Dale Earnhardt

At 49 years old, Dale Earnhardt has this physical status:

Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (April 29, 1951 – February 18, 2001) was an American professional auto racing driver and team owner best known for his NASCAR involvement.

Ralph Earnhardt and Martha Earnhardt's third child competed in the World 600 as part of the Winston Cup Series in 1975. Earnhardt, who is regarded as one of the most influential players in NASCAR history, has won 76 Winston Cup titles over his career, including the 1998 Daytona 500.

He also won seven NASCAR Winston Cup titles, tying for the most all-time with Richard Petty.

This achievement, which was accomplished in 1994, was not equaled again for 22 years until Jimmie Johnson in 2016.

He was nicknamed "Ironhead," "The Intimidator," and "The Man in Black" as a result of his ardent driving style.

In addition, his success on Daytona and Talladega's restrictedor plate tracks earned him the nickname "Mr.."

Plate Restrictor Plate" is a symbol that refers to a restricted area. Earnhardt died as a result of injury sustained in a crash during the Daytona 500's final lap, a sport long-dread.

Earnhardt has been inducted into numerous halls of honor, including the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010.

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NASCAR career

Earnhardt began his career in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series in 1975, making his points race debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina in the longest race on the Cup circuit—the 1975 World 600. He had made his Grand National debut in 1974 in an unofficial invitational exhibition show at Metrolina Speedway, where he came under Richard Childress and spun out when fighting for third place. He steered the No. 58. Ed Negre Dodge Charger finished 22nd in the nation's highest class, just one spot ahead of his future vehicle owner, Richard Childress. Earnhardt was involved in eight other championships before 1979.

Earnhardt won one race at Bristol, captured four poles, scored eleven Top 10s, and finished seventh in the points standings after missing four races due to a fractured collarbone, winning Rookie of the Year awards in his rookie season.

Earnhardt's sophomore season, along with 20-year-old Doug Richert as his crew chief, started the Busch Clash on the season. Earnhardt claimed his first Winston Cup points championship in Atlanta, Bristol, Nashville, Martinsville, and Charlotte. He is the only driver in NASCAR Winston Cup history to win the Rookie of the Year award with a NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. Following David Pearson (1960, 1966) and Richard Petty (1959, 1964), he became the third driver in NASCAR history to win both the Rookie of the Year and Winston Cup Series championship. Rusty Wallace (1984, 1992), Alan Kulwicki (1991, 1990), Jeff Gordon (1993, 2014), Kevin Harvick (2005, 2020), Kyle Busch (2004, 2020), and Kyle Larson (2014, 2020).

1981 would be tumultuous for the defending Winston Cup champion. Rod Osterlund's team was sold to Jim Stacy, a Kentucky businessman who joined NASCAR in 1977. Earnhardt went out with Stacy and left the team after just four races. Earnhardt topped out the year as the year's top pontiacs for Richard Childress Racing and finished seventh in the final points standings. Earnhardt left RCR at the end of the season, citing a lack of chemistry as the reason.

Earnhardt, as David Hobbs, a pit reporter on weekends, was also a color analyst for the Busch Clash.

Earnhardt joined automaker Bud Moore for the 1982 and 1983 seasons, at Childress' suggestion. The only full-time Ford Thunderbird ride in his career) was sponsored by 15 Wrangler Jeans. Earnhardt had a rough time during the 1982 season. Despite winning at Darlington, he didn't finish 18 of the 30 races and ended the season 12th in points, his lowest finish in his career. After losing touch with Tim Richmond, he suffered a fractured kneecap at Pocono Raceway. Earnhardt recovered from his defeat in 1983 in the first of 12 Twin 125 Daytona 500 qualifying races. Despite failing to finish 13 of the 30 races, he won at Nashville and Talladega, finishing eighth in the points standings.

Earnhardt returned to Richard Childress Racing after the 1983-19 season, replacing Ricky Rudd in the No. 102. 3. Rudd accepted Bud Moore's No. 2 as a No. 1. Earnhardt was fired on June 15, replacing him. Both drivers were paid by Wrangler for their respective squads. Earnhardt won lane six times in 1984 and 1985, including at Talladega, Richmond, Bristol (twice), and Martinsville, where he finished fourth and eighth in the season standings respectively.

