@tmc-chase11 years ago
Dave - Curious how far discussions may have gone in hiring Dale Inman away from Stacy to go with Earnhardt to Childress. He may have had a deal in place with Osterland that Stacy "bought" with no release conditions. Or maybe Inman didn't want the pay cut that was likely to come at RCR or any more uncertainty than what he found himself in with Stacy. But your comment about Richert did make me wonder.
@dave-fulton11 years ago
In front of Earnhardt's driver window wearing the yellow shirt and headphones and standing between NASCAR official Carl Hill and one with his back turned is Doug Richert, whose salary Wrangler paid to go to the Childress shop when Earnhardt left the former Osterlund team that had been pruchased by Jim Stacy.
@dave-fulton11 years ago
Chase, I'm having old age brain freeze. I absolutely can't remember any discussion about Dale Inman going over to RCR, although I suspect your premise of $$$ and uncertainty is on target. As I noted, Wrangler paid the salary of Richert (and Robert Gee to turn RCR's Chevys into Pontiacs) as well as buying a bunch of equipment for the RCR shop, which stayed behind when Wrangler went to Bud Moore in 1982. In retrospect, we all figured that Osterlund acquiring the Wrangler sponsorship and hiring Dale Inman were both done to bolster the team value for a sale. One of Stacy's immediate moves was to fire Osterlund's team manager, Roland Wlodyka and install Booby Harrington in that position. It must have been a very uncomfortable time for Dale Inman. Outside of the salaries paid to Richert and Gee and the purchase of shop equipment, the Wrangler deal for the final 11 races paid Childress just $10,000 a race - and ONLY if Dale made the race during 1st round qualifying. Our 1981 fiscal budget for racing was shot, having to dump all promo materials with a number 2 car, etc.
@dave-fulton11 years ago
Chase... here's a cool photo that our RR member Robert Turner took of Dale Earnhardt and Kyle Petty observing Inman race day morning on pit road in March 1981 at Atlanta - his first time wearing the Wrangler blue & yellow colors:
Dave - Curious how far discussions may have gone in hiring Dale Inman away from Stacy to go with Earnhardt to Childress. He may have had a deal in place with Osterland that Stacy "bought" with no release conditions. Or maybe Inman didn't want the pay cut that was likely to come at RCR or any more uncertainty than what he found himself in with Stacy. But your comment about Richert did make me wonder.
In front of Earnhardt's driver window wearing the yellow shirt and headphones and standing between NASCAR official Carl Hill and one with his back turned is Doug Richert, whose salary Wrangler paid to go to the Childress shop when Earnhardt left the former Osterlund team that had been pruchased by Jim Stacy.
Chase, I'm having old age brain freeze. I absolutely can't remember any discussion about Dale Inman going over to RCR, although I suspect your premise of $$$ and uncertainty is on target. As I noted, Wrangler paid the salary of Richert (and Robert Gee to turn RCR's Chevys into Pontiacs) as well as buying a bunch of equipment for the RCR shop, which stayed behind when Wrangler went to Bud Moore in 1982. In retrospect, we all figured that Osterlund acquiring the Wrangler sponsorship and hiring Dale Inman were both done to bolster the team value for a sale. One of Stacy's immediate moves was to fire Osterlund's team manager, Roland Wlodyka and install Booby Harrington in that position. It must have been a very uncomfortable time for Dale Inman. Outside of the salaries paid to Richert and Gee and the purchase of shop equipment, the Wrangler deal for the final 11 races paid Childress just $10,000 a race - and ONLY if Dale made the race during 1st round qualifying. Our 1981 fiscal budget for racing was shot, having to dump all promo materials with a number 2 car, etc.
Chase... here's a cool photo that our RR member Robert Turner took of Dale Earnhardt and Kyle Petty observing Inman race day morning on pit road in March 1981 at Atlanta - his first time wearing the Wrangler blue & yellow colors: