By Kavin
Dale Earnhardt Sr. (1951-2001)
Dale Earnhardt Sr. was a professional racecar driver and was inducted into the North Carolina Sports hall of fame in 1994 for his amazing abilities as a NASCAR driver. Earnhardt would win Seven Winston Cup titles in his career, which debuted in 1979, where he would win Rookie of the Year. Earnhardt collected 76 career victories and won more than 35 million dollars in race winnings. He was named the NASCAR driver of the year five times and would tie Richard Petty for the most Winston Cup Titles of all time. His career ended on the day of his death at the 2001 Daytona 500 race. Earnhardt took a fatal crash, going into the cement wall at the Daytona 500 and would never race again. Despite having his career end due to unfortunate events, Earnhardt was one of the most successful and popular racecar drivers ever. But how did it all begin? How did Earnhardt fall in love with the dangerous sport that would eventually be the cause of his death?
Born in Kannapolis, North Carolina in 1951, Dale was introduced to cars at a very young age. According to Biography.com, Dale’s father Ralph was the one who influenced his love for racing. Ralph Earnhardt was a successful race car driver and renowned mechanic, and Dale was influenced by his father’s love for cars. In ninth grade, Dale would decide to drop out of school and went through several different jobs while also trying to get his racing career up and running. But in 1973, Dale’s father, Ralph died of a heart attack, and Dale knew he needed to carry out his father’s legacy. He would start his racing career two years later, with a 22nd place finish in his first race.
Eventually, Earnhardt caught the attention of Rod Osterlund, a racing sponsor from California, and Earnhardt signed his first Winston Cup contract in 1979. Earnhardt would grab his first NASCAR win in Bristol, Tennessee, which launched a series of wins, as Earnhardt became the first rookie driver to win over 200,000 dollars in their initial season. The very next year, Earnhardt won his very first Winston Cup, the award for the leader of season points.
Earnhardt also introduced a new style of Racing for years to come. He was given the nickname the “Intimidator” for his reckless driving habits. Earnhardt would almost intentionally and aggressively bump and push other drivers out his way in order to take a leap to the top, especially in closer races. His aggressive driving is what made him so difficult to drive against, as he wasn’t scared of the dangers of the sport. In fact, you could say he embraced them. He influenced the sport of NASCAR, and although some might say his reckless driving lead to his death, drivers after Earnhardt would become more aggressive, while maintaining safety.
Earnhardt’s success continued beyond his first two years. In 1990, Earnhardt collected his fourth Winston Cup championship and started a streak of dominance. With another Winston Cup championship in 1991, one in 1993, and another in 1994, it was safe to say Earnhardt has climbed atop the NASCAR world, with seven Winston Cups, with four of them coming in a 5 year period. With his seventh Winston Cup victory, Earnhardt would tie the legendary Richard Petty for the most career Winston Cup titles ever.
Earnhardt continued to break records throughout the 1990s. In 1996 Earnhardt became just the third driver to ever start in 500 consecutive Winston Cup races. In 1997, Earnhardt broke 30 million dollars in career earnings, which gave him the most ever by any NASCAR driver.
His love and passion for the sport was evident even until the day he would die at the Daytona 500. Earnhardt was well known for his reckless driving and his ability to fear nothing on the racetrack, on the third turn in the final lap, Earnhardt tried to make a move in order to protect the leads of his son, and his son’s teammate Michael Waltrip. As he made this unselfish yet reckless move, Earnhardt was pushed and he turned hard into the cement wall, where legend says he ultimately died instantly. But it was his love and passion for the sport of racing that lived on and was evident in his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr, who for years to come raced in order to carry out the legacy of his fallen father, the same way his dad did for his father so many years before.
Regardless of his fatal accident, Earnhardt’s reckless and aggressive driving influenced the sport of NASCAR, and his accomplishments in the sport place him amongst the greatest to ever race. His love for the sport lived on and he will forever be remembered as a NASCAR legend.
