Dale Earnhardt Biography

Dale Earnhardt (April 29, 1951 - February 18, 2001) was an American NASCAR driver. He was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina. He died in a racing accident in turn four on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Earnhardt grew up in a racing family. His father, Ralph, died of a heart attack while working on his race car in 1973. Dale Earnhardt's career began two years later, and by 1979 he had won the Winston Cup Rookie of the Year award. For his aggressive driving style, Earnhardt quickly won the nickname "The Intimidator." During his career, Earnhardt won the NASCAR Championship seven times, tying the record of the legendary Richard Petty. Additionally, his prize winnings totalled more than $41 million. Dale drove the black #3 car for most of his career, spanning late 1970s until his unfortunate passing in 2001. The #3 was sponsored by Goodwrench and was a Chevrolet model, that moved through the decades as a Lumina and later a Monte Carlo. Dale was married to Teresa and they had a daughter, Taylor, and two sons who are also NASCAR drivers, Dale, Jr. and Kerry.