"It was funny, but it wasn't funny" - A look back at Dale Earnhardt's hilarious prank as narrated by NASCAR broadcaster

NASCAR journalist and senior ESPN writer Ryan McGee recently reminisced about a hilarious prank legendary driver Dale Earnhardt played on him.

While the late great Dale Earnhardt was popularly known as "The Intimidator," the seven-time NASCAR Cup champion also had a playful side. Despite his intrepid demeanor, Earnhardt had a penchant for playful pranks.

One such incident was recently highlighted by NASCAR journalist for ESPN, Ryan McGee. Speaking on a recent episode of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Dale Jr Download podcast, McGee recounted an amusing encounter with Earnhardt during the 90s when he was working on a nightly motorsports show called RPM Tonight on ESPN 2. He said:

"The ultimate compliment from Dale Sr. was if he gave you a hard time.

"I was in the garage back in the day. I had a date that night, so I was dressed for the date. So, I've got all like Abercrombie, I got a blue shirt and I got like Dockers ready to go."

It was then when McGee found himself on the receiving end of one of Earnhardt's infamous pranks. He said:

"I go to the racetrack and Dale comes pulling off the racetrack, he pulls in the garage stall. He goes, 'Hey!' I looked at him, and he said 'you're dressed a little damn preppy for the racetrack.' I go 'yeah, I got a date tonight'. He goes 'you need to talk to me.'"

"He goes 'alright, I'm gonna go to the bathroom. I'll come back we'll knock this out.' And when he comes back, he grabbed my shoulders, and he'd squeeze the back of your neck. And he took his hand he smacked me right in the center of the back. He goes 'ah! My man's gotta take got a date tonight. Hot Date. All right, well, we can just get you out of here. Great.'"

What McGee didn't realize was that Dale Earnhardt had coated his hands with something akin to bear grease and left handprints on McGee's back, unbeknownst to him. He said:

"But what I didn't know was he has put his fingers in some sort of bear grease or something, you know? And I got Dale Earnhardt's handprints on the back.

"He put like a sticker back there. Like a moog chassis parts or whatever. That was a typical Dale Earnhardt prank, because it was funny, but it wasn't funny."

---

Ryan McGee reveals the touching advice Dale Earnhardt gave him

McGee was at a critical juncture of his life when he lost his mother in 1999. However, amidst the difficult situation, McGee found solace in the empathy and wisdom offered by Dale Earnhardt.

"I knew Dale knew my face, but there wasn't any way he knew my name. I remember I finally came back to the race track and it was at Darlington."

"He (Dale) just kind of nodded at me. All of a sudden, he walked up to me, put his hand on my shoulder, and he goes 'Ryan, I heard about your mom, I'm so sorry.''

McGee recalled Earnhardt's impactful advice:

"I need to tell you something. Everybody's gonna tell you that you're going to get over this one day. You're never gonna get over this. My dad died 25 years ago. You never get over it. You just learn how to live with it. You just do what you can to make her proud."

Dale Earnhardt's advice turned out to be hauntingly ironic as the NASCAR legend tragically lost his life on the track two years later.