359 - Robert Pressley: The Real Racers

Two racecar drivers from two hard-nosed racing families converge at the big wooden table as Dale Earnhardt Jr. sits down with "The Bent Creek Bandit" Robert Pressley. Where has the former NASCAR driver been? He's still proudly from Asheville but now he serves the people of the popular North Carolina city in a different way, as a County Commissioner. How the hell does a NASCAR driver turn into a politician? And does he even like it? We find out the truth right away. Robert's father Bob Pressley was a legend of the Carolina Short Track scene and his son followed right in his footsteps. And let's just say, the apple didn't fall far from the tree. They were both cut from the cloth of self-made grizzled short trackers that didn't back down from anyone... including each other. Bob Pressley's rivals turned into Roberts and then with the one bump to the back bumper, father and son became the rivalry. Just how intense did it get? Robert gives us the details inside a family feud that helped define their relationship and ultimately bring them closer together. Where the Earnhardt and Pressley family connect is one of the more interesting conversations. Apparently, there was a generational bullying that started with Dale Jr.'s grandfather, short track great Ralph Earnhardt, and continued on through Dale Sr. and Robert. It's a story you have to hear. Robert's start in racing came at the now-defunct New Asheville Motor Speedway, racing against greats like Bosco Lowe and Jack Ingram. It's a place that was very close to Pressley's heart and the reason why Dale Jr. decided to have him on his Peacock TV television show "Lost Speedways." Pressley gives us the inside scoop on the concerns the city of Asheville had before shooting on location at the track, now called Carrier Park, and the community reaction afterward. How did the show also get the truth out there about its closing while closing the book on its biggest controversy, a famed incident between the Pressley's and "The Iron Man" Jack Ingram? Another North Carolina great, Basketball star turned broadcaster Brad Daugherty, got his fingernails dirty as a crew member on Robert Pressley's race team. They traveled around winning races and getting shot at in the process. They even showed up to the racetrack one night with a truck, a couch, a loveseat, and a racecar, and whooped their butts. From Late Models, the second generation driver launched a NASCAR career and soon found success on a myriad of raceways across America. This led to opportunities that he couldn't turn down, but some that left him with regret. From replacing the great Harry Gant, to getting fired at Alliance, to his up and down tenure at Jasper Racing, Pressley tells all. He also explains how one rivalry spelled the end for his first Cup Series ride. Pressley, Dale Jr., and co-host Mike Davis enjoy some laughs talking about racing, fighting, and cheating. Boy, the stories go deep. But none deeper than a surprise moment at the end of the show when Dale and Robert let the cat out of the bag about an incident between them. The story reveals a truth never known until now. Before Pressley arrived, Dale Jr. talks about his work weekend in Las Vegas with his wife Amy. While the trip was nice, they came home to a more hostile Monday. Two dogs fighting and two children not getting along produced a not-so-perfect day in the Earnhardt household. Recent "Behind the Scenes" social media content sparks conversation in the studio about what it was really like filming Lost Speedways. We learn that Leah Vaughn is grossed out by Dale and Matthew kicking the "poop pipe" and if Dillner really did fart on the backstretch during the explore? In AskJr, fan questions spur some incredible insight from Dale Jr, including a fantastic story about his father hopping on the radio to give him live-time insight into how to get around Bristol Motor Speedway. A rare father-son moment of instruction that Dale Jr shares with us all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices