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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.[3] 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.[4][5]
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 as a result of a basilar skull fracture sustained in a sudden last-lap crash during the Daytona 500. 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.[2][6] Earnhardt has been inducted into numerous halls of fame, including the NASCAR Hall of Fame inaugural class in 2010.[7]
- ^ "Dale Earnhardt | American race–car driver | Britannica". Britannica.com. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
- ^ a b Brinster, Dick (February 19, 2001). "Dale Earnhardt dies in crash on final lap of Daytona 500". Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- ^ "Dale Earnhardt". The Crittenden Automotive Library. Archived from the original on May 16, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2007.
- ^ "Ranking the 20 greatest NASCAR drivers of all time". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
- ^ "Greatest Race Car Drivers of All Time". Carophile.com. Archived from the original on April 9, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ^ Anderson, Lars (February 21, 2011). "Number 3 Still Roars Ten Years After: Dale Earnhardt died in the 2001 Daytona 500, but even as the green flag flies for this year's race and a new Sprint Cup season, his legacy is felt throughout the sport—and in the lives of three men in particular". Sports Illustrated. Time Inc. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
- ^ "Inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Class Announced". NASCAR Hall of Fame. October 14, 2009. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
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