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Diecast Diaries: The Earnhardts in Japan

Diecast Diaries

30 Mar 2019

Action Platinum Series 1:24 – Credit: Dominik Wilde

This week’s Diecast Diaries entry goes way back to 1998 and the first time Dale Earnhardt Sr and Dale Earnhardt Jr raced against each other.

In the late 1990s NASCAR made three visits for a trio of exhibition races. After running the Suzuka road course in 1996 and 1997 – the latter of which being the first NASCAR race that was ever run on wet tyres – 1998’s Japan race took place on the oval at the Honda-owned Twin Ring Motegi.

The Coca-Cola 500 was contested by 31 drivers from NASCAR’s top-three touring divisions and what is now known as the K&N West series. Mike Skinner won the race after leading a race-high 94 out of 201 laps, but a big talking point from the race was the first-ever on-track showdown between Dale Earnhardt Sr and his son Dale Earnhardt Jr, who were both running Coca-Cola themed paint schemes in honour of the race’s title sponsor.

‘Junior’ beat his legendary father in the non-championship event finishing sixth, two spots ahead of the seven-time NASCAR cup champion. Unlike Junior, Earnhardt Sr managed to lead a lap, despite complaining of his car ‘running like crap’. Because of his dissatisfaction with his car, Earnhardt Sr didn’t bother pitting late on for fresh tyres. Junior did pit for tyres late on – his father’s tyres.

“In Japan, we stole a set of tires out of his pit – it wasn’t really stealing, but, we borrowed it. Richard Childress said that we could take them, that they weren’t going to use them,” Earnhardt Jr said on his Dale Jr podcast last year. “The caution came out late in the race and Dad said, ‘I don’t feel like coming to the pit. We’re running like crap and I don’t think we’re going to win. So, screw it.’ He was around eighth place.”

Dale Earnhardt’s famous black #3 turned red for NASCAR’s final trip east – Action Platinum Series 1:24 – Credit: Dominik Wilde

The stop dropped Junior behind Earnhardt Sr, but with his Dad’s tyres now on his car, Earnhardt Jr set about climbing up the field. When the pair came together on track, one driver ended up a lot less happier than the other.

“We’re running around sixth or seventh at this time, in front of Dad. On the restart, I’m trying to pass as many cars as I can,” Earnhardt Jr recalled. “I got on the inside of Dad coming off turn four. I’m in the gas and I ran him high off turn 4. He ran in the back of me, real upset.”

The bump wasn’t the only retaliation, because after the race Earnhardt Sr. threw a shoe at his son.

“After the race he threw a shoe at me while we were in our little changing room. He threw a shoe at me, like hard,” said Earnhardt Jr.

“It hit the wall behind my head. He threw it as hard as he could. He probably was trying to hit me. I’m glad it didn’t, it would have hurt.”

Dale Earnhardt drove the #1 Chevrolet for his father’s team in Japan – Action Platinum Series 1:24 – Credit: Dominik Wilde

Earnhardt Jr made his proper NASCAR Cup debut the following season, before running his first full season in 2000. That year turned out to be the only full campaign both Earnhardt generations got to race against each other because of Earnhardt Sr’s untimely death in the 2001 Daytona 500.

In terms of international races, NASCAR hasn’t held Cup races – championship or exhibition – since 1998, despite rumours of a trip to Germany’s Lauszitzring in the 2000s. The track near the Polish and Czech borders has since closed to all motorsport activity except for DTM.

Despite there being no top-level events outside the US since the ’90s, the second-tier Xfinity series has run championship rounds in both Mexico and Canada since then, and there has recently been rumours about a NASCAR race of some description in Surfers Paradise in Australia.

Both Earnhardts ran Coca-Cola paint schemes in the 1998 Coca-Cola 500 – Action Platinum Series 1:24 – Credit: Dominik Wilde

Diecast Diaries is a regular series where I tell the real-world stories of the cars in my personal collection of diecast racing cars.