It was the spark that lit one of NASCAR’s most memorable modern-day rivalries. Dale Earnhardt Jr. had joined Hendrick Motorsports beginning with the 2008 NASCAR Cup Series, signing a five-year deal to replace Kyle Busch in the No. 88 Chevrolet. Busch, meanwhile, parted ways with Hendrick at the conclusion of the 2007 season and joined Joe Gibbs Racing for 2008, a move that would set the stage for one of the year’s most talked-about on-track incidents.

That moment came on May 3, 2008, at Richmond Raceway, when a late-race battle between the two ended with Earnhardt Jr. being put into the wall by Busch, allowing Clint Bowyer to take the victory. Neither driver won that night, but the contact ignited a rivalry that would dominate headlines.

While the animosity between them cooled over t

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