One of the most popular names in NASCAR history is Dale Earnhardt, Sr. Born Ralph Dale Earndhardt, this race car driver is remembered well for his stock car driving prowess in the top division of NASCAR. Dale Earnhardt is also famous for being successful in the series known as the Winston Cup, which is now the Nextel Cup Series to present day NASCAR fans and race car drivers and will soon be called the Sprint Cup Series.
Dale Earndhardt was and still is one of the best known race car drivers that NASCAR has ever seen, with a record 76 wins to his name and an astounding 428 top ten slots recorded for his whole career. Dale Earndhardt is a father to 4 children, one of which is following in his footsteps, Dale Jr., and was the husband of Teresa Earndhart, now owner of the company they both started in 1980, Dale Earndhardt, Inc. This company is a race team corporation that doubles as a merchandising corporation that handles NASCAR racing teams and is currently managing four great teams.
The death of Dale Sr. came as such a huge blow to his fans and especially to his family. Dale Earndhardt, Sr. was killed in a crash in 2001 when during the final lap of the Daytona 500, his car crashed in the fourth turn of the track. Dale Sr. suffered from massive head trauma and died as a result of this crash. He was the 4th driver in NASCAR to have been killed in a span of nine months, thereby prompting the association to look into the safety of the drivers in their cars as well as further safety standards that needed to be implemented on the track. Dale Sr. passed away on February 18, 2001 but his legacy lives on and his son, Dale Jr. continues to carry his name in the racing circuit.
Bobby Labonte | Carl Edwards | Dale Earnhardt | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Jarett | Jeff Burton | Jeff Gordon | Jimmie Johnson | Kasey Kahne | Kurt Busch | Mark Martin | Matt Kenseth | Robby Gordon | Rusty Wallace | Terry Labonte | Tony Stewart | Michael Waltrip | Ward Burton