Becoming Earnhardt 1980 Vol. 4 - Jake Packs His Suitcase

Imagine being a sophomore, leading the NASCAR points with Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough breathing down your neck. That was Dale Earnhardt’s reality in May of 1980. He and the Osterlund Team are fresh off back-to-back wins in hot pursuit of more trophies, but the competition is heating up. The young outfit gets a lesson in stock car excellence from Buddy Baker and Waddell Wilson, as Dale has a rematch with the Gray Ghost at Talladega. After a quiet race at Nashville and an engine failure at Dover, things begin boiling over in the 2-car’s garage.

As the Cup Series returns home for World 600 weekend, there was a tension you could cut with a knife between team management and legendary crew chief Jake Elder. The decision is made to turn their focus away from their Cup program to run the Mello Yello 300 Late Model Sportsman race, and Jake declares he’s had enough. To make matters worse, the weekend proves disastrous when a cut tire dashes Dale’s hopes of a hometown victory and slashes his points lead in half. The next day, Dale and the Osterlund team get a harsh reminder of why they call Jake Elder: “Suitcase”.

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