Earnhardt won his first Cup championship in a most improbable way. His team owner, Osterlund, didn't have a lot of money or sponsorships. Crew chief Doug Richert was all of 20 years. And Earnhardt was still a raw talent from Kannapolis, N.C., that few would likely envision becoming one of NASCAR's greatest legends over the next 20-plus years.
In his second full-time season in Cup racing in 1980, and despite all the limitations and shortcomings around him and associated with the team, Earnhardt surprised the racing world by winning the Cup crown. He won five races, had 19 top-five and 24 top-10 finishes in 31 starts.
Much of the credit—and far too often seemingly unnoticed—for Earnhardt's win goes to Richert. For what he lacked in age and experience, Richert and Earnhardt formed a great bond.
Unfortunately, Osterlund's financial situation—he would be forced to sell the championship-winning team only halfway through the 1981 season—never really allowed the Earnhardt-Richert partnership to bloom even more in the following seasons.
Earnhardt remains the only driver in Cup annals to win Rookie of the Year in one season (1979) and follow it up with a championship the following year (1980). He also became one of just eight drivers—the others are David Pearson, Richard Petty, Alan Kulwicki, Rusty Wallace, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth—to win both ROY and the Cup championship in their respective careers.
