When the original driver of the No. 96 Cardinal Tractor Ford had to be scratched after a dustup with Charlotte law enforcement, Will Cronkrite (car's owner), said he found himself without a driver for one of the biggest races of the year - the 1978 World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. �The television news was announcing that we didn�t have a driver,� said Cronkrite. �The news gentleman didn�t get those words out of his mouth before Dale called me on the telephone and said, �Can I drive that car?�" Cronkrite, who at the time wore the hats of both car owner and crew chief, told Earnhardt he'd give him a shot. So later that evening, Earnhardt met him at the track for a practice run. Earnhardt drove the car to a 17th place finish that first race with Cronkrite. He then drove it three more times, notching his first top 10 in NASCAR�s Winston Cup Series.
