3: The Dale Earnhardt Story
Encyclopedia
3: The Dale Earnhardt Story (sometimes referred to as The Dale Earnhardt Movie) is a 2004 television movie
produced by ESPN
documenting the life of NASCAR
driver Dale Earnhardt
, his poor upbringing in Kannapolis, North Carolina
, his rise to dominance in NASCAR, his relationship with his son, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
, and his death
in the 2001 Daytona 500
. It was first broadcast on December 11, 2004, and was subsequently released on DVD. Barry Pepper
stars as Dale Earnhardt.
Many race scenes were shot at Rockingham Speedway, after the track had lost its races and was used mostly as a test track and driving school. Chad McCumbee
, who portrayed Junior, later became a NASCAR
driver in the Truck Series
. He also raced alongside Dale Jr. himself at the Pocono 500
, driving Kyle Petty
's 45 car, as Kyle Petty
was in the TNT
broadcast booth.
and the Earnhardt family. The film, although capturing the essence of Dale Earnhardt, is inaccurate in many of the events seen in the film. Richard Childress, the former car owner and team owner of Dale Earnhardt sued ESPN for copyright infringement with the film's use of the "3" logo.
and Dale
in the film focuses primarily on their fierce rivalry, with little attention given to the friendship that would develop between the two. Waltrip noted this on his website during the runup to the film. Waltrip eventually drove for Earnhardt's race team in 1998. Also, it is Waltrip's tear-filled voice that can be heard saying "I just hope Dale's okay." during the film's depiction of Earnhardt's fatal crash at Daytona due to the use Fox Network's original footage and commentary, which is now owned by NASCAR Images (starting in 2001, NASCAR Images owns all NASCAR race footage; they also own the footage of the former Sunbelt Video).
Several cars shown in the movie were historically inaccurate. In the moments before the 2001 Daytona 500
, the cars of Bobby Labonte
, Rusty Wallace
, Bill Elliott
, Jeff Gordon
, and Rick Mast
, with Gordon's easily visible, as the 2001 season was the year the "Rainbow Warrior" livery was replaced with the "Fire and Flames" livery. Also notable was a wrong-year scene featuring Morgan-McClure Motorsports, where a late 1990s Kodak Max film livery was used instead of the Kodak Gold film livery. (The design was based on a box of Kodak film.) Also, the movie car was a Pontiac. The real car MMM fielded at the time was a Chevrolet Monte Carlo
. Morgan-McClure Motorsports did, however, field a Pontiac Grand Prix in the 2003 season. Another inaccuracy is the depiction of Rusty Wallace's car as a Dodge Intrepid
in the 43rd Great American Race, Penske Racing
did not switch to Dodge until 2003, and therefore Wallace was piloting a Ford Taurus
when the green flag dropped at DIS.
In two different scenes in the film, the infield of various tracks were shown with flags of drivers who were not driving at that time were shown, such as Tony Stewart
's flag at the Darlington
race in 1990, where Neil Bonnett
suffered a violent crash, along with several other cars involved.
The February 23, 1986 incident at Richmond International Raceway
was inaccurately depicted, where Earnhardt spun out Darrell Waltrip with three laps to go. In the film, Earnhardt's now-famous line "I didn't mean to wreck him, I just wanted to rattle his cage a little." was part of the post-race interview. That line, however, was not said at that time. Instead it was said at Bristol
on August 28, 1999 after Earnhardt spun out Terry Labonte
on the final lap to win the race.
In Earnhardt's first Daytona 500
start, the movie shows him driving a Chevrolet Monte Carlo
. However, he actually drove a Buick
. Also mentioned in the scene that Earnhardt finished 4th in the race, Earnhardt finished 8th in his first Daytona 500 start and thus it is also inaccurate. He finished 4th prior to that once in 1978 at Dover and would not score another top 5 until North Wilkesboro that same year of his first 500 start.
During the scene of him being at a gas station, soon after the short montage of Earnhardt winning the 1980 title, it showed John Anderson
flipping over during the 1981 qualifying races at Daytona. A race that Earnhardt finished 4th at.
The film made no mention of his two-year stint with car owner Bud Moore
from 1982 to 1983. In fact, for many years, Nationwide Series cars by Hendrick Motorsports
used #15 because Earnhardt drove a Hendrick-Gee car to a Busch Series win at Charlotte in 1983. From 2001 until 2007, a DEI car used #15 in honour of Moore.
Dale actually first met Teresa when she was about 16, and he knew she was Hal Houston's daughter (also the uncle of former driver Tommy Houston
). Their meeting is inaccurately portrayed in the film.
In the scenes of the 2001 Daytona 500, Dale is seen wearing a helmet with Corvette Racing decals, rather than his GM Goodwrench decaled helmet. (The Corvette Racing helmet was used in the Rolex 24 at Daytona that he raced along with his son, two weeks prior to that.)
In the 2001 Daytona 500 scene, Dale is seen wearing tinted racing goggles. Dale actually wore his clear racing goggles in his final race.
None of Earnhardt's crew chiefs were accurately mentioned. Earnhardt won his first championship with Doug Richert, then won his next four with Kirk Shelmerdine
, and his final two with Andy Petree
(now at ESPN
) at the top of the pit box. He won his only Daytona 500
with Larry McReynolds
(currently with Fox Sports). None were portrayed in the movie accurately.
Dale Earnhardt
did give a gun to Neil Bonnett
as a gift and their friendship is accurate.
When Dale wins the 1998 Daytona 500. During the line of pit crew members congratulating Dale, it was very noticeable that the Winston logo (the series sponosor from 1971–2003) covered the NEXTEL letters on the banner, NEXTEL became the series sponsor starting in 2004 before renaming to Sprint. Also in that scene, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is shown hugging his father in victory lane. Dale Jr. was not at the race; he had returned home following the Busch Series (now known as the Nationwide Series) race in which he was involved in a late race crash that resulted him to go airborne.
ESPN Original Entertainment executive producer Will Steger was quoted in the Dick Berggren's Speedway Illustrated magazine (December 2004) saying the film was an,"unauthorized docudrama...inspired by the true life of Dale Earnhardt." The story, written by Leo Dougherty, noted that Andy Hillenburg, the current owner of Rockingham Speedway, went across the country from Massachusetts to Florida to California collecting race cars for the film. Hillenburg provided 62 cars that were built into race cars and painted to reflect cars of certain eras in the film. Hillenburg owned the Bobby Allison car that was in the film. The car was in the Talladega museum and was the car Allison won the Daytona 500 with the year he beat his son, Davey, to the finish line. Ron Bouchard also loaned his 1981 Talladega-winning car to the film. Hillenburg is quoted in the article saying, "...those are the only cars that appear as they really are."
.
Realtree was shown as a sponsor during a dirt track race in the 1950s early in the film, but it was not founded until the 1980s.
Sunoco
Gasoline is shown on the fuel tankers in the movie, but Union 76
fuel was used in the era. (Sunoco did not sign with NASCAR until the start of the 2004 season. However, it should be noted many short tracks use CAM2 (now Sunoco) Racing Gasoline, even in the 1970s.)
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
produced by ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
documenting the life of NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
driver Dale Earnhardt
Dale Earnhardt
Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his involvement in stock car racing for NASCAR...
, his poor upbringing in Kannapolis, North Carolina
Kannapolis, North Carolina
Kannapolis is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte. The population was 42,625 at the 2010 census, which makes Kannapolis the 20th largest city in North Carolina...
, his rise to dominance in NASCAR, his relationship with his son, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
* NOTE: References to "Earnhardt", "he", and "him" refer to the subject of this article, unless otherwise specified. References to his father will include "Sr."...