Earnhardt captured his second consecutive Winston Cup Championship and Richard Childress Racing's first owner's championship in 1986. He has won five titles and had 16 top-fives and 23 top tens. Earnhardt defended his championship the following year, winning by 11 times and winning the championship by 489 points over Bill Elliott. Earnhardt also won five of the first seven races in a row, setting a new NASCAR modern-era record. He earned the nickname "The Intimidator" in the 1987 Winston All-Star Race. Earnhardt was briefly led into the infield grass but kept control of his car and returned to the track without losing his lead during the race. Even though Earnhardt did not pass anyone while he was off the track, the whole scheme is now called the "Pass in the Grass." After The Winston, an outraged fan sent Bill France Jr. a letter threatening Earnhardt at Pocono, Watkins Glen, or Dover, or Dover, the FBI was sent by an angry fan to make sure Earnhardt was safe on the three tracks. Since the races at the three tracks ended without incident, the probe was closed.

Earnhardt was racing with GM Goodwrench in 1988, after Wrangler Jeans stopped financing in 1987. During this season, he changed the hue of his paint scheme from blue and yellow to the classic black, which earned him the No. The 3rd car was painted for the remainder of his life. In 1988, he won three races and ended third in the points standings, behind Bill Elliott in first and Rusty Wallace in second. Earnhardt's first five races were won, but Rusty Wallace edged him out by 12 points in the 1989 championship, but Wallace finished 15th after needing to finish at least 18th to win). It was his first season with the GM Goodwrench Chevrolet Lumina.

Earnhardt's 1990 season got off to a promising start in the Busch Clash and his heat of the Gatorade Twin 125's. He had a commanding forty-second lead at the end of the Daytona 500 when the final caution flag came out with just a few laps to go. Earnhardt was leading Derrike Cope when the green flag waved. Earnhardt ran over a piece of metal, which was later revealed as a bell housing, in turn 3, braking a tire. Cope won the race after leading 155 of the 200 laps in an unexpected surprise, while Earnhardt finished fifth. The No. 2 is the No. 1. The Daytona 500, sponsored by Goodwrench, was used by the 3 guys for the win, and they hung it on the shop wall as a reminder of how close they were to winning the Daytona 500. Earnhardt won his third Winston Cup title and defeated Mark Martin by 26 points in nine races this season. He was also the first multiple winner of the annual all-star race, The Winston. Earnhardt won his fifth Winston Cup title in 1991. He won the championship by 195 points over Ricky Rudd this season. One of his victories came at North Wilkesboro, where Harry Gant had a chance to set a single-season record by winning his fifth straight race, beating a record held by Earnhardt. Gant's brakes died early in the game, giving Earnhardt the opportunity to win and maintain his record.

Earnhardt's only victory of the 1992 season came at Charlotte in the Coca-Cola 600, snaping a 13-race winning streak by Ford teams. Earnhardt finished 12th in the points for the second time in his career, with three last place finishes (Daytona and Talladega in July and Martinsville in September), and the only time he had finished in a lower place since joining Richard Childress Racing. Rusty Wallace and I made the trip to the annual Awards Banquet, but he didn't have the best seat in the house. Wallace and Earnhardt had to sit on the backs of their chairs to see, and Earnhardt said, "This sucks, I should have gone hunting." Kirk Shelmerdine, the year's long-serving crew chief, was unable to become a pilot at the end of the year. Andy Pettite took over as the crew's chief. When Earnhardt returned to the front in 1993, Hiring Petree was proving to be highly profitable. He came close to winning the Daytona 500 and dominated Speedweek before finishing second behind Dale Jarrett on a last-lap run. Earnhardt won his sixth Winston Cup title, as well as victories in the first prime-time Coca-Cola 600 and The Winston, both in Charlotte, and the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. He defeated Rusty Wallace by 80 points in the championship match. On November 14, 1993, the race winner Wallace and 1993 series champion Earnhardt ran a dual Polish Victory Lap together, clutching the #28 and #7 flags in honor of 1992 Daytona 500 winner Davey Allison and 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion Alan Kulwicki respectively, who died in separate plane accidents during the season.

Earnhardt made history by achieving a feat that he himself had no idea was possible in 1994: tying Richard Petty for his seventh Winston Cup championship. He was prolific, winning four games, and after Ernie Irvan was sidelined at Michigan due to a near-deadly accident (the two were neck-and-neck at the top of the points up until the crash), he took the title by over 400 points over Mark Martin. Earnhardt sealed the deal at Rockingham by defeating Rick Mast in the race. It was his last NASCAR championship and the GM Goodwrench Chevrolet Lumina's final season. Earnhardt started the 1995 season by finishing second in the Daytona 500 to Sterling Marlin. In 1995, he finished five races, including his first road course victory at Sears Point. He also won the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a victory he praised as the most important of his career. Earnhardt lost the championship by 34 points to Jeff Gordon at the end of the season. The GM Goodwrench racing team was moved to Chevrolet Monte Carlos.

Earnhardt's 1996 debut began just as it had in 1993: he dominated Speedweek, but only finished second in the Daytona 500 to Dale Jarrett for the second time. He won at Rockingham and Atlanta early this year, scoring consecutive victories. Despite the departure of crew chief Andy Pettae, he was second in points and hungry for his eighth season title on July 28. Ernie Irvan, a late starter in the contest, lost control of his No. 67. The No. 28 Havoline-sponsored Ford Thunderbird made contact with the No. Monte Carlo, a 4 Kodak-sponsored Chevy Monte Carlo of Sterling Marlin, was started by a fire that resulted in Earnhardt's No. crashing. At nearly 200 mph, three Chevrolets hit the tri-oval wall almost head on. Earnhardt's car flipped and slid across the track in front of race traffic after hitting the wall. His vehicle was struck in the roof and windshield. This crash, as well as a similar crash that resulted in Russell Phillips' death in Charlotte, resulted in the death of Russell Phillips. In NASCAR-owned United SportsCar Racing and its predecessors for road racing, this bar is also needed.

Rain delays had cancelled the live broadcast of the race, and most fans of the tragedy were first alerted of the crash during the night's sports newscasts. On video of what seemed to be a deadly accident, Earnhardt stepped out and waved to the crowd, refusing to be loaded onto a stretcher despite a fractured collarbone, sternum, and shoulder blade. Earnhardt refused to get out of the car because the incident seemed to be ending his season early, even though it seemed that it would be short-lived. He started the race last week but decided against the car at the first pit stop, allowing Mike Skinner to drive. Earnhardt recalled that vacating the No. 67 had nothing to do with a vacating the No. He had never attempted anything more than 3 cars. He rode the No. 86 at Watkins Glen over the weekend. 3 Goodwrench Chevrolet to the fastest time in qualifying, winning the "True Grit" pole. Earnhardt's face t-shirts were emblazoned with Earnhardt's name and a tag that read: "It Hurt So Good" was a popular slogan. Earnhardt led the majority of the race and appeared to have the upper hand, but exhaustion took its toll, placing him sixth behind race champion Geoff Bodine. Earnhardt did not win again in 1996, but he finished fourth in the standings behind Terry Labonte, Jeff Gordon, and Dale Jarrett with 2 wins, 13 top fives, 17 top tens, and his last two career poles, with an average finish of 10.6. As crew chief of the No. 1, David Smith departed. Larry McReynolds replaced the three team and RCR at the end of the year for personal reasons, and he was fired by Larry McReynolds.

Earnhardt won for the second time in his career in 1997. In the Twin 125-mile qualifying race, the only (non-points) win came during Speedweek at Daytona, his eighth straight victory in the event. Earnhardt was put out of contention by a late accident that turned his vehicle upside down on the backstretch once more in the Daytona 500. In the Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington in September, he reached the lowest point of his year when he blacked out early, prompting him to hit the wall. He was disoriented, and it took several laps for him to find his pit stall. Earnhardt said of double vision, which made it impossible to pit when asked. Earnhardt was sent by Mike Dillon (Richard Childress' son-in-law) to help with the remainder of the race. Earnhardt was evaluated at a local hospital and cleared to race the following week, but the reason for the blackout and double vision was never determined. Despite no victories, Earnhardt finished fifth in the final standings with 7 top fives and 16 top tens, with a mean finish of 12.1.

Earnhardt's 20th attempt won the Daytona 500 on February 15, 1998, after struggling to win in his previous 19 attempts. He started the season by winning his Twin 125-mile qualifier race for the ninth straight year in a row, and the first to drive around the track under the newly installed lights for coincidentally 20 laps. He appeared to be a front-runner early on race day. Jeff Gordon had the upper hand half of the race, but it seemed that he had the upper hand. Earnhardt had taken the lead by lap 138, and thanks to a push by teammate Mike Skinner, he kept it. Before Bobby Labonte, Earnhardt made it to the caution flag. Earnhardt's respect for him continued after, with every crew member of every team lined pit road to shake his hand as he made his way to victory lane. Earnhardt was then a No. 1 on the track. The infield grass was turned into the infield grass, kicking off a tradition of post-race celebrations. He spun the car twice, throwing grass and leaving tire tracks in the form of a No.. In the grass, there are three of us. "I have had a lot of loyal followers and people behind me through the years, but I can't thank them enough," he continued. We have the Daytona 500.

We won it, we won it, we won it!"

The rest of the season was not productive, and the Daytona 500 was his first victory of the year. Despite this, he came close to winning the Daytona sweep, where he was one of the top candidates in the first nighttime Pepsi 400 but a pit stop late in the race in which a rogue tire cost him the race victory. Richard Childress made a crew change by taking Kevin Hamlin from Earnhardt and deploying him with Earnhardt while giving Skinner Larry McReynolds (Earnhardt's crew chief). Earnhardt finished eighth in the final points standings with 1 win, 5 top fives, and 13 top tens, with an average finish of 16.2.

Fans started talking about Earnhardt's age and rumors that with his son, Dale Jr., playing his Winston Cup debut, Earnhardt may be considering retirement. Earnhardt dominated both races at Talladega this year, leading some to the conclusion that his talents had been limited to the restrictedor plate series, which necessitate a specific skill set and a highly skilled racer to win. Earnhardt's old spark returned halfway through the year. He led laps late in the August run at Michigan and almost won his first win on a non-restrictor-plate track since 1996. He gave NASCAR one of the sport's most turbulent times a week later this week. Earnhardt was in contention to win his first short track race since Martinsville, 1995, at the Bristol night race. Terry Labonte was hit from behind by the lapped vehicle of Darrell Waltrip as a warning came out with 15 laps to go. Earnhardt took the lead with five cars between him and Labonte with five laps remaining. Labonte had four new tires on sale, and Earnhardt was driving on old tires, which made Earnhardt's car a bit slower. Earnhardt was spotted by Labonte and passed him over for the white flag, but Earnhardt drove hard into turn two, bumping Labonte and spinning him around. Earnhardt won the game despite the fact that fans booed and made offensive gestures. "I didn't mean to turn him around, I just wanted to rattle his cage," Earnhardt described the incident. He finished seventh in the standings this year, with 3 victories, 7 top fives, and 21 top tens with an average finish of 12.0.

Earnhardt's revival in the 2000 season was largely due to neck surgery he underwent to fix a lingering injury from his 1996 Talladega crash. He won by 0.010 seconds over Bobby Labonte at Atlanta and then won by seventeen points in the final four laps to win by Talladega, his first No Bull million-dollar bonus and his 10th victory at the track. Earnhardt had second-place runs at Richmond and Martinsville, two of whom had failed in the late 1990s. Earnhardt came in second in the standings thanks to those efforts. However, Earnhardt's eighth championship title came off despite poor results at Watkins Glen, where he crashed out of the chicane, and late-pack runs at intermediate tracks such as Charlotte and Dover. Earnhardt won three titles, 13 top fives, and 24 top tens, with an average finish of 9.4, and he was the only driver outside of Labonte to finish the season with zero DNF's.

Earnhardt was killed in a three-car accident on the final lap of the Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2001. After being in minor contact with Sterling Marlin and striking the outside wall head-on, he collided with Ken Schrader. At the time of the accident, he had been blocking Schrader on the outside and Marlin on the inside. Earnhardt's and Schrader's cars both slid off the track's asphalt banking into the infield grass right inside of turn 4. Michael Waltrip, Michael Waltrip's teammate and his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second, two seconds later. Earnhardt's death was officially announced at the Halifax Medical Center at 5:16 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (22:16 UTC); he was 49 years old. In a statement to the media, NASCAR President Mike Helton reported Earnhardt's death. Earnhardt's traumatic basilar skull fracture was discovered by an autopsy performed on February 19, 2001. Public funeral services were held at the Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, four days later, on February 22, February 22, the first day.

Two probes launched by the police and NASCAR followed Earnhardt's death; nearly every piece of the accident was made public. Bill Simpson resigned from the company that made the seatbelts used in Earnhardt's car and nearly every other NASCAR driver's car due to the allegations of seatbelt failure. NASCAR introduced stringent safety enhancements, such as requiring the HANS unit, which Earnhardt refused to wear because it was too restrictive and uncomfortable. Several press conferences were held in the days leading up to Earnhardt's death. Waltrip and Earnhardt Jr. disregarded driver Sterling Marlin and his relatives' death after angry followers threatened hate mail and death. Richard Childress made a public promise that the number 3 will never again adorn the side of a black race car with a GM Goodwrench sponsorship. The number has been restored for the 2014 season, this time not sponsored by GM Goodwrench (which was rebranded GM Certified Service in 2011) and driven by Childress' grandson Austin Dillon.

His crew was re-christened No. 1 at this point. The 29 team is composed of 29 people. Kevin Harvick, the childress' second-year Busch Series driver, was named as Earnhardt's replacement, beginning with the 2001 Dura Lube 400 at North Carolina Speedway. The No. 6 pennants are engraved on special pennants. 3 were sent to all those interested in honoring Earnhardt, and the Childress team wore blank uniforms out of respect, something that disappeared quickly and was quickly replaced by the new GM Goodwrench Service Plus uniforms. Harvick's cars had the Earnhardt stylized number 3 on the "B" posts (metal portion on each side of the vehicle to the rear of the front windows), above the number 29 before he left for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2013.

On the third lap of any race, fans began to honor Earnhardt by holding three fingers aloft. The EA Sports logo, as well as the TV coverage of NASCAR on Fox and NASCAR in honor of Earnhardt, went dark on the third lap, unless on-track events took out the caution flag on the third lap. Harvick, who had been braced for Earnhardt's death, scored his first Cup victory at Atlanta three weeks after Earnhardt's death. On the final lap of the 2001 Cracker Barret Classical Motorcycle Store 500, he defeated Jeff Gordon by.06 seconds (the difference being 0.004 of a second closer than Earnhardt's victory over Bobby Labonte at the same time a year ago) in a close photo finish, and Harvick's tire-smoking runout with three fingers held aloft outside the driver's window. The victory was also considered cathartic for a sport in which the epicenter had been ripped away. Harvick would win another race at the inaugural Chicagoland event, gaining Rookie of the Year honors as well as the 2001 NASCAR Busch Series Championship.

Dale Earnhardt, Inc., won five races in the 2001 season, beginning with Steve Park's victory in the race at Rockingham just one week after Earnhardt's death. In the Pepsi 400's return to Daytona in July, Earnhardt Jr. and Waltrip finished first and second, a change from last year's finish in the Daytona 500. Earnhardt Jr. also won the fall races at Dover (first post 9/11 race) and Talladega, finishing in eighth place, earning him eighth-place points finish.

After a private funeral service on February 21, 2001, Earnhardt's remains were laid to rest at his house in Mooresville, North Carolina.

Motorsports career results

(Bold) (Bold – Pole position earned by qualifying time) is the highest award in the nation's history. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. (Most laps led) – This was the most laps led.)

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Awards

• He was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine by North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt in 1994.^: 634
• He was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.
• Earnhardt was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.
• Earnhardt was posthumously named "NASCAR's Most Popular Driver" in 2001. This was the only time he received the award.
• He was posthumously inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2002, a year after his death.
• He was posthumously inducted in the Oceanside Rotary Club Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame at Daytona Beach in 2004.
• He was posthumously inducted in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2006.
• Earnhardt was named first on ESPN's list of "NASCAR's 20 Greatest Drivers" in 2007 in front of Richard Petty.
• He was posthumously inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2006.
• He was posthumously inducted in the Inaugural Class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 23, 2010.
• In 2020 it was announced that Earnhardt was voted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame.