By Rick Houston
Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon were fierce rivals on the race track, but behind the scenes, they were closer than anyone might have guessed.
Earnhardt defined Old School, while Gordon was the very face of New NASCAR. Still, there were business deals to be made and T-shirts to be sold.
And according to Andy Petree, Earnhardt’s crew chief from 1993 to 1995, the future NASCAR Hall of Famers had more in common than even they knew.
Longtime friends, Petree and Evernham debriefed after every race, even while their drivers were battling it out tooth and nail for race wins and championships. As inconceivable as it might’ve seemed to outsiders looking in, information flowed so freely between the two crew chiefs, they were almost like teammates.
This is Petree’s story.
For more than 32 years, Grand National/Winston Cup/NASCAR Scene writers and photographers were there to record NASCAR history as it was being made. Join hosts Rick Houston and Steve Waid each week on The Scene Vault Podcast Presented by Q Ware as they take a look back at the extraordinary people, places and events woven into the rich tapestry that is our sport.
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