‘Unrivaled: Earnhardt vs. Gordon’ Revisits One of NASCAR’s Fiercest Feuds

Unrivaled: Earnhardt vs. Gordon
© 1996 Nigel Kinrade/NKP

Great sports rivalries are not only about fierce competition, but also mutual respect.

Racing icons Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon were two of NASCAR’s greatest rivals, and there was no love lost between their rabid fans. Despite their duels on the track and in the public sphere, they held a true admiration for each other and knew that they were both revolutionizing and energizing their sport.

FOX Sports Films, NASCAR Productions and DLP Media Group explore the racing legends’ relationship on and off the track in the one-hour documentary special Unrivaled: Earnhardt vs. Gordon. The special debuts Feb. 14 immediately after FS1’s coverage of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Duel at Daytona.

“From their family backgrounds to their driving styles, paint schemes and fashion sense, the icons could not have been more polar opposites,” FOX Sports says in a statement announcing the documentary. “Unrivaled: Earnhardt vs. Gordon strips away the public façade to highlight the unpredictable intersection of their lives and personalities and their impacts on NASCAR.”

“Working on this project brought back so many memorable moments,” says Gordon, who is currently a FOX Sports NASCAR analyst and also an executive producer on the documentary. “Dale was such a fierce competitor, and he used his bumper plenty of times to teach me lessons on the track. Off the track — and I don’t know exactly why — he took me under his wing to teach me so much about the business side of our sport.”

Interviewees in the film include Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Rick Hendrick, Ray Evernham, Richard Childress, Larry McReynolds, Jay Wells, JR Rhodes, Don Hawk, Daniel Ricciardo, Ricky Craven, John Bickford, Carol Bickford, Joe Garner, Dr. Jerry Punch, Ryan McGee, Marty Smith, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Mike Helton, Brian Williams, Gavin Kilduff, Chocolate Myers, Andy Petree and Chris Williams.

Unrivaled: Earnhardt vs. Gordon, Thursday, February 14, 10/9c, FS1