, and his death
Death of Dale Earnhardt
Dale Earnhardt was an American race car driver who gained fame driving stock cars for NASCAR and winning seven championships. He was involved in a car accident during the last lap of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2001. He was taken to Halifax Medical Center,...
in the 2001 Daytona 500
2001 Daytona 500
The 2001 Daytona 500, the 43rd running of the event, was held on February 18, 2001 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida over 200 laps on the 2.5 mile asphalt tri-oval. Bill Elliott won the pole. The race will be forever remembered for the final lap...
. It was first broadcast on December 11, 2004, and was subsequently released on DVD. Barry Pepper
Barry Pepper
Barry Robert Pepper is a Canadian actor. He is best known for playing roles like Sergeant Michael Strank in the Clint Eastwood film, Flags of Our Fathers, Private Daniel Jackson in Saving Private Ryan, Roger Maris in 61*, Ned Pepper in True Grit and for his recent role as Robert F...
stars as Dale Earnhardt.
Many race scenes were shot at Rockingham Speedway, after the track had lost its races and was used mostly as a test track and driving school. Chad McCumbee
Chad McCumbee
Chad McCumbee is an American stock car driver. He currently drives the #1 ModSpace Ford Fusion for Andy Belmont Racing in the ARCA Racing Series and has run four full seasons in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He is also known for his portrayal of Dale Earnhardt, Jr...
, who portrayed Junior, later became a NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
driver in the Truck Series
Craftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
. He also raced alongside Dale Jr. himself at the Pocono 500
Pocono 500
The 5-hour Energy 500 is the first of two stock car races held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule in mid-June, the other being the Pennsylvania 500, usually held in early August. The Pocono 500 replaced a 400-mile race at Texas World Speedway on...
, driving Kyle Petty
Kyle Petty
Kyle Eugene Petty is a former American NASCAR driver and is currently a co-host for NASCAR RaceDay and panel member for NASCAR Smarts which are both on SPEED. He also commentates for TNT in the summer. He is the son of racer Richard Petty, grandson of racer Lee Petty, and father of the late Adam...
's 45 car, as Kyle Petty
Kyle Petty
Kyle Eugene Petty is a former American NASCAR driver and is currently a co-host for NASCAR RaceDay and panel member for NASCAR Smarts which are both on SPEED. He also commentates for TNT in the summer. He is the son of racer Richard Petty, grandson of racer Lee Petty, and father of the late Adam...
was in the TNT
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
broadcast booth.
Copyright infringement controversy
The script of this film was not approved by Teresa EarnhardtTeresa Earnhardt
Teresa Earnhardt was the third wife and is the widow of Dale Earnhardt. She is the biological mother of Taylor Nicole Earnhardt and she is the stepmother of Kerry Earnhardt, Kelley Earnhardt Miller and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Teresa is currently the president and Co. Chief Executive Officer of...
and the Earnhardt family. The film, although capturing the essence of Dale Earnhardt, is inaccurate in many of the events seen in the film. Richard Childress, the former car owner and team owner of Dale Earnhardt sued ESPN for copyright infringement with the film's use of the "3" logo.
Historical inaccuracies
The relationship between Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip
Darrell Lee Waltrip is a 3-time NASCAR Cup Series champion , 3-time runner-up , winner of the 1989 Daytona 500 and 5-time winner of the prestigeous Coca-Cola 600 ,...
and Dale
Dale Earnhardt
Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his involvement in stock car racing for NASCAR...
in the film focuses primarily on their fierce rivalry, with little attention given to the friendship that would develop between the two. Waltrip noted this on his website during the runup to the film. Waltrip eventually drove for Earnhardt's race team in 1998. Also, it is Waltrip's tear-filled voice that can be heard saying "I just hope Dale's okay." during the film's depiction of Earnhardt's fatal crash at Daytona due to the use Fox Network's original footage and commentary, which is now owned by NASCAR Images (starting in 2001, NASCAR Images owns all NASCAR race footage; they also own the footage of the former Sunbelt Video).
