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Dale Earnhardt vs David Pearson: Who Wins NASCAR’s 64 Greatest Final Lap?

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by Charlie Turner

I'm Charlie Turner co-host of the syndicated, mostly NASCAR radio show On Pit Row. Thanks for stopping by OnPitRow.com and the Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie blog. Oh yeah, Steve is an idiot. Follow me on Twitter @onpitrow

May 31, 2009 10:40 am CDT 49 Comments

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We’ve come a long way from the first brackets in the NASCAR 64 Greatest Drivers Tournament at Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie.  The whole thing probably stretched out a bit too long. But we got here. And “here” in this case is a last lap, green-white-checker finish between The Silver Fox and the Intimidator. 

Dale Earnhardt won 76 times in 676 Cup Series starts and was one of only two seven time series champions. His win total is seventh best all-time. He won consecutive titles three different times and was a series runner-up three times. Earnhardt only won the Daytona 500 once - in ‘98 - but is the all-time leader in wins at Daytona International Speedway with 34. It was said that Earnhardt could “see the air” when he raced at the restrictor plate tracks at Daytona and Talladega. I don’t know about all that. But he sure saw the checkered flag plain enough at those two tracks.

Read a couple comments from Senior fans below.

 

Dale Earnhardt all the way. Dale is the only driver who went from rookie of the year to champion in consecutive seasons. In his second season Dale led the point standings all year long, except the first race when he finished second. His percentage of 1.02 average finish in one season (1980) is the best ever. - Gary Redd

 

Dale Senior by far. Regarding wrecks, Dale has the lowest DNF percentage by a driver with over 500 starts. Junior (Johnson) had over two and a half times more DNF’s than Dale and many more wrecks than Dale. Well over half of Dale’s DNF’s were engine failures not wrecks. You have to be running at the finish to win championship’s and Dale it seven times, Junior Zero. - Ben Shirley

David Pearson is second on the all-time Cup Series victory list with 105 and is a three time Winston Cup champ. He won the ‘76 Daytona 500, set a record for super speedway qualifying by winning 11 straight poles at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In ‘73, Pearson won 11 of the 18 Cup races that he entered. He did all this while rarely entering as many races as his contemporaries. Pearson missed alot of races. According to The Blount Report, NASCAR’s Most Overated & Underrated, The Fox raced is 75 percent of the races in only four seasons in his career. Pearson won the championship three of those years and finished third in the other.

Here are a couple of typical comments from Pearson fans.

 

I’m picking David Pearson for the upset, because from the old racing I’ve watched and old stories I’ve read and heard, he had more talent than Petty. Half the wins of Petty + running half the time = as good if not better than The King. I’m sending Pearson to the finals. - Matt Mercer

 

Had Pearson run a full schedule his entire career, he’d have won more championships than The King. Jeff Gordon, while probably one of the best of the current breed of drivers, doesn’t hold a candle to the Silver Fox. Under the current rules and schedule, Jeff won’t match his record. - themadman

To get to the Final Lap of the Tourney, Pearson’s fans voted him over the likes of  Jeff Gordon and the King himself, Richard Petty. Earnhardt fans rallied after a close, first round match up with Bobby Isaac to sweep past Junior Johnson and then Darrell Waltrip in the Four Wide Final.  

Dale Earnhardt against David Pearson - slamming doors and grinning all the while. That’s how I see this head-to-head battle in the final. Two of the Greatest NASCAR Drivers ever. We’ve had celebrities like Bobby Labonte, Geoffrey Bodine, Dave Despain and Dustin Long all vote in this thing. But we want to know who YOU think should win. Who will you choose? Please leave your comments.

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR, NASCAR 64 Greatest Driver Tourney, Nascar Legends, The King, The Pettys, The Waltrips 

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49 Responses to “Dale Earnhardt vs David Pearson: Who Wins NASCAR’s 64 Greatest Final Lap?”

  1. Jeffro on May 31st, 2009 12:24 pm

    Which driver was more talented? I don’t think that can be answered objectively. Both were legends, but in different times. Win counts and championships aren’t indicative considering Pearson’s limited schedule. Winning percentages aren’t comparable considering the level of competition in their respective eras.

    So, I gotta go with who was most influential. That has to be Dale Sr. For good or ill, he polarized the sport and made following Nascar irresistible - particularly when ESPN first fired up and needed sports to cover. His performances/antics definitely helped grow Nascar and ESPN (with all the other media that came along) into the entertainment juggernaut we have today. Love or hate him, ya gotta give his catalyzing presence props.

  2. User Avatar Marc on May 31st, 2009 5:23 pm

    David Pearson

  3. User Avatar Ryan Rantz on June 1st, 2009 10:10 am

    I’ll go with Earnhardt, the man could race in his sleep.

  4. User Avatar Steve Wronkowicz on June 1st, 2009 1:16 pm

    Pearson gets my vote. The man could drive. His win percentage is amazing. and as i said in an earlier round; the picture that Charlie is using of the Silver Fox exudes cool.

  5. Michael Midlick on June 1st, 2009 2:15 pm

    Dale Earnhardt over David Pearson. David won when only two or three drivers dominated each season and Nascar didn’t try for parity. More competitive competion during Dale’s career when there were 37 to 43 cars in the field rather than 15 to 23 when David competed. When David drove for the Wood brother’s they handpicked races when they competed which gave them plenty of extra time to develop great cars by skipping many races. Dale is the only driver who races in four consecutive decades and tied or had the most championship’s in two decades, most in the 1990s (four) and tied for most in the 1980s (three) with Darrell Waltrip. Only driver who went from rookie of the year to champion in the very next season. Dale was also best with an ill handling car.

  6. Gary Redd on June 1st, 2009 2:17 pm

    Dale Earnhardt is my pick. Nobody did more with an illhandling car that Dale. Dale could take a bad handling car and get a top five finish or win more than an other driver. Best average finish in the modern era with 11.06. Dale could also fix his car when it had problems as well as drive it. That is a lost art today.

  7. Bob Redd on June 1st, 2009 2:24 pm

    Dale Earnhardt all the way. MUCH BETTER COMPETION DURING DALE’S YEARS. Only a few teams dominated during Dave’s peak years and had manufacturing backing. Dale was great for all four decades. He could have dominated during the early 1980s if they had better equipment. Too many engine failures during those years which were not Dale’s fault. Dale had 18 DNF’S in one season during the early 1980s, mostly engine failures, and STILL FINISHED IN THE TOP 10 during that season because he had great finishes and lead numerous laps in the races he completed during that season.

  8. Ben Shirley on June 1st, 2009 2:25 pm

    Dale Earnhardt all the way, David Pearson is a good choice for second.

  9. Luanna McMeans on June 1st, 2009 2:27 pm

    Dale Earnhardt gets my vote.

  10. User Avatar Matt Mercer on June 1st, 2009 6:57 pm

    I wouldn’t expect the blindly loyal Earnhardt fans to consider Pearson, but I do hope responsible, sane fans will consider that Pearson was simply the best driver to climb into a stock car. He had 5 different seasons in which he won 10 races including twice in the 1970s. 105 wins in 574 starts… just unbelievable. He was a threat wherever he went, even adding road courses to his mastery later in his career by dominating Riverside and Ontario in the mid-70s. The best ever. David Pearson.

  11. Diecast Dude on June 1st, 2009 10:23 pm

    David Pearson. The only Romulan in NASCAR history, complete with invisibility cloak. The Silver Fox would quietly go about his business unnoticed until it was winning time. At that point he’d appear almost magically near front, assume the lead despite all efforts to prevent it, and go collect his trophy. Not to dis Earnhardt the elder, but in terms of who’s the better driver there is no comparison. Pearson was, is and in all likelihood will forever be the standard against who all drivers are measured.

