"I paid a $300 fine for a joyride”: Crew chief Doug Richerts recalls wild victory lap with a girl in Dale Earnhardt’s car after first NASCAR title

Doug Richert was only 20 years old when he guided a young Dale Earnhardt to the 1980 NASCAR Winston Cup Series title. It was a championship built on grit, mid-season upheaval, and mechanical talent.

But on a recent episode of The Dale Jr. Download, Richert revisited a wild post-race moment. He opened up about his victory lap after locking up the title at Ontario Motor Speedway, with a girl he picked up off pit road, inside Earnhardt's No. 2 Chevrolet.

"That was my very first fine. 300 dollars. Well, the race was over. We won the championship. I just got in the car, and I went out on pit road, and I was going down pit road and lo and behold, there's some girl sitting on the wall. I said, 'Come on, get in'," Richert told Dale Jr. (49:43 onwards)

What followed wasn't a burn-it-down celebration but a slow cruise around the track, until he reached Turn 4.

"(I) wasn't fast. I was just running around and when I got to turn four, there was trucks nose-to-tail, blocking the track and I just turned down, went on the apron, went up back on pit road. All I was doing just took a ride," he added. (50:05 onwards)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. couldn’t help but laugh, quipping:

"300 bucks ain't bad. For a fun day... thinking about it, I'd paid $300 bucks."

"That would only be like three million now... $300 bucks for a joyride for the first championship," Richert replied.

The fine didn't matter as Richert had just delivered Dale Earnhardt his first Cup Series title. The entire 1980 season was as turbulent as it was triumphant.

Doug Richert wasn't supposed to be the crew chief; Jake Elder was. A seasoned crew chief known for his bluntness and winning pedigree, Elder left the Rod Osterlund team midway through 1980, leaving the 19-year-old Richert next in line.

Dale Earnhardt Sr. before the 1980 Daytona 500. Source: Getty

Earnhardt had two wins by the time Richert took over. Under his leadership, they added three more victories, 12 top-five finishes, and quickly became more than just a driver and crew chief.

By season’s end, they had done what no one expected: outlasted titans like Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison, and Cale Yarborough to win the title by a razor-thin 19-point margin. It all came to a head in Southern California, at the now-defunct Ontario Motor Speedway.

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Final-lap chaos and a title for Dale Earnhardt at Ontario

Dale Earnhardt Sr. before the 1980 Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Source: Getty

The 1980 Los Angeles Times 500 wasn't just the final race of the season. It was the last Cup Series race ever held at Ontario, and Dale Earnhardt led Cale Yarborough by 29 points entering the race. To win his fourth title, Yarborough needed to win and hope Earnhardt finished fifth or worse, without leading a lap.

Cale started on pole, with Dale right beside him. The two traded positions early, but the race appeared to tilt toward Darrell Waltrip, who led 90 laps before blowing an engine on Lap 145. Then came the pivotal moment of a botched pit stop on the No. 2 Chevy.

Richert recalled on The Dale Jr. Download:

"I'm trying to think, the damage on the side of the car. Did that provoke something to go? A lot of times you go over the wall, you see something, you go, 'Oh my gosh, you can't get tires.' Cuz it’s rubbing the fender, rubbing a tire. Was that it? And that's what's confusing." (46:42 onwards)

He was changing front tires. Dave Debrosia was on the rear when the call was made. But Dale Earnhardt took off with only two lug nuts on the right rear. Somehow, the car held together.

Dale Earnhardt leads in the 1979 World 600 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Source: Getty

Benny Parsons would go on to win the race. Yarborough finished third. But Earnhardt, driving with fire and fortune, brought his Monte Carlo home fifth, one lap down, but enough to clinch the title.

It was Earnhardt’s only championship for Rod Osterlund, and it began a dynasty that would stretch into the '90s with Richard Childress. But for Richert, it was more than just a title. It was the beginning of a life-long bond with the man who would later be the best man at his wedding.