Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 15, 1994 TAG: 9405150106
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER
DATELINE: SONOMA, CALIF. LENGTH: Medium
He did it again Saturday at Sears Point International Raceway between practice sessions for today's Save Mart 300, and he relished the attention as much as the reporters relished the opportunity to fire questions at him.
This never would have happened early in his career, when Earnhardt was, in his words, "young, reckless and foolish." In 1980, when he won his first Winston Cup championship, Earnhardt was wary of people and uncomfortable with questions.
"You guys in the press used to stress me out," he said. "But that was before I understood you."
That was also before he won six Winston Cup championships, became a multi-millionaire and became comfortable in his role as the king of stock-car racing.
At 43, Earnhardt has become a poised and confident leader of his sport. But for all of his glory and all of his millions, he has lost none of his competitive edge.
As John Andretti put it: "Dale drives like he has no money at all."
"I'm just coming into my prime," Earnhardt said Saturday. "I'm just getting good. I'm aware of where I am in my life and where I am in my career. I'm aging well. They haven't seen the best come out of me yet. I'm just starting to have fun.
"And to take my career where I want to take it, I've got to do better, I've got to eat better, I've got to look at things in a more objective way. It's the whole thing - the full scope. I'm talking about the atmosphere, the team, the environment you're in."
He was asked whether he works out to stay in top shape, like Mark Martin, Rusty Wallace and other top drivers.
"If you followed me from the time I got up at Monday morning at four o'clock until I got into the race car Sunday, I believe you'd be tired," he said. He only sleeps four or five hours a night.
"I do work out," Earnhardt said, "but I stay active, whether it's signing autographs or doing my paper work or answering my business mail. I work from four o'clock Monday morning until seven or eight that evening."
Earnhardt freely admits how coarse he was as a young driver.
"When I started in 1979 as a rookie, I was just having a big time," he said. "I was so enthused and intrigued about it because it was a situation I had never been in before. When we won the championship, we didn't realize what we had done. We were just having fun, not realizing what you was a part of.
"And then the rest of the 1980s came along - 1981, '82, '83 and '84 - and I learned a lot about myself. Those were the tough years. And then in 1986 we won that championship and I really realized what it was all about.
"I just realized that you had to focus. You had to be more aware of what you was doing and what racing meant.
"I believe my faith in God has carried me through better than anything. I believe it, but I'm not the kind who goes out and shouts it. It's like driving a race car. I believe I can do it, and I'm confident I can do it. I'm confident I'll be OK. That's the way my religion is."
Earnhardt sells thousands of T-shirts emblazoned with his trademark nickname of "The Intimidator," but that's based more on his past exploits than his current driving.
"You intimidate another guy when you drive up beside him and you can go in the corner a little deeper than he does," he said. "But it's harder and harder to intimidate because of the competitive race cars out there and the people who are running them. You think you can intimidate Rusty Wallace? No way."
There is no question Earnhardt is in command when he meets the press.
On Saturday, a California reporter, noting Earnhardt's problems in previous Sears Point races, asked him: "Do you come into this race thinking something is probably going to go bad?"
Earnhardt turned, and with an incredulous look on his face, responded: "Do what? What's going to go bad?"
"Well, things have gone bad. . ."
"Nope," Earnhardt said, interrupting the response. "I look forward to going into this race starting fourth - feel good about it. I think I can race Ernie and Mark Martin and the rest of them all day and win the race."
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB