|| *Comments on the 1985 Valleydale 500:* View the most recent comment <#28> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. Matthew Sullivan posted: 12.17.2005 - 3:01 am Rate this comment: (6) (0) Like Earnhardt or not, nobody can deny the determination the man has. He proved it on this day, losing power steering 100 laps into the race and fighting the car all the way into victory lane. 2. MOST posted: 05.07.2006 - 7:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I agree with that, damn good run that day. 3. nascarman posted: 08.15.2006 - 2:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ken Schrader's first top ten. 4. Bill posted: 12.22.2006 - 8:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race was a wreckfest the first 50 laps. Bill Elliot and Darrell Waltrip both were damaged in a crash caused by Terry Labonte spinning out Lake Speed in front of them. DW went 3 laps down while his crew repaired heavy front end damage, yet he was able to get two of his laps back and was almost as strong as Earnhardt. His day ended though when he blew his engine and spun his car into the wall. Neil Bonnett was involved in two wrecks (his car looked like junk yet was still running at the end of the race). 5. The Real Thomas posted: 12.19.2007 - 10:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race was run on the following Saturday after it was rained out the previous Sunday. 6. Spen posted: 05.20.2008 - 6:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) For the first time since 1975, DW didn't lead a lap at Bristol. 7. Ryan posted: 12.11.2008 - 4:16 pm Rate this comment: (3) (1) You want to talk about a gutsy performance. You are at a disadvantage by not having any power steering like all the other drivers, yet you still win. Dale was the best. He was always in less than equal cars and won a lot of races. Put him in a Hendrick car he would have won at least 100 races. 8. Aaron posted: 01.21.2010 - 10:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Was this race televised flag to flag? 9. b4il3y posted: 02.11.2010 - 1:28 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yep.. I have a copy of it. And yes, wreckfest it was. Marlin used some pit strategy to get up front, and they interviewed Earl Sadler about it..he said he's never bringing him into pit as long as they run up front. 10. Anonymous posted: 03.12.2011 - 4:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) "always in less than equal cars", lmao 11. Walleyewacker posted: 06.08.2011 - 6:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) The Hendrick cars were far from being the best during 1984-94 when Earnhardt was at his best and the Childress cars were top 5. Get some perspective Ryan. 12. Terminator posted: 10.23.2011 - 9:51 am Rate this comment: (3) (5) Earnhardt's fan's were delusional podunks.See Ryan as a prime example.Btw Ryan,Earnhardt did not die on the cross for your sins,cure cancer or walk on water. 13. Chris posted: 10.12.2012 - 7:04 am Rate this comment: (3) (0) Coming form someone who absolutely HATED Earnhardt, he was the best there was!!! 14. Ryan W posted: 06.23.2013 - 7:52 pm Rate this comment: (2) (1) "The Hendrick cars were far from being the best during 1984-94 when Earnhardt was at his best and the Childress cars were top 5. Get some perspective Ryan." They were pretty good at a lot of places and if you put him in their car from 1984-2001 then he has over 100 race wins. That's as good as perspective there is. Stop drinking the Hatorade. "Earnhardt's fan's were delusional podunks.See Ryan as a prime example.Btw Ryan,Earnhardt did not die on the cross for your sins,cure cancer or walk on water." I agree that he didn't do those things, but God used him to bring a lot of joy to a lot of people, even those that had the cancer and were misfortunate. Like the time he gave money to a church that was about to go under and even paid for them to have a parking lot paved... You wouldn't hear that from a lot of athletes or celebrities in this day and age... yep, Dale was such as asshole... smh You can say what you want about him or his fans, but you can't ignore his determination during his career or in particular at this race. He would not be denied and beat everyone at a major disadvantage at one of the most difficult races to race at already even WITH power steering. Maybe you're the delusional hater who is in denial. 15. Walleyewhacker posted: 02.15.2014 - 1:24 pm Rate this comment: (0) (3) Earnhardt was a stubborn driver not capable of winning 100 races no matter whose cars he drove because of his driving style. He didn't know when to not attack a track that require finesse. It took him 10 years to finish in the lead lap at Dover, a finesse track. Earnhardt struggled to win at other tracks which require a smooth driving style as well like MIS, Phoenix, Rockingham and Pocono. Only three wins at Daytona as well. Petty, Pearson, Cale and Bobby Allison didn't struggle for wins at those tracks because they could adapt their driving style. 37 of 76 Earnhardt wins came at four tracks, Atlanta, Bristol, Talladega and Darlington. 16. Brock posted: 03.16.2014 - 5:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm watching this race now and I believe there's a mistake - Phil Good ran the #76 in this race, not Buddy Arrington in the #67. 