Birthdate: April 29, 1951
Birth Place: Kannapolis, N.C.
Died: February 18, 2001
Wife: Teresa
Kids: Dale Jr., Kerry, Kelley King, Taylor
Height: 6' 1
Weight: 200
Hometown: Kannapolis, N.C
Hobbies: Hunting, Fishing, Boating
Seven NASCAR Winston Cup championships ('80, '86, '87, '90, '91, '93, '94)
The only Winston driver to win Rookie of the Year and the Championship in successive years (1979, 1980).
Career winnings in excess of $40 million.
Five-time NMPA Driver of the Year ('80, '86, '87, '90, '94)
Only three-time winner of "The Winston" ('87, '90, '93)
Only six-time Busch Clash winner ('80, '86, '88, '91, '93, '95)
Four-time IROC champion ('90, '95, '99, '00)
Earnhardt has won nearly every major event and title available to NASCAR Winston Cup drivers, including the Daytona 500.
In February 1998 after 20 attempts, Dale Earnhardt captured the only major victory that had eluded him throughout his career, the Daytona 500. The win was the 71st of his career and came in his 575th Winston Cup start, placing him sixth on the all-time wins list. Earnhardt added to his legacy in 1998 when NASCAR honored him and his father Ralph as two of the 50 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR history.
In honor of Dale Earnhardt day on April 29th, I thought I�d type a little thing for you. You will see the meaning as you read it all the way to the end...
Dale Earnhardt, known as one of the great drivers in the history of NASCAR, didn't just mean something to us on the Track but off the track as well. Off the track, we all have reasons to respect him and admire him. All of us have our own reasons, but one of mine is that he gave credit where credit was due.
Some fans liked him because of his talent on the track and others liked him because of his aggressive driving. Some fans liked him because of the way he drives on the track.. The talent that most of the drivers of today have but don't use to their full extent while some use it fully..
The fans that liked him because of his on track performance had their reason. I mean, gosh, he had the talent. The talent that all these drivers today dream of. And part of that talent came from his aggressiveness because he�d do whatever it would take to win **cough** Richmond 1999 **cough**. Now that aggressiveness is what extended this talent to where it is now.
We all know that he was respected. One thing that sticks out in my mind in the 1998 daytona 500. When he finally won it, I remember every man from every team coming out to shake his hand. Now has that happened to anybody else? In my memory, no!
Well that�s all I can think of to write as of right now but remember this: he did mean something to us all no matter what. So as Dale Earnhardt Day comes on April 29th, wear black and white in memory of him with pride knowing that he made a difference in us all.
~~~#3 forever!~~~
