His racing reputation was legendary. Dale Earnhardt would do anything to get to the checkered flag. He was called “the Man in Black“ and “The Intimidator“. His trademark Black Chevrolet, the No. 3 GM Goodwrench Service Plus Monte Carlo, is one of the most recognizable vehicles in NASCAR history. Unfortunately, Earnhardt was not invincible. That became a sobering reality when he died tragically in a last-lap crash on Feb. 18, 2001, in the Daytona 500 while helping two cars he owned -- driven by Michael Waltrip and son Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- finish first and second. The death of Earnhardt, who was only 49, sent shockwaves throughout the NASCAR family, and those same shockwaves are still being felt today. Earnhardt was no ordinary driver. He was Winston Cup’s version of Michael Jordan, winning seven points championships and 76 races. Still, Earnhardt was far more then just “The Intimidator.” Off the track, he was a completely different person.
Fans at racetracks always saw Dale as “The Intimidator”. But he would go from acting like a bear to behaving like a cocker spaniel when he was at his farm or shop. He was always very concerned about making time for his family.
The Earnhardt legacy was started by the late Ralph Earnhardt, who provided the guidance that started his son’s career in racing while growing up in southern North Carolina. His father was a NASCAR Late Model Sportsman champion and Dale Sr. from a very early age wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. Dale Sr. quit school in the ninth grade at age 16 in 1967. He began his professional racing career shortly thereafter, but didn’t make it to the big-time until the age of 28.
The rest, of course is history.
That history mirrored the early career of his father Ralph. Although he didn’t begin to race professionally until the age of 25, Ralph made his impression upon the NASCAR world quickly. In 1956 he won his first NASCAR Sportsman title.
Dale Jr. began racing at the age of 16 and starting turning plenty of heads from 1994-96 while competing in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series Late Model Division. By 1997, he had moved up to NASCAR’s Busch Grand National Series and he proceeded to win consecutive Busch championships in 1998 and ‘99. Dale Jr. kept the momentum going in 2000, his inaugural season at the Cup level, winning races at Richmond and Texas, plus The Winston All-Star event at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in his Chevrolet.
Everyone interested in NASCAR has their favorite, but no one will ever contradict that Dale Earnhardt, Sr. is the embodiment of NASCAR and what it stands for.
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