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No, I was a NASCAR technical inspector for five years during the height of Dale’s career. I left the year before his death. Dale was a bit of a hothead at the start of his career but eventually realised that it was counterproductive. He eventually mastered his temper, became a consistent driver and actually was one of the best drivers when it came to conserving his car for the finish of the race. There were a lot of young drivers that tried to push Dale to build their rep. Dale put up with a lot of crap. NASCAR management finally had to step in and squat on the “young guns” to bring it to an end. Dale never once complained about this situation. I think it was because he recognised a lot of himself when he was young in the younger drivers. If you have access to NASCAR staff or drivers who were around in those days ask them what they thought of Dale. Cale Yarbrough was a nasty piece of business as we’re a few others. Most of the drivers were pretty considerate but wouldn’t stand being pushed around. That’s not to say that there weren’t grudges and life-long feuds because there certainly were a few of them. But the officials usually did a good job of keeping things under control. Death comes quickly at 200 mph if you’re dickin around. I finally gave up tech inspection as the travel was not conducive to raising a family. Left NASCAR and went to work for the other big “N” organisation - NASA. I could tell you hours of great stories from both outfits. I was pretty lucky in my choice of careers. Had some wonderful experiences in both.