Dale Jr. Download: Working with Young Jeff Gordon

How did legendary crew chief Ray Evernham end up as Jeff Gordon's crew chief? Dale Jr finds out as Ray details the dynamic duo's humble beginnings and the big move to Hendrick Motorsports.
Listen to the full show with Ray Evernham at dirtymomedia.com or any podcasting platform.

[@noahroutledge7054]

I'd love to get Ray Evernham in the announcers booth. Ray has tons of knowledge, stories, and a great personality.

[@maryjane6044]

Hey! Junior would like to see you do an hour with Jeff Gordon & Ray Evernham. Thank you!!! Love watching your programs!!!

[@sergeantmasson3669]

mary jane, without Evernham, Gordon would've been a nobody.

[@smurfynj2448]

Would love to see it too!

[@jhaeck1]

thats a very good idea

[@aaronp1434]

I had no idea that Gordon set him up as crew chief as part of his deal with Hendricks, gives me more respect for Gordon!

[@RAEckart22]

The Ford team Ray is talking about is Roush. Jack said HE picks the CC, not the driver.

[@MarksChannel52]

@@RAEckart22 Adds to that whole tire ordeal Roush bitched about in 98.

[@mickfleming563]

@@RAEckart22 f

[@Mookman1977]

@@MarksChannel52 jm7

[@MrFloppy131]

Hendrick no S

[@Traks_threw_life86]

Watching Jeff and Ray was my whole childhood. I remember seeing the first race win that was on TV when I was 8yrs old!!!👏👏👏

[@tmr3513]

I was hoping Ray would talk about when he first met Jeff. Ray is a good story teller.

[@larrywt656]

Kinda crazy to find out that one of NASCAR's all-time great crew chiefs didn't even want to be one...

[@88rednumbers]

Ray is a class act, dude knows cars inside out, just crazy what that dude knows about building a fast race car.

[@iangaz739]

A class act he is not....

[@tomhanson4153]

@@iangaz739 explain please

[@iangaz739]

@@tomhanson4153 being married and having an affair with an employee is the opposite of a class act...

[@martymorris4004]

A match made in stock car heaven. Evrenham and Gordon.

[@VashTheAverage]

I'm not even a huge nascar fan but I absolutely love these stories

[@timkis64]

when ray speaks,its allways worth listening to.i have tons of respect for the guy.i cant prove it,but i believe ray is why chad knauss was so good as a crew chief.

[@pilotdrew85]

wow, great story about going to Hendrick

[@mgcarr61camaro91]

Thanks again Jr for these awsome historical nascar stories! With humorous moments too ! Keep them coming!

[@NCSRFSH]

This IS the best racing show across all media.

[@ALT_RIGHT]

Dale just sits back and listens

[@HelloFromMyWorld]

Hey JuneBug - Just wanted to say THANK YOU for all that you do! I know you're passionate about broadcasting, ans i strongly believe you made the right decision by taking this path. You can do anything you want in life - your true supporters will find ya🖤

[@nathanielhiggerson7679]

All lives matter. BLM is terrorism

[@deaf2819]

Nathaniel Higgerson black lives matter! All lives don’t matter to conservatives stop LYING!

[@DupontandLowesWarrior]

Ray Evernham is My Favorite Nascar Crew Chief of All Time

[@stevensmall9398]

Yeah that guy knows his stuff. There's not a hole hella of a lot he can't do

[@Dirt_track_4_life]

He was mine to till he helped black ball mayfield

[@stevensmall9398]

@@Dirt_track_4_life mayfield failed a drug test and those boys don't play with drug issues

[@DupontandLowesWarrior]

@@stevensmall9398 Erin Crocker Ruined Jeremy's Career Not Ray

[@stevensmall9398]

I never said Ray did and honestly I never followed the story. I just remb that's what I heard. Doesn't make it true. Besides that I don't care Rays still the man.

[@wm.davidmeade5593]

Life time Hoosier 61 year's I was a open wheel fan from a very young age growing a15 minute drive from the Indy 5oo track. Dale Jr. I am still a huge open wheel fan however, I am a true NASCAR believer because I followed Jeff & Ray to Nascar. I then was introduced to the master and, also the professor your dad. In my heart I feel Jeff was the cup driver he became because of your father. I loved watching Jeff and, Dale Earnhardt the master just running practice laps. Jeff Gordon became the cup driver he was because, he was taught how to drive a stock car by the best all time driver to date. Jeff follow you dad around those track's and went to school and taught my the master. Yes Ray you also was a huge piece of the package that help Jeff Gordon become the racecar he is. Hell I have a dream not long after hearing about the new racing series that Jeff will get into one of your car's and, win. Great show Jr huge fan please keep doing what you do it matters so much. Thank you...

[@markwebb2502]

He was a good crew leader...

[@williampilcher6799]

greatest race show ever! Thanks Guys

[@ronstewart9792]

Great show, I have an open wheel mag with a picture of a 13 year old Jeff Gordon in a sprint at Florida seed weeks that said watch this kid , he is going to be some one one day. They hit it on the head.

[@johnobrien9718]

He was/continues to be an innovative individual!! Can't WAIT to listen to the whole podcast. Please, more videos from this so I can send to my pop!

[@DirtyMoMedia]

There's some more shorter clips on Dirty Mo Media Twitter/Facebook

[@mgadkins1659]

You can watch his new show Lost Speedways free on Peacock

[@j.d.b.pennamesonofharraant3367]

@@DirtyMoMedia I was kicked off those

[@imirish23]

Jeff was a competitor and earned his respect by simply winning. Quite literally could be called winning respect

[@kalanirobb54]

I am a true Dale Earnhardt sr. Fan 3 till death !I couldn't help but be a jr. Fan.but jr locked me down when it was obvious that he wasnt going to do the way his dad did , because he could of got away with becoming intimidator 2 but he did not ,not at all!,dale jr. raced clean and hard ,I love that boy for that and imagine dale sr. loved and had alot of pride in his boy for it .in this day and age everyone takes the easy route , not jr ,his daddy raised him better than that.

[@jayannakelley9051]

Thank you as I’ve always felt the same way.. I still to this day get into ‘discussions’ about that.. Jr drove differently from his dad & I respect that🌟

[@gasm1100]

Awesome interview!

[@vinnyparrillo]

If ray stayed with Jeff till 2010 they would have had 120 wins minimum

[@CurlyHairQA]

I think that's a fair statement.

[@fatpatlives1998]

Ray got burned out by 99 and Gordon wanted to prove he could win without him

[@pauliefromphilly]

"Absolutely." Rocky replied

[@fostbitten5721]

That could be viewed as a bold statement by anybody that wasnt around to watch Gordorn back then. Gordon and Evernham were a contender at any track they went to.

[@coderider9019]

easily. Jeff already could have won 100 race wins and 7 championships, bad luck just always bit him in the wrong time. I can't even imagine what he and Ray could have done together if they stayed till the end of his career together.

[@glenstark7973]

Awesome..could listen to him all day as well..would love to pick his brain on setups, etc..

[@davidforbes8595]

this was awesome!

[@RC-wb7od]

Great show

[@jeffschwartz5199]

I love these stories . You could call it the history of NASCAR .

[@michaelsorrentino9279]

PURE RACING "GOLD"

[@austinking9912]

“Sorry, didn’t realize I was that sideways.”, that’s a badass quote from a driver. Jeff was legit.

[@King1614]

Omg I’ve been waiting on this

[@lynnbourgeois8760]

Just getting back into stock cars after 50yrs. away and have been enjoying the u tube clips tremendously at dirty money media thanks

[@mrbeaverstate]

Great video !

[@OffRoad-jh1do]

24 is the man!!

[@tommyo2450]

Now this is good, interesting stuff!

