McLaren CEO Zak Brown seems to have made a promise to Daniel Ricciardo by offering him a chance to drive the infamous Dale Earnhardt Sr’s 1984 NASCAR stock car. In return, Ricciardo has to score a podium for his new team during the upcoming 2021 F1 season.
Dale Earnhardt’s NASCAR stock car, the 1984 Wrangler Chevrolet Monte Carlo, is an absolute masterpiece of a machine and Ricciardo has his eyes set on it. It is a well known fact that Earnhardt was Ricciardo’s racing hero while he was growing up.
Ricciardo, the seven-time grand prix winner chooses to run #3 as his permanent number in memory of Earnhardt, who lost his life in a crash during the 2001 Daytona 500.
Brown also presented Ricciardo a model of Earnhardt’s iconic car which seems like a good incentive for him to up his game. It would surely be a great reward for Ricciardo to get behind the wheel of the real thing if he finishes inside the top three this year.
In a tweet by Brown on Wednesday, he writes, “Get us that podium and the drive is all yours.”
McLaren also took to Twitter to prompt Ricciardo asking him to picture himself in the seat of the iconic car.
Ricciardo has always been enjoying the quirks of the game. Just last year, he made a bet with his then Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul. According to the deal, Abiteboul would have to get a tattoo if the Australian scored a podium. Ultimately, Ricciardo did claim the podium at the Nurburgring and Imola, but Abiteboul is yet to honor his side of the bet.
We hope that Ricciardo smashes the podium and gets his hands on the magnificent car. He finished seventh on his McLaren debut at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. His teammate, Lando Norris came in fourth.
What do you think the future holds for Ricciardo? Let us know in the comments below!