's car had a major problem, any time he pulled out of a draft into fresh air, HE LOST A CYLINDER. Pull back in line, and the car ran fine. LOOK IT UP. In spite of this BIG problem, Dale managed to DRAFT near the front most of the day, usually
behind Ken Schrader. During a re-start very late in the race, we had walked as close as you could get to the apron smack dab in the middle of turns 3 & 4. During the 2nd lap of that late re-start, the biggest pack of cars was back to full speed, and due to a lengthy pit stop, Dale was WAY BACK in that pack. As the main pack of cars approached turn 3, they were
ALL racing 2 & 3 wide, and Dale was so high, almost "in the marbles". BUT SUDDENLY, HE SHOT DOWN TO THE BOTTOM SO FAST, IT SCARED THE PISS OUT OF US AND THE HUGE CROWD GATHERED THERE. WE THOUGHT HE WAS GONNA HIT THE INNER GUARD RAIL & MOW US ALL DOWN. BUT HE STUCK HIS CAR, THEN, SHOT BACK UP
HIGH BY THE TIME HE WAS INTO TURN 4, AS IF BOTH TURNS WERE "A SLALOM COURSE"......AND GOD AS MY WITNESS, HE PASSED AT LEAST 8 TO 10 CARS DURING THAT INSANE MANEUVER. He was passing cars DURING the drop off those high banks, and passing yet more cars as he shot back up high. There had to be around 300 ( or more )
people where were were standing, and we all jumped back & gasped, the whole crowd, thinking we were about to be mowed down by that 3 car dropping that fast. TO THIS VERY DAY, I HAVE NEVER WITNESSED SUCH AN INCREDIBLE FEAT OF DRIVING A RACE CAR. Dale somehow saw "a keyhole" in that "slalom move" he made. IT DIDN'T SEEM
REAL. Even all the Ford fans in that crowd there, were all saying: "THAT M-F'er SURE CAN DRIVE!!!" It's the only thing we all talked about for the rest of the race. I think he finished somewhere around 13th? BUT NO TV CAMERA EVER SHOWED THE WORLD THAT MOVE WE WITNESSED IN REAL LIFE. "The pass in the grass" wasn't SHIT compared to what
we witnessed that man do right there. And I will never forget that maneuver he did, way back in the pack, where NO TV camera's aired it, as long as I live. I wish other people WHO WERE ACTUALLY THERE TOO......would come forward to back my claim, because it's true.