Daniel Ricciardo to land Dale Earnhardt drive in podium bet with McLaren CEO Zak Brown

Dale Earnhardt Sr's 1984 Wrangler Chevrolet Monte Carlo — Photo: © LAT Images

Daniel Ricciardo

Ricciardo to land Earnhardt drive in podium bet with McLaren CEO Brown

Dale Earnhardt Sr is Ricciardo's driving hero

Ian Parkes

Wednesday 31 March 2021 15:12 Updated: 15:01

Daniel Ricciardo will land a drive in NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt's 1984 Wrangler Chevrolet Monte Carlo if he can score a podium for McLaren this season.

That is the prize being handed out by McLaren CEO Zak Brown to Ricciardo following the Australian's arrival at the team.

Prior to last season, Ricciardo famously bet with former Renault team principal Cyril Abiteboul that the Frenchman would have to be tattooed if he scored a top-three finish.

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Ricciardo went on to achieve the feat in the Eifel Grand Prix at the Nürburgring and again in the Emilia Romagna GP at Imola.

Knowing Ricciardo's love of a bet, Brown has laid down the gauntlet to his new driver, and thrown in his boyhood hero for good measure. Earnhardt is the reason why the 31-year-old sports the number three in Formula 1.

As part of his private collection, Brown owns the car in which seven-times champion Earnhardt competed in the 1984 NASCAR season.

Earnhardt won his first three NASCAR titles in 1980, 1986 and 1987 in the purple and yellow Wrangler colours before switching to his more iconic black from 1988 as part of the link-up with GM Goodwrench.

Dale Earnhardt Sr's 1984 Wrangler Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

Get us that podium and the drive is all yours, @DanielRicciardo. ?? @DaleJr @NASCAR pic.twitter.com/wyplavg8G3
— Zak Brown (@ZBrownCEO) March 31, 2021

For now, Ricciardo has a die-cast version of the car to enjoy until he gets his hands on the real thing - if he can score that podium.

And as Ricciardo points out in the McLaren Twitter video below, he now has to come up with something for Brown in return.

It will not be a tattoo, however, as Brown is understood to have an aversion to needles.

We know how much you enjoy a podium bet, @danielricciardo.

How does a drive of one of THE most iconic cars in @ZBrownCEO’s heritage collection sound? ??? pic.twitter.com/yj17DLiEjM
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) March 31, 2021