Who is Dale Earnhardt - The Intimidator

Birthdate: April 29, 1951
Birth Place: Kannapolis, N.C.
Died: February 18, 2001
Children: Kerry, Kelley, Dale Jr and Taylor
Car Number: 3
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Sponsor: GM Goodwrench Service Plus
Manufacturer: Chevrolet

For those that knew him personally, I don't think there was ever any doubt in his young mind about what he wanted to do with his life. As a young boy, he watched his father successfully race in events throughout the Southeast, and from that Dale developed his love for the sport that would ultimately fuel one of the most successful careers in the history of motorsports.

Did you know that Dale earned his nickname "The Intimidator" during the '87 season after spinning out Elliott in the final segment of The Winston.

• 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)
• Two-time American Driver of the Year - 1987, 1994
• 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)
• First American driver to receive AUTOSPORTS Gregor Grant Award
• First Winston Cup driver to drive at Suzaka Circuitland, Japan
• 12-time winner of the 125-mile qualifying race at Daytona (including ten straight wins from 1990 - 1999)
• Named ESPY's "Driver of the Decade" (1990's)
• Year 2000 marked Dale's 22nd full season on the NASCAR Winston Cup Circuit
• "Most Popular Driver" Award, 2001
• Earnhardt has won nearly every major event and title available to NASCAR Winston Cup drivers, including the Daytona 500.

The death of Dale Earnhardt on Turn 4 of the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 moved America like no other athlete's death ever had.

He may have been known as "The Intimidator", but his heart and giving ways were bigger than any track he raced. Many of those giving and charitable ways often went without fanfare or public accolades. As busy as he was, he never forgot his humble beginnings and knew the value of taking time to remember those in need.

Dale Earnhardt was a respected race car driver and a winning team owner. He was loved as a husband, father, grandfather, boss and most importantly, a person. When the black 3 Chevrolet took to the track, fans stood, cheered and watched his every move.

To this day, he is still admired, he is still respected and he will never be forgotten.

~ there will never be another like him ~