"Loyalty with Richard Childress was key": When Dale Earnhardt's team rejected Hoosiers in NASCAR’s fiercest tire battle

Goodyear Tire is the official tire of NASCAR, but that wasn't always the case. Back in the old days, teams found their own brands of tires to bring to the track. However, the tire battle came to a head in 1989 when Dale Earnhardt stood firm on racing with Goodyear.

While Goodyear was predominantly the go-to tire in the Cup Series, that changed in 1988 when Hoosier Tire Co. burst onto the scene. The Indiana-based company snapped Goodyear's 526-race winning streak with Neil Bonnett's victory at Richmond.

However, Earnhardt wheeled his #3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet to victory in 1989 at North Wilkesboro after testing the brand's new radial tires. After the win, the then-three-time Cup champion made his feelings known on Goodyear's experimental tires.

“We knew we were in fat city with the Goodyear radials because the further I drove on them, the better I liked them,” Dale Earnhardt said (via RCR Racing).

While Hoosier was working for some teams, many others refused to switch from Goodyear, including RCR. Will Lind, a former tire changer for the #3 team, recalled that it wasn't necessarily Earnhardt's loyalty to Goodyear that made him stick with the tire brand, but rather his loyalty to Childress.

“You could choose (which tire), but we didn’t. Loyalty with Richard (Childress, owner) was key. There were a lot of races that year where we, Bud Moore and several other teams wouldn’t switch,” Will Lind said.

Earnhardt's comments had a ripple effect on Hoosier as the tire brand later announced they were stepping away from Cup competition. In 1997, Goodyear became the official tire of NASCAR.

Parker Kligerman praised Dale Earnhardt Prime documentary as a 'must watch'

Over the Memorial Day weekend, Prime Video released a four-part docuseries that focused on the life and legacy of the late Dale Earnhardt. Parker Kligerman, a part-time CRAFTSMAN Truck Series driver and NASCAR analyst for The CW, made his feelings known on the project in a recent social media post.

After watching the docuseries to its entirety, Kligerman took to X to say that it was one of the best NASCAR documentaries he's ever seen. Kligerman applauded Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the Earnhardt family for making the docuseries and encouraged everyone to watch.

"OMG.. The Earnhardt doc on Prime is one of the greatest racing/NASCAR docs ever. I’ve just finished the 3rd ep. Thank you @DaleJr, your whole family & all involved for making this. I’ve cried multiple times. You can’t help but feel that Dale Sr, although flawed like all humans, measures up to being the ultimate American folk hero, badass, success story that embodies every bit of the American dream. It’s a must watch," Parker Kligerman said.

Dale Earnhardt was one of the most successful NASCAR drivers in history. The former driver of the #3 won 76 Cup races and a record-tying seven Cup championships. The North Carolina native continued to race up until his tragic death in a last-lap crash in the 2001 Daytona 500, as he passed away at 49 years old.