Dale earnhardt jr car

Dale Earnhardt

Earnhardt co-holds the record for most NASCAR Cup Series championships (seven) with Richard Petty.

  • Inducted: 2010
  • Position:Driver / Owner

The Intimidator

In only his second full season, 1980, Earnhardt nabbed his first championship.

Earnhardt won consecutive titles on three separate occasions (1986-1987, 1990-1991 and 1993-1994). Earnhardt’s 76 victories rank seventh all time.

He is the all-time leader in race victories at Daytona International Speedway with 34, though the most prominent of them was a while in the making.

In 1998, Earnhardt won his most coveted race —the Daytona 500. The scene was a memorable one, forever etched in the minds of race fans. As Earnhardt’s black No. 3 rolled down pit road, a Daytona 500 winner at last, every crew member from every team lined up to congratulate one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history.

Dale Earnhardt earned the first of his record-tying seven NASCAR premier series championships in 1980. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

The 1998 Daytona 500 was the biggest of Dale Earnhardt’s 76 NASCAR prem

Dale Earnhardt

(1951-2001)

Who Was Dale Earnhardt?

NASCAR racer Dale Earnhardt followed his father into the world of professional car racing. After garnering NASCAR's Rookie of the Year honors in 1979, he followed by winning the Winston Cup championship in his second season. In total, Earnhardt — known as the "Intimidator" for his aggressive style — won a record-tying seven points championships and became the first driver to top $30 million in career earnings. He won the Daytona 500 for the first time in 1998, but was killed when he crashed at the end of the race in 2001.

Early Life

Ralph Dale Earnhardt was born on April 29, 1951, in Kannapolis, North Carolina. His father, Ralph Earnhardt, was a successful race car driver and renowned mechanic, and Dale developed a love for cars at an early age. After dropping out of school in the ninth grade, he went through several jobs while attempting to get his own racing career off the ground.

In 1973, Ralph died of a heart attack. Two years later, in May 1975, his son made his own stock car racing debut, finishing 22nd i

Dale Earnhardt

American racing driver (1951–2001)

This article is about Dale Earnhardt Sr. For his son, see Dale Earnhardt Jr. For the racing team he founded, see Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

"The Intimidator" redirects here. For other uses, see Intimidator (disambiguation).

NASCAR driver

Dale Earnhardt

Earnhardt at Phoenix International Raceway before the start of the 1997 Dura Lube 500

BornRalph Dale Earnhardt[1]
(1951-04-29)April 29, 1951
Kannapolis, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedFebruary 18, 2001(2001-02-18) (aged 49)
Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.[2]
Cause of deathBasilar skull fracture sustained from 2001 Daytona 500 crash
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Achievements
  • 1980, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994 Winston Cup SeriesChampion
  • Tied with Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson for most NASCAR Cup Series Championships (7)
  • 1990, 1995, 1999, 2000IROC Champion
  • 1998 Daytona 500 winner as driver
  • 2001 Daytona 500 winner as owner[a]
  • 1995 Brickyard 400

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