Intimidating The Intimidator.

   After actively covering NASCAR for more than 40 years, I finally have to concede that the fog of time has caused many of the races I saw to blend into the mist.
   Several, of course, haven't.
   The 1958 Southern 500 at Darlington...The 1979 Daytona 500...The 1980 World 600 at Charlotte...The 1988 Winston 500 at Talladega.   And the Holly Farms 400 of Oct. 16, 1988 at North Wilkesboro.
   The latter produced a fireworks of a finish between Rusty Wallace, Phil Parsons and Geoff  Bodine, and a fire-breathing  feud between the late Dale Earnhardt and rival Ricky Rudd.
   The action 20 autumns ago was rather typical for the .625-mile North Wilkesboro Speedway, and it's a main reason why so many fans continue to lament the track's closing in 1996.

   That seasons's final Winston Cup Series event on a short track wound up as a throwback to the sport's rowdy old days on the smaller layouts, with a riled Rudd vowing vengeance against Earnhardt after a tangle that spoiled strong victory bids by both.
   The two slapped sheet metal in turn one and again in turn three as they battled for the lead on the 361st of 400 laps.  They alternately had dominated to that point, with Rudd leading 154 laps and Earnhardt 107.
    Rudd was on the inside, Earnhardt the outside when they first made contact.  Both temporarily lost control, but continued, with Rudd holding the lead.  Earnhardt, driving a  Chevrolet, popped Rudd's Buick in turn one on Lap 362, causing him to spin and bringing out the caution flag.
   For the restart, NASCAR officials ordered both Rudd and Earnhardt to line up behind the other drivers on the lead lap--eventual winner Wallace, Bodine, Bill Elliott and Parsons.  The penalties essentially ended the victory chances of both Rudd and Earnhardt with so few laps remaining.  Never mind they had the two fastest cars, a fact Wallace conceded.
   Bodine bumped Wallace's Pontiac  out of the way to take the lead in turn one on the final lap, but Wallace returned the shot to Bodine's Chevy in turn three and spurted ahead.  The Olds-drivng Parsons edged Bodine by inches for second place.
   However, all eyes were on the garage area, not Victory Lane, at the conclusion.  What WOULD Earnhardt and Rudd do after finishing sixth and seventh respectively?  Get physical!!!!?
   No, somewhat surprisingly, it turned out to be all-verbal.  But torridly.
   Rudd accused Earnhardt of "a dirty move" and of "taking cheap shots."  He threatened to get even.
   Earnhardt said, "Rudd hit me intentionally and wrecked my car."
   Rudd continued: "Earnhardt went into the corner looking into his mirror and overdrove and I got around him clean.  My car was working good down low, and that's where I was running.  He turned to the bottom of the track like he didn't even know I was there.  He wrecked himself.
   "Then, he comes back and spins me in turn two, knocking my front end out of line.  Clearly, that was a dirty move.  NASCAR put us both at the rear and cost us a chance to win.  We got beat by a cheap shot.  If he wants to play this game, then he can forget the championship.  We have nothing to lose.  Next year, too, if he wants it.  I'm not going to be like some other drivers.  I'm not going to take this crap."
   Added Earnhardt:  "Rudd turned me sideways in turn three.  Then I got into him.  I didn't mean to.  Even if I had, I didn't hit him any harder than he hit me.  I backed off so he could straighten out, but he spun anyway.
   "Did they penalize Ricky when he spun me out the last time with four laps to go?  No.  He's the one that got rough.  I wasn't worried about the points race, I just wanted to win this race."
   Rudd later was fined $6,000 by NASCAR for "over-aggressive driving."
   The race's outcome left Earnhardt 188 points behind leader Bill Elliott in the chase for the Winston Cup Series championship with three races remaining.  Elliott, who finished fifth at North Wilkesboro that day, won the 1988 title by 24 points over Wallace.    Earnhardt wound up third, 232 points behind.  However, Earnhardt eventually  reached seven championships, tying the record of Richard Petty, before losing his life in a 2001 Daytona 500 crash.
   Rudd indeed later got a measure of revenge on Earnhardt.
   During one of NASCAR's annual awards banquets in December at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, the top drivers were introduced and brought onstage.  All looked dandy in their tuxedoes.
   Asked to comment, Rudd wittily said, "All of us had nice shiny shoes until we got backstage, then Earnhardt came in and walked all over us."
   Earnhardt now was introduced and he came out with face glowing red in embarrassment.  He was grinning, but had no comeback.
   Ricky Rudd had, in a humorous way, intimidated The Intimidator.