NASCAR & Auto Racing

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s NASCAR Mt. Rushmore starts with his dad and Richard Petty


Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt
Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt The Kansas City Star

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was asked on Friday about a NASCAR Mt. Rushmore. Who would he select as the four drivers?

Instead of side-stepping a question that risks offending somebody by forgetting a name, Earnhardt took a shot and started with two names, his father’s and Richard Petty.

“I’ll probably walk out of here and think of four more, but the guys that stand out to me are Richard (Petty), my father and David Pearson. The fourth is a toss-up between guys like (Cale) Yarborough and Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip, obviously Jeff Gordon.

“Jimmie (Johnson) has to be in that conversation. He could even probably be the third guy.”

Tough call, but Earnhardt mentioned the primary candidates, and kudos to him for taking a stab.

Here’s the list of career victories in the NASCAR Cup Series:

Driver(s)

Victories

1. Richard Petty

200

2. David Pearson

105

3. Jeff Gordon

92

4 (tie). Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip

84

6. Cale Yarborough

83

7. Dale Earnhardt

76

8. Jimmie Johnson

72

To reach Blair Kerkhoff, call 816-234-4730 or send email to bkerkhoff@kcstar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @BlairKerkhoff.

This story was originally published May 8, 2015 at 1:49 PM with the headline "Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s NASCAR Mt. Rushmore starts with his dad and Richard Petty."

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