[@user-cs3zs6jn1d]

Ha . Hey man, how do you start this thing? Hard to believe that his cup career,as good as it is, started with that.

[@mikechurch2359]

Dale Jr you should have Ray on again that's was a great show

[@lizzier6639]

Ray is the best ever

[@scottwolf497]

Besides Inman/Petty, Evernham/Gordon is the best combination in Winston Cup history. 47 WINS IN 5 YEARS and 3 championships in the best era chock full o' HOFers. Unbelievable.

[@kalanirobb54]

Check Johnson and knauss stats , decent for sure!

[@Gydw]

How about 5 championships in 5 years for Knaus and Johnson. Js 🤷‍♂️

[@DennyDeliversYT]

Jeff Gordon didn’t know how to start a car?! 😂😂😂

[@mindcrime828]

Gotta remember that open wheel cars don't have starters. They are push started.

[@eddietat95]

Look at that garage!

[@ethanweeter2732]

For the stats on how much they won, it got to the point, they were winning one out of almost every 5 races and in the top 5 nearly 70% of the time probably. Top 10 nearly 80% of the time.

[@bryanrichey9163]

Jr. Love your podcasts they are great! Could you bring gordon on again ? Talk about his new role at.Hendrick! Thanks keep up the great work! Your the best!

[@spencer_jones]

yi 11:34 rbfcu 11:34v

[@conniesanders5928]

Jeff was all set to go to Roush for 1993. Jeff wanted Ray and Jack said HE picks the Crew Chief, not Jeff. So Jeff signed with Hendrick because Rick took Ray with Jeff.

[@chipwhite7170]

Great show!!! I will say this again, true innovators of the position of crew chiefs only come around once in a lifetime, Smokey Yunick then Ray Evernham! Who is the next innovator?

[@joshuabeheler9282]

Chad knaus

[@plastic1492]

Great interview Jr i like Ray , thought you were going to ask Ray about the Tony Stewart, Ray Evernham Launch Nationally Televised Racing Series

[@DirtyMoMedia]

We did. Listen to the full podcast at dirtymomedia.com or any podcasting platform. This is just one small part of the interview.

[@plastic1492]

@@DirtyMoMedia>> ok thnx

[@freedom6919741]

Think what could of been if Ray and Jeff had stayed together!

[@hotdogs5265]

The best crew chiefs are the ones that know how to get around the rule book.

[@Masensabaugh]

Wouldn’t be cool if you did a lost speedway episode on DeSoto Speedway in FL?!?!? Now called Freedom Factory, but would need to hear the history & have Dale Jr. Meet the new owners.

[@ethanweeter2732]

Ray Evernham, Robbie Loomis, Randy Dorton, Andy Graves, Alan Gustafson, and Chad Knaus all were at HMS at one point together.

[@chrisbaker927]

Would love to see you get Jeff and say together to discuss the t rex car from 97 and if if they could do it again would they be silent about it? I feel that car had champion written all over it

[@oddlyracer3728]

epic

[@pamelamaloy9778]

Wow❤❤❤❣🌞

[@jeffcanyafixiy]

I still believe in the hundred race rule. Hundred races with one crew chief for a rookie and chief to get a fair shake,,, to win or can he win. Ray is a close second in telling racing stories, got to give the title to Junior though. (Yes I'm partial) Love listening to either of um.

[@jesuschristislord6790]

Gordon was in the top 10 in points with three races to go in the season. Those last three races went bad and he ended up 14th. But he was a top 10 guy all year. He had a really good rookie year, people exaggerate his issues. They had four engine failures, three in a row. Take those engine failures out and he would have been in the top 5 in points his rookie year. It was the engine failures that killed them, not Jeff.

[@lambojames4720]

One of my favorite DirtyMo episodes in a long time! You tend to go inside and interspective. You took inspiration from Dan Patrick! Why haven’t you opened up your show for phone calls , history and humor? You could be syndicated!

[@mijf1171]

Imagine Dale Sr., having RE as CC and Hendrick cars under him? Burton said when he went to RCR they didn't upgrade like HMS because they relied so much on Sr.

[@fatpatlives1998]

Thats why RCR fell off because dale could make up for a car that wasn't already top 10 speed

[@mijf1171]

@@fatpatlives1998 I thought along Sr., had the best equipment but one race they said he drove an oval car on road race and almost won.

[@fatpatlives1998]

@@mijf1171 RCR had the best equipment from about 86-94 after that Hendrick,Roush and Gibbs surpassed them. Harvick and Dale sr won races based on their driving talent more so than the level of equipment thats why Harvick left and jr didn't even consider driving for Richard

[@mijf1171]

@@fatpatlives1998 The race where Sr., drove an oval car at road track was in 87. As DW, said Dale had more car control then anyone else.

[@mijf1171]

@@daviclar867 LOL

[@Dethmegadeth]

Okay I love your podcast and it's cool talking with all these real present and former NASCAR people but you're missing a golden opportunity to interview Ricky Bobby and Cal naughton Jr. It would be hilarious you should do it.

[@ash7700]

Hm. I'd like to hear what Bill Davis has to say about how Jeff left the Baby Ruth team.

[@evanwilliams6406]

Bill and Jeff really don't talk much anymore. It really hurt Bill when Jeff left the team because he wanted him to drive in the Cup Series for Ford, but Jeff didn't want a one-off Cup ride because the original plan for the Ford camp was to have Jeff drive several races for the #66 Tropartic Ford and then work his way up to a full time schedule. Obviously that did not happen and that's a good thing considering 1995 would have been his first full year had Ford had their way with him. Jeff choosing that option to drive for Hendrick paid off big time.

[@donniebeadles7842]

Best thing Gordon could have ever done. Look how bad Bobby labonte struggled with Bill Davis in cup fresh off of a championship and a 2nd in points in 91 & 92. Bill wasnt ready for cup. Jeff thought that and Ray knew it for sure

[@currentbatches6205]

10:59 - Working on vintage racers, I sort of dismissed vintage aero, until a former (Brit) factory engineer, on our way to lunch, told me to stick my hand out the window and rotate it to various angles of attack; a flat hand, no shape, say 50MPH. My goodness gracious! Pay attention, now!

[@sammylacks4937]

Can you imagine Ford and/ or whatever team Jeff was talking with turning him down because he had some crew chief named Evernham he insisted came with him. Id love to know at what point someone involved in that deal said " they could have been with us but ...." .

[@hotrod7938]

Would love to know what Jeff saw in Ray he was him man.

[@ThePaesan1]

2:58 Hello Wally! Hello Bobby!

[@number1musichater430]

Wasn't there a clip in which Dale talks to Ray about the T-Rex car?

[@DirtyMoMedia]

twitter.com/DirtyMoMedia/status/1285966583425314823

[@number1musichater430]

@@DirtyMoMedia Thanks. Saw it on Yt, for a brief moment, then it was gone.

[@Natural-Causes]

To this day I know without a doubt if Ray and Jeff stayed together, then what Dale Sr said in an interview once would have come true. Dale Sr said Jeff Gordon would win more championships than him and petty had together.

[@King1614]

I’d like to hear ray’s stories about working for Alan kulwicki. And how he came to understand the cars better and eventually put together one of the best teams ever

[@johnnydodge]

Question I wished you could have asked him. At any point would Jeff have come to the Dodge program.?? Just curious I understand Hendrick but Jimmie got all

[@Bird_814]

im sure chevy kept that deal very lucrative for Jeff. plus why change a winning formula with chevy.

[@BrianSexton13]

Is it me or does Ray Evernham sound like Bill Engvall?

[@joshuabeheler9282]

7:20 yea the team he's talking about is Jack Roush. But Roush wouldn't allow him to bring Ray with him and the rest is history 😉

[@robertpetersen6122]

Love it, roush let his ego lose Jeff Gordon

[@dougbrigman4055]

I can only imagine if them two hadn't split up damn only if

[@markschertzer9976]

Refuse to lose !!!

[@ethanweeter2732]

Ray was the smartest crew chief ever honestly. Chad Knaus was maybe the smartest.

[@evanwilliams6406]

What's lost in this is, that Roush could have had Jeff but Roush wouldn't let him have Ray Evernham there.

[@RAEckart22]

The other thing was Bickford new Jeff's souvenir sales from his sprint car days & asked for a fair % of that $$$ didn't know what $$$ Jeff put up so he turned him down out of principle.

[@JJA1987]

Jeff probably wouldn't have had the career he had if he went to Roush

[@SimCentralYT]

Notice how much better the show is without Mike

[@charlesatkinson813]

I been watching these jr. Downloads for a few years now, and I can't understand why nobody is asking kevin Harvick wtf here in 2021. After all, he was 1 of the 2 most dominant drivers in 2020, and this year he is almost a zero!!! Why? How does that happen? Something is drastically wrong at Stewart haas racing.

[@wizzjo1nt5]

Bout time hes been fast every year since 2014. Enjoy it.

[@ethanweeter2732]

Jack Roush wanted to hire Jeff, but would not hire him because he wanted Ray as his crew chief. Biggest mistake Jack ever made.

[@spence7985]

It’s a shame what the points system change and ray leaving did to Jeff. He may have had double digit championships

[@sooweeq123]

Ray has been inhabited by the ghost of Harry Carey.

[@hotdogs5265]

Looking forward to the SRX. Please don't screw it up. No politics no weired stuff. Keep it simple good old fashion racing.

[@josiah7672]

Ray definitely has a brilliant mind but his mind has also led him to do some bad things

[@michaelpatton7065]

I will NEVER forgive Ray for Fucking over Jeff in 1999 !

[@Jpilgrim30]

Funny listening to this again after the Larson thing with Ford and Tony Stewart. Ford just seems to make some dumb decisions and lost out on some real generational talent to Chevrolet twice.

[@elvirarenae1421]

The salty branch collaterally move because software periodically land for a nonchalant college. empty, shocking february

[@simr7856]

Ray's another person who has some great Dale Sr stories "strageties i meant" becaause look...the Gordon/Earnhardt Show helped Nascars 'popularity' , but also cost dale a couple of championships..damn right Ray knows some Earnhardt 'strageties' i meant Stroies, the aged look upon Rays face - the Intimidator caused that (who you foolin) come clean Mr Americana..im tired of the Sterile, white washing when ever the Intimidating one is brought up...lets not bullshit each other Ray!

[@chewbacca5008]

Byron and that crowd aren’t talented. Please. Get over them. They aren’t legends

[@MS3DALE]

Gordon wasn't a legend either when he first started.

[@chewbacca5008]

RICHARD SIDOR was better than these guys 😂. Come on.

[@MS3DALE]

@@chewbacca5008 Not the way he tore up cars!

[@junior8jn1]

Ray everham and nascar sucks for what they did to Jeremy Mayfield. Chasing some tail while he was married!

[@lambojames4720]

Just like your driving career! Your podcast rests on the past. Minimal topical insight ! You named Dan Patrick as an inspiration. He would be a good mentor to use going forward

[@charlesatkinson813]

I am sorry, but I guess Nascar and racing in general has become political as much as Washington D.C. questions do need answers and nobody wants to get them or do the right interviews!!!!! In my opinion shows like this will eventually kill Nascar, we are not getting new info.

[@scottb9868]

It really just shows how undedicated he is and relly everything was always about oney. "Iwouldnt spend my own money", "but i really enjoy racing", um no sir no you dont.

[@noahroutledge7054]

I'd love to get Ray Evernham in the announcers booth. Ray has tons of knowledge, stories, and a great personality.