Several cars shown in the movie were historically inaccurate. In the moments before the 2001 Daytona 500
2001 Daytona 500
The 2001 Daytona 500, the 43rd running of the event, was held on February 18, 2001 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida over 200 laps on the 2.5 mile asphalt tri-oval. Bill Elliott won the pole. The race will be forever remembered for the final lap...
, the cars of Bobby Labonte
Bobby Labonte
Robert Alan "Bobby" Labonte is an American race car driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He currently drives the #47 Kroger/Clorox/Kimberly-Clark/Kingsford/Reese Towpower Hitches Toyota Camry for JTG Daugherty Racing. He currently resides in Trinity, North Carolina. He is married to his wife...
, Rusty Wallace
Rusty Wallace
Russell William Wallace, Jr. is a past NASCAR Winston Cup Champion, currently a broadcaster on ESPN, car owner in the Nationwide Series, and a co-host of NASCAR Angels.-Early racing career:...
, Bill Elliott
Bill Elliott
William Clyde "Bill" Elliott , also known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville or Million Dollar Bill, is a part-time driver and former champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Elliott was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on August 15, 2007. He won the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup...
, Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon
Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...
, and Rick Mast
Rick Mast
Rick Mast is a former NASCAR driver. He competed in both the Winston Cup and Busch Series before retiring in 2002...
, with Gordon's easily visible, as the 2001 season was the year the "Rainbow Warrior" livery was replaced with the "Fire and Flames" livery. Also notable was a wrong-year scene featuring Morgan-McClure Motorsports, where a late 1990s Kodak Max film livery was used instead of the Kodak Gold film livery. (The design was based on a box of Kodak film.) Also, the movie car was a Pontiac. The real car MMM fielded at the time was a Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
The Chevrolet Monte Carlo was an American-made two-door coupe introduced for model year 1970, and manufactured over six generations through model year 2007. It was marketed as a personal-luxury coupe through most of its history, with the last model version being classified as a full-sized coupe...
. Morgan-McClure Motorsports did, however, field a Pontiac Grand Prix in the 2003 season. Another inaccuracy is the depiction of Rusty Wallace's car as a Dodge Intrepid
Dodge Intrepid
The Dodge Intrepid is a large four-door, full-size, front-wheel drive sedan car model that was produced for model years 1993 to 2004. It was mechanically related to the Chrysler Concorde, Chrysler LHS, Chrysler New Yorker, Eagle Vision, and also the 300M sedans...
in the 43rd Great American Race, Penske Racing
Penske Racing
Penske Racing is a racing team that competes in the IndyCar Series and NASCAR. They also previously competed in road racing, and Formula One. Penske Racing is a division of Penske Corporation, and is owned and chaired by Roger Penske...
did not switch to Dodge until 2003, and therefore Wallace was piloting a Ford Taurus
Ford Taurus
The Ford Taurus is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States. Originally introduced in the 1986 model year, it has remained in near-continuous production for more than two decades, making it the fourth oldest nameplate that is currently sold in the North American...
when the green flag dropped at DIS.
In two different scenes in the film, the infield of various tracks were shown with flags of drivers who were not driving at that time were shown, such as Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart
Anthony Wayne "Tony" Stewart is an American auto racing driver and owner. Throughout his racing career, Stewart has won titles in Indy cars and stock cars as well as midget, sprint and USAC Silver Crown cars, giving him the recognition of "one of the finest racers of his generation."Stewart...
's flag at the Darlington
Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed the "Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition"...
race in 1990, where Neil Bonnett
Neil Bonnett
Lawrence Neil Bonnett was a NASCAR driver who compiled 18 victories and 20 poles over his 18-year career. The Alabama native currently ranks 35th in all-time NASCAR Cup victories. He appeared in the 1983 film Stroker Ace and the 1990 film Days of Thunder...
suffered a violent crash, along with several other cars involved.
The February 23, 1986 incident at Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile , D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series...
was inaccurately depicted, where Earnhardt spun out Darrell Waltrip with three laps to go. In the film, Earnhardt's now-famous line "I didn't mean to wreck him, I just wanted to rattle his cage a little." was part of the post-race interview. That line, however, was not said at that time. Instead it was said at Bristol
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961...
on August 28, 1999 after Earnhardt spun out Terry Labonte
Terry Labonte
Terrance Lee Labonte is a semi-retired NASCAR driver who occasionally drives in the Sprint Cup Series when called upon and is a two-time Winston Cup and IROC champion. He currently drives the #32 U.S. Chrome Ford for FAS Lane Racing. Labonte was introduced to the sport through his father, who had...
on the final lap to win the race.
In Earnhardt's first Daytona 500
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
start, the movie shows him driving a Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
The Chevrolet Monte Carlo was an American-made two-door coupe introduced for model year 1970, and manufactured over six generations through model year 2007. It was marketed as a personal-luxury coupe through most of its history, with the last model version being classified as a full-sized coupe...
. However, he actually drove a Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
. Also mentioned in the scene that Earnhardt finished 4th in the race, Earnhardt finished 8th in his first Daytona 500 start and thus it is also inaccurate. He finished 4th prior to that once in 1978 at Dover and would not score another top 5 until North Wilkesboro that same year of his first 500 start.
During the scene of him being at a gas station, soon after the short montage of Earnhardt winning the 1980 title, it showed John Anderson
John Anderson (NASCAR driver)
John Anderson of Warren, Michigan was an American NASCAR driver who made 32 Winston Cup starts in an attempt to make it in the NASCAR division recorded a career best finish of 5th at his hometrack the Michigan International Speedway in 1979As short track late model racer, he won over 200 feature...
flipping over during the 1981 qualifying races at Daytona. A race that Earnhardt finished 4th at.
The film made no mention of his two-year stint with car owner Bud Moore
Bud Moore
Bud Moore may refer to:* Bud Moore , American football player and coach* Bud Moore , former NASCAR owner**Bud Moore Engineering, his team* Bud Moore , former NASCAR driver...
from 1982 to 1983. In fact, for many years, Nationwide Series cars by Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports , originally named All Star Racing, is a current American auto racing team created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas...
used #15 because Earnhardt drove a Hendrick-Gee car to a Busch Series win at Charlotte in 1983. From 2001 until 2007, a DEI car used #15 in honour of Moore.
Dale actually first met Teresa when she was about 16, and he knew she was Hal Houston's daughter (also the uncle of former driver Tommy Houston
Tommy Houston
Tommy Houston, is a retired NASCAR Busch Series' drivers. Over his career, Houston and Jack Ingram became known as the pair journeymen drivers that helped that series grow throughout the 1980s and early 1990s....
). Their meeting is inaccurately portrayed in the film.
In the scenes of the 2001 Daytona 500, Dale is seen wearing a helmet with Corvette Racing decals, rather than his GM Goodwrench decaled helmet. (The Corvette Racing helmet was used in the Rolex 24 at Daytona that he raced along with his son, two weeks prior to that.)
In the 2001 Daytona 500 scene, Dale is seen wearing tinted racing goggles. Dale actually wore his clear racing goggles in his final race.
None of Earnhardt's crew chiefs were accurately mentioned. Earnhardt won his first championship with Doug Richert, then won his next four with Kirk Shelmerdine
Kirk Shelmerdine
Kirk Shelmerdine is a NASCAR driver and former championship-winning crew chief for the late Dale Earnhardt.-Crew chief:...
, and his final two with Andy Petree
Andy Petree
Andy Petree , is a long-time fixture in NASCAR. After racing for years at local short track , Andy became part owner of the #32 Busch Series car for Dale Jarrett. By the age of 28, Andy was already a NASCAR Winston Cup crew chief on the Leo Jackson racing team...
(now at ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
) at the top of the pit box. He won his only Daytona 500
1998 Daytona 500
The 1998 Daytona 500 was run on February 15, 1998. It is memorable in that it marked Dale Earnhardt's only Daytona 500 victory after 19 previous attempts and many heartbreaking finishes. Not only was it Earnhardt's 20th 500 start, but also CBS's 20th consecutive live broadcast of the Daytona 500...
with Larry McReynolds
Larry McReynolds
Lawrence Joseph McReynolds III is a former NASCAR crew chief and currently serves as a racing analyst on Fox Sports, TNT and a columnist on Foxsports.com. He currently lives in Mooresville, North Carolina...
(currently with Fox Sports). None were portrayed in the movie accurately.
Dale Earnhardt
Dale Earnhardt
Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was an American race car driver, best known for his involvement in stock car racing for NASCAR...
did give a gun to Neil Bonnett
Neil Bonnett
Lawrence Neil Bonnett was a NASCAR driver who compiled 18 victories and 20 poles over his 18-year career. The Alabama native currently ranks 35th in all-time NASCAR Cup victories. He appeared in the 1983 film Stroker Ace and the 1990 film Days of Thunder...
as a gift and their friendship is accurate.
When Dale wins the 1998 Daytona 500. During the line of pit crew members congratulating Dale, it was very noticeable that the Winston logo (the series sponosor from 1971–2003) covered the NEXTEL letters on the banner, NEXTEL became the series sponsor starting in 2004 before renaming to Sprint. Also in that scene, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is shown hugging his father in victory lane. Dale Jr. was not at the race; he had returned home following the Busch Series (now known as the Nationwide Series) race in which he was involved in a late race crash that resulted him to go airborne.
ESPN Original Entertainment executive producer Will Steger was quoted in the Dick Berggren's Speedway Illustrated magazine (December 2004) saying the film was an,"unauthorized docudrama...inspired by the true life of Dale Earnhardt." The story, written by Leo Dougherty, noted that Andy Hillenburg, the current owner of Rockingham Speedway, went across the country from Massachusetts to Florida to California collecting race cars for the film. Hillenburg provided 62 cars that were built into race cars and painted to reflect cars of certain eras in the film. Hillenburg owned the Bobby Allison car that was in the film. The car was in the Talladega museum and was the car Allison won the Daytona 500 with the year he beat his son, Davey, to the finish line. Ron Bouchard also loaned his 1981 Talladega-winning car to the film. Hillenburg is quoted in the article saying, "...those are the only cars that appear as they really are."
Anachronisms
During one of the scenes taking place in the 1970s, Earnhardt is shown placing a money clip on the table holding what is clearly a new-style $20 billUnited States twenty-dollar bill
The United States twenty-dollar bill is a denomination of United States currency. U.S. President Andrew Jackson is currently featured on the front side of the bill, which is why the twenty-dollar bill is often called a "Jackson," while the White House is featured on the reverse side.The...
.
Realtree was shown as a sponsor during a dirt track race in the 1950s early in the film, but it was not founded until the 1980s.
Sunoco
Sunoco
Sunoco Inc. is an American petroleum and petrochemical manufacturer headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, formerly known as Sun Company Inc. and Sun Oil Co. ....
Gasoline is shown on the fuel tankers in the movie, but Union 76
Union 76
76 is a chain of gas stations located within the United States. The 76 brand is owned by ConocoPhillips. Union Oil Company of California, dba Unocal, the original owner and creator of the Union 76 brand merged with Chevron Corporation in 2005.In 1997, Unocal sold its western United States refining...
fuel was used in the era. (Sunoco did not sign with NASCAR until the start of the 2004 season. However, it should be noted many short tracks use CAM2 (now Sunoco) Racing Gasoline, even in the 1970s.)