17. saltsburgtrojanfan posted: 04.16.2015 - 12:49 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Caution 1: Lap 9-16: #9,11,44,47,75 accident turn 3 Caution 2: Lap 37-47: #4,5,12,27,33 accident turn 4 Caution 3: Lap 50-52: #70 accident frontstretch Caution 4: Lap 76-82: #6 spun turn 2 Caution 5: Lap 132-136: #22 accident turn 1 Caution 6: Lap 138-143: #12 accident frontstretch Caution 7: Lap 149-154: #71 spun turn 3 Caution 8: Lap 181-190: #11 spun turn 2 Caution 9: Lap 193-195: debris Caution 10: Lap 204-208: #44,90 accident turn 2 Caution 11: Lap 223-229: #95 accident turn 1 Caution 12: Lap 297-301: #41,43,88 accident turn 2 Caution 13: Lap 314-318: #33 accident frontstretch Caution 14: Lap 393-397: #9,75 spun backstretch Caution 15: Lap 477-480: #49,64 spun turn 2 18. curtis oaks posted: 07.16.2016 - 6:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I've got this magazine and it is awesome..would anyone know or be interested in purchasing it or if it's worth anything..thanks race fans..love you all!! 19. Ryan posted: 05.04.2018 - 8:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Finesse definition- 1. extreme delicacy or subtlety in action, performance, skill, discrimination, taste, etc. 2. skill in handling a difficult or highly sensitive situation; adroit and artful management: exceptional diplomatic finesse. "Earnhardt was a stubborn driver not capable of winning 100 races no matter whose cars he drove because of his driving style. He didn't know when to not attack a track that require finesse. It took him 10 years to finish in the lead lap at Dover, a finesse track. Earnhardt struggled to win at other tracks which require a smooth driving style as well like MIS, Phoenix, Rockingham and Pocono. Only three wins at Daytona as well. Petty, Pearson, Cale and Bobby Allison didn't struggle for wins at those tracks because they could adapt their driving style. 37 of 76 Earnhardt wins came at four tracks, Atlanta, Bristol, Talladega and Darlington." Walleye I know you didn't like Earnhardt, but I'm really not sure you know what meaning of finesse is. Earnhardt is the all-time leader in wins at Daytona. More than likely that 34 win record will last for a long time if not forever. Sadly for Earnhardt and his fans it could have been more if not for awful luck in the Daytona 500. If everything would have went right for Earnhardt in the Daytona 500 like it went wrong he very well could have had 13 Daytona 500 wins ('80, '84, '86, '87, '89, '90, '91, '93, '95, '96, '97, '99, and '01). He should have won '86 and '90 no doubt. You mentioned Michigan and Pocono as finesse tracks. Lets get serious, you have to have power to win at those tracks. Earnhardt never had the Hendrick, Yates, Junior Johnson, or Ernie Elliott power in those days. If he had that power, he would have won more. Plain and simple. I would say that Darlington would be considered "handling a difficult or highly sensitive situation". What's really a shame is that during Dale's prime (1985-1996) the Nascar Series only raced between 28-31 races per year. Since Dale's death in 2001 they race 36 times a year. It would have been nice for Dale to have had those 6-7 extra races a year for that 12 year period which probably would have added at least 15 more wins to his career. Not to mention had he raced when Petty, Yarborough, Allison, and Pearson got their start he would have been able to race 50-60 times a year. Richard Petty said it best, "Had Earnhardt came around when I was racing he very well might have won 300 races." The King generally has the final say so. When the chips were on the line Earnhardt WON at Phoenix in 1990 to regain the point lead with one race to go at Atlanta. When he had the chance to clinch his 7th championship at Rockingham in 1994 he did by WINNING the race. He WON the race at Atlanta in 1986 to clinch the championship. He out dueled 3 time national champion Cale Yarborough in 1980 (Dale's sophomore year) to win his first championship. An amazing feat to this day. He is still the only driver ever to win rookie of the year and the championship in back to back seasons. If Bristol and Darlington doesn't require finesse then I don't know does. Those are two of the toughest tracks to win at on the circuit and have been for a long time. 20. Anonymous posted: 05.04.2018 - 9:00 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) "Earnhardt in less than equal cars" LMAO. He didn't know what lesser cars were from the mid eighties to the mid nineties. 21. Gray Gaulding's Distant Cousin posted: 05.14.2018 - 12:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @16 Phil Good qualified the 67 but turned it over to Buddy DC #67 Phil Good Arrington Racing Chrysler (Buddy Arrington) 22. Timberwolf Frenzel posted: 06.07.2018 - 4:15 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Actually, Phil Good drove the 67 in the race according to the broadcast. 23. Turd Ferguson posted: 09.22.2018 - 9:50 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) About halfway through the race, Earnhardt radioed he would not make it to the end due to the power steering issue. Childress asked DW to standby, and he agreed, should Earnhardt need a driver change. -From MRN classic race rebroadcast 24. Evan posted: 02.01.2020 - 12:24 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor Update 2nd place finisher #15 Ricky Rudd-Motorcraft/Camelot Source:Camelot was a sponsor on the hood of the Bud Moore Ford during the race as seen in starting lineups of an ESPN Classic airing of the race. 25. SweetRich posted: 02.16.2020 - 8:30 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The Commentators For The Race Were Bob Jenkins And Benny Parsons. The Pit Road Reporters Were Jack Arute And Larry Nuber. 26. NewGuyOnTheBlock posted: 04.10.2020 - 9:38 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ESPN broadcast this race. 27. RaceFanX posted: 04.22.2020 - 10:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) ESPN set up a very cool demonstration to show how steep the banking is at Bristol before this race. The company got an old stripped out Volkswagen Beetle that looked ready for the junkyard and put it near the outside wall before Larry Nuber, Bob Jenkins, and Jack Arute gave it a light kick that sent the bug tumbling down the banking. The VW flipped twice side over side before it reached the bottom. 28. ThomasNester posted: 07.04.2020 - 2:01 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) The King's 400th consecutive start ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: