Earnhardt History
1985 Season
Becoming championship contenders

1985 Season

Starts 28
Wins 4
Top 5's 10
Top 10's 16
Points Rank 8
Crew Chief:
Kirk Shelmerdine
Car Owner:
Richard Childress
Car Make:
Chevy Monte Carlo
Car No: 3
Sponsor: Wrangler

 

 

For 1985, Dale Earnhardt and crew chief Kirk Shelmerdine drew up a plan to help the Childress team make the final jump to championship contenders.  They decided to tackle their rise to the upper level of the sport in stages.  The first step was to concentrate on improving the short track part of their program.  Their work payed huge dividends.  Dale dominated the short tracks, picking up four wins on the bullrings, as well as finishing fourth two other times.  However, any progress that they may have made on the superspeedways was cancelled out by the enourmous year turned in by Bill Elliott, when he ripped to 11 wins on the big tracks in 1985.  Clearly, the combination of Earnhardt, crew chief Kirk Shelmerdine, and owner Richard Childress was coming together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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