Dale Earnhardt : biography
Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. (April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American race car driver and team owner, best known for his involvement in stock car racing for NASCAR. Earnhardt began his career in 1975 when he drove in the 1975 World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway as part of the Winston Cup Series (later the Sprint Cup Series).
Considered one of the best NASCAR drivers of all time,http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/lists/Ranking-the-20-greatest-NASCAR-drivers-of-all-time Earnhardt won a total of 76 races over the course of his career, including one Daytona 500 victory in 1998. He earned 7 NASCAR Winston Cup Championships, which is tied for the most all time with Richard Petty. His aggressive driving style earned him the nickname "The Intimidator".
While driving in the 2001 Daytona 500, Earnhardt died of a basilar skull fracture in a last-lap crash at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2001. He has been inducted into numerous halls of fame, including the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Achievements
Category:1951 births Category:2001 deaths Category:24 Hours of Daytona drivers Category:American Christians Category:American Lutherans Category:American racing drivers Category:American Speed Association drivers Category:Burials in North Carolina Category:Daytona 500 winners Dale, Sr Category:Grand-Am drivers Category:International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees Category:International Race of Champions drivers Category:Motorsports Hall of Fame of America inductees Category:NASCAR Cup Series champions Category:NASCAR drivers Category:NASCAR team owners Category:People from Kannapolis, North Carolina Category:Racing drivers from North Carolina Category:Racing drivers killed while racing Category:Sports deaths in Florida Category:Filmed accidental deaths
Daytona 500 Results
| Year | Manufacturer | Start | Finish | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Buick | 10 | 8 | Osterlund |
| 1980 | Oldsmobile | 32 | 4 | |
| 1981 | Pontiac | 7 | 5 | |
| 1982 | Ford | 10 | 36 | Moore |
| 1983 | 3 | 35 | ||
| 1984 | Chevrolet | 29 | 2 | Childress |
| 1985 | 18 | 32 | ||
| 1986 | 4 | 14 | ||
| 1987 | 13 | 5 | ||
| 1988 | 6 | 10 | ||
| 1989 | 8 | 3 | ||
| 1990 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 1991 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 1992 | 3 | 9 | ||
| 1993 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1994 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 1995 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1996 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1997 | 4 | 31 | ||
| 1998 | 4 | 1 | ||
| 1999 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2000 | 21 | 21 | ||
| 2001 | 7 | 12 |
Awards
- Awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine by North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt in 1994
- Inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1994
- Earnhardt was named among NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998
- Earnhardt was posthumously named NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver in 2001, the only time he received the award.
- He was posthumously inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2002.
- He was inducted in the Oceanside Rotary Club Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame at Daytona Beach in 2004.http://www.oceansiderotary.org/stockcarhalloffame/D_Earnhardt.htm
- He was inducted in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2006.
- Earnhardt was named Number 1 among ESPN’s NASCAR’s 20 Greatest Drivers in 2007 in front of Richard Petty.
- Inducted in the Inaugural Induction Class for the NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 23, 2010.
