Dale Earnhardt

Dale Earnhardt
Dale Earnhardt
	Earnhardt at Phoenix International Raceway before the start of the 1997 Dura Lube 500
Born	Ralph Dale Earnhardt; April 29, 1951; Kannapolis, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	February 18, 2001 (aged 49); Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.
Cause of death	Basilar skull fracture sustained from 2001 Daytona 500 crash
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Achievements	1980, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994 Winston Cup Series Champion; Tied with Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson for most NASCAR Cup Series Championships (7); 1990, 1995, 1999, 2000 IROC Champion; 1998 Daytona 500 winner as driver; 2001 Daytona 500 winner as owner; 1995 Brickyard 400 winner; 1987, 1989, 1990 Southern 500 winner; 1986, 1992, 1993 Coca-Cola 600 winner; 1990, 1994, 1999, 2000 Winston 500 winner; The Winston winner (1987, 1990, 1993); Led Winston Cup Series in wins in 1987 and 1990; Led Winston Cup Series in poles in 1990; Winner of the first ever Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series race in 1982;
Awards	1979 Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year; Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998); 2001 Winston Cup Series Most Popular Driver (posthumously); Motorsports Hall of Fame Inductee (2002); International Motorsports Hall of Fame Inductee (2006); NASCAR Hall of Fame (2010 - Inaugural Class); Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023);
NASCAR Cup Series career
	676 races run over 27 years
2001 position	57th
Best finish	1st (1980, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994)
First race	1975 World 600 (Charlotte)
Last race	2001 Daytona 500 (Daytona)
First win	1979 Southeastern 500 (Bristol)
Last win	2000 Winston 500 (Talladega)
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
	136 races run over 13 years
Best finish	21st (1982)
First race	1982 Goody's 300 (Daytona)
Last race	1994 All Pro 300 (Charlotte)
First win	1982 Goody's 300 (Daytona)
Last win	1994 Goody's 300 (Daytona)
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Ralph Dale Earnhardt (/ˈɜːrnhɑːrt/; April 29, 1951 – February 18, 2001) was an American professional stock car driver and racing team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably driving the No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. His aggressive driving style earned him the nicknames "the Intimidator", "the Man in Black" and "Ironhead"; after his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. joined the Cup Series circuit in 1999, Earnhardt was generally known by the retronyms Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Dale Sr. He is regarded as one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history and named as one of the NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers class in 1998.

The third child of racing driver Ralph Earnhardt and Martha Earnhardt, he began his career in 1975 in the World 600. Earnhardt won a total of 76 Winston Cup races over the course of his 26-year career, including four Winston 500s (1990, 1994, 1999, and 2000) and the 1998 Daytona 500. Along with his 76 career points wins, he has also won 24 non-points exhibition events, bringing his overall Winston Cup win total to 100, one of only four drivers in NASCAR history to do so. He is the only driver in NASCAR history to score at least one win in four different and consecutive decades (scoring his first career win in 1979, 38 wins in the 1980s, 35 wins in the 1990s, & scoring his final two career wins in 2000). He also earned seven Winston Cup championships, a record held with Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson.

On February 18, 2001, Earnhardt died in a sudden last-lap crash during the Daytona 500 due to a basilar skull fracture. His death was regarded in the racing industry as being a crucial moment in improving safety in all aspects of car racing, especially NASCAR. He was 49 years old. Earnhardt has been inducted into numerous halls of fame, including the NASCAR Hall of Fame inaugural class in 2010.

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