  12. Brinton on June 1st, 2009 10:59 pm

    David Pearson, a true legend of the spot.

  13. Becca Gladden on June 1st, 2009 11:19 pm

    It’s probably the less popular choice, but I am going to vote for David Pearson - although I think a sound argument could be made for either man. I’m a fan of Pearson’s style of racing and agree with others who’ve said he is probably the most underrated driver of all time. Pearson has amazing stats for the amount of races he ran. I like the way he would not show his hand until it really counted.

  14. 4ever3 on June 2nd, 2009 12:23 am

    Two of the best drivers to have ever raced in NASCAR. David seems the right the right choice on so many levels, but my vote has to go to Earnhardt and his 7 Championships with his first backing onto his Rookie of The Year title. Also, no other driver (alive or dead) other than Richard Petty has had a greater effect on the sport than Dale Earnhardt. You can say what you want about it but it is my opinion Pearson for all his talent didn’t effect or change the sport as much as Earnhardt did.

    Using these two things (Championships and influence) as the criteria then Earnhardt is the winner.

  15. User Avatar BethAnne on June 2nd, 2009 5:14 am

    I also choose Pearson for reasons already stated above.

  16. NASCARista on June 2nd, 2009 6:23 am

    This is a tough call, but I’ve got to go with Earnhardt…he’s the champ!

  17. User Avatar steve1381 on June 2nd, 2009 8:12 am

    my vote is for the 7 time champ

  18. Zoey on June 2nd, 2009 8:18 am

    For me it has to be a split decision. Dale Earnhardt Sr. gets my vote for charisma, showmanship and heart. While David Pearson for mechanical driving skill, determination and heart.

    Dream season would have been to have the two on the track at the same time! Now that would have put the butts in the seat.

  19. Gregory D. Howe on June 2nd, 2009 8:46 am

    Surprisingly (to me anyway), both drivers competed in Cup for twenty-seven years. Dale Earnhardt won seventy-six races and David Pearson won One-Hundred and Five. I’ll go with the winner each and every time, David Pearson. The fact that Earnhardt competed in over 100 more races during that period of time makes David Pearson’s accomplishments even more astounding. Oh how this Wood Brothers Racing fan longs for those days of David’s winning ways!

  20. Bruce Simmons on June 2nd, 2009 9:29 am

    My fellow NASCAR scribes all make great points.

    Yet I must adhere to my admiration and respect for everything the man in black has accomplished both on and off the track.

    Dale Earnhardt is my vote. ‘Nuff said.

  21. Jeff Gilder on June 2nd, 2009 1:05 pm

    It’s always difficult to compare great drivers who raced in different eras under different circumstances. Are we guaging talent…or impact on the sport? I don’t think there is really a balanced way to compare talent between these two since they didn’t compete. But, in my opinion, Earnhardt’s personal accomplishments and impact on the sport were greater than Pearson’s.

  22. Terry on June 2nd, 2009 4:13 pm

    David Pearson

  23. Donald Redd on June 2nd, 2009 6:52 pm

    Dale Earnhardt, Dale won in a more competitive era. There was no parity during David’s championship years when drivers won races by lapping the field from two to 14 times. During David’s peak years only three or four drivers won well more than half the races because of superior equipment and not parity.
    Dale’s only lean years was when he drove for the wood brothers and they had engine failures in almost half the races they competed in during the early 1980s because their cars couldn’t travel the distance in a fast time and they did not know how to correct the problems UNTIL TWO YEARS LATER. David drove for the wood brothers when they cherry picked races they wanted to enter giving them plenty of time to develop dominant cars.

  24. User Avatar steve1381 on June 3rd, 2009 9:53 am

    7 time champ
    76 wins
    only problem is that he died on us fans amen dale

  25. Reid Spencer on June 3rd, 2009 10:59 am

    For me, it’s hard to argue against the Silver Fox. First, I look at 105 wins and 113 poles in 574 starts. That winning percentage (18.29%) is unparalleled in the sport, with the exceptionmof the early days, when Herb Thomas and Tim Flock had slightly higher numbers in far fewer starts. Second, if you ask Richard Petty who the best driver of his era was, he’ll tell you Pearson was. Then again, it’s hard to argue against Earhardt and his seven titles in a more competitive era. And it also depends on which tracks you’re talking about as far as head-to-head matchups go. Pearson was untouchable at Charlotte and Darlington, Earnhardt the best at Talladega. Had Pearson run full schedules his entire career, who knows how many titles he would have won? Bottom line, though, in a head-to-head race in comparable equipment at almost any track, I’d pick Pearson–unless Earnhardt wrecked him.

  26. User Avatar Charlie Turner on June 3rd, 2009 12:53 pm

    Hey Reid, thanks for the comment. Some people would pick Earnhardt in that circumstance BECAUSE he’d wreck him.

    On last night’s On Pit Row, ARCA’s Brian Silas said he’s been watching some of Earnhardt’s recorded races , so he knows more about Senior. And he see’s why they called him the Intimidator. Brian went with Earnhardt.

  27. User Avatar Charlie Turner on June 3rd, 2009 12:58 pm

    We appreciate the comment Jeff. Your Racer’s Reunion sites are fantastic and you would know how tough it is to compare cross-eras.

    Terry Blount from ESPN the Magazine agreed with you on your pick. He took Earnhardt - which surprised me because he has Pearson as his most underrated driver in his book - saying that partly because Sr started so late and accomplished so much.

    The book is “The Blount Report”. It’s a really good read. Pick it up.

  28. User Avatar Charlie Turner on June 3rd, 2009 1:05 pm

    I want to thank everyone who has taken time to comment on this. Some of the On Pit Row guests we’ve asked to vote actually, kind of, cringe at being put on the spot.

    I think crew chief Patrick Donahue - currently with ARCA’s Eddie Sharp Racing (Michael McDowell and Scott Speed the last two years and Craig Goess in ‘09) and former Rainbow Warrior with Jeff Gordon and Ray Everham - hates being put on the spot. He took Pearson, but only if we promised him nobody would take a poke at him.

    Steve promised. I’ll be the one lurking with the video camera.

  29. Michael Midlick on June 3rd, 2009 3:34 pm

    Dale Earnhardt over David Pearson in head to head competition. Dale and David competed head to head in 70 races. Dale finished higher than David in 47 of these 70 races (67%). Dale had more wins(4-3),more top fives(21,15),more top tens(33,26) and a better average finish than David (14.4. to 21.3) in these 70 races.

  30. User Avatar Steve Wronkowicz on June 3rd, 2009 6:27 pm

    Not only did Patrick Donahue cringe at the question, according to erstwhile OPR producer Ty Higgins, he gave as they say in the Sunday comics an “aaarrgh”.

    Thanks to everyone we put on the spot to make picks throughout the tournament. Some of our guests really enjoyed the concept (Geoff Bodine requested to come back and play again), while many were hard pressed to have to choose between their heros and in some cases their contemporaries (did i really think Jeff Hammond would pick anyone other than DW).

  31. Scot Haynes on June 4th, 2009 8:29 am

    David Pearson gets my vote. As a young race fan I grew up listening to him win races on the radio and watching him win all over the South. Even Earnhardt knew he was the best. When Earnhardt needed a repalcement driver he went to the Silver Fox and what did Pearson do “WIN.” The Silver Fox is the best to ever strap into a car.

  32. Dale Earnhardt or David Pearson | NASCAR Bits and Pieces on June 4th, 2009 10:12 pm

    [...] on over to NASCAR 64 Greatest Drivers and weigh in your vote / [...]

  33. donnie lee redd jr on June 5th, 2009 2:50 pm

    DALE EARNHARDT ALL THE WAY.

  34. Buddy Clay on June 6th, 2009 7:13 am

    WOW! From the very start I thought Sr was a shoe-in. Then as it got to the end I remembered how many times I seen the Silver Fox come from nowhere to cover the field. I guess what really steals my vote is this……..
    Dale was a natural talent. The likes of which we may never see again. He never wondered if the car could do the things he wanted, he made it.
    David calculated races. It was like a math problem on a chalk board. He knew what the car could do. He knew what he could do.
    As I look at it today, here’s my call. Dale could not teach to others the things he could do. They came natural to him. David on the other hand is still being asked for advise. He teach the stars of tomorrow.

    The Silver Fox gets my vote.

  35. Dottie Redd on June 6th, 2009 2:09 pm

    Dale Earnhardt gets my vote.

  36. User Avatar Charlie Turner on June 7th, 2009 8:52 am

    - via Twitter

    tallglassofmilk@onpitrow I gotta go Earnhardt. Big surprise. I was too little to experience Pearson so he’s at an unfair advantage.

  37. We Get By with a Little Help from our Friends : Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie on June 7th, 2009 11:43 am

    [...] Dale Earnhardt vs David Pearson: Who Wins NASCAR’s 64 Greatest Final Lap? [...]

  38. Default NASCAR Guest Avatar yankeegranny on June 11th, 2009 6:50 am

    Earnhardt.

  39. Michael Midlick on June 13th, 2009 2:01 pm

    Just wanted to make correction to my comments on Jun 1 at 2:15 pm. This, in part, states “Dale is the only driver who races in four consecutive decades.” This is a mistake. What I really meant to say is the Dale is the only driver who WON a race in four consecutive decades in nascar’s top series.

  40. Barney and Betty on June 13th, 2009 2:02 pm

    Dale Earnhardt is my pick.

  41. Default NASCAR Guest Avatar sudsy on June 18th, 2009 8:04 am

    I’m old and watched them both, both are the ones to be the only ones to be in question like this, my pick how ever is the fox

  42. dave mcmeans on June 19th, 2009 4:34 pm

    Mty choice is Dale Earnhardt.

  43. David Parker on June 20th, 2009 10:13 am

    As a kid I remember my dad and uncles sitting around the radio on Sundays listening to MRN back in the 60’s & 70’s. The classic battles between Pearson and Petty are unforgetable. My generation enjoyed the same action “televised” in the 80’s & 90’s with Earnhart and Wallace. But the memories of the old men getting that excited over a radio broadcast persuades me to vote for Pearson.

  44. dave watson on June 20th, 2009 1:19 pm

    Dale Earnhardt all the way. Dale is arguably the most talented driver in Nascar history. Seven championships in first sixteen seasons is remarkable. He also started at a much later age than drivers today. Second is point standings at age 49 remarkable achievement.

  45. michael midlick on June 20th, 2009 1:22 pm

    Has been three weeks now. When are you going to announce the winner of the Nascar 64 greatest driver tournament?

  46. Ben Shirley on June 20th, 2009 1:23 pm

    Also interested in when the winner will be announced.

  47. User Avatar Charlie Turner on June 20th, 2009 4:51 pm

    As I said in a post early this week, We let the voting go through last night 6/19 at Midnight ET. I’ll put up the post with the winner on Monday.

  48. Ben Shirley on June 23rd, 2009 3:50 pm

    Who won nascar’s 64 greatest drivers tournament and by how much?

  49. Dale Earnhardt Edges David Pearson: NASCAR’s 64 Greatest Drivers Tourney : Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie on June 24th, 2009 1:07 pm

    [...] With Steve and Charlie on NASCAR’s 64 Greatest Drivers Bracket TournamentBen Shirley on Dale Earnhardt vs David Pearson: Who Wins NASCAR’s 64 Greatest Final Lap?tim hanna on Bob Welborn vs Tim Flock: NASCAR’s 64 Greatest Drivers Match Upman in black on One [...]

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