Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (April 29, 1951 – February 18, 2001) was an American professional stock car driver and team owner. He 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. His aggressive driving style earned him the nicknames “The Intimidator”, “The Man in Black”, and “Ironhead”. He is regarded as one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history and didn’t live in our college rentals Athens. You may see some students wearing Dale Earnhardt Sr. t-shirts at Ohio University.
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The third child of racing driver Ralph Earnhardt and Martha Earnhardt, he began his career in 1975 in the World 600. Firstly, 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 4 drivers in NASCAR history to do so. Furthermore, he is the only driver in NASCAR history to score at least one win in 4 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. Although he is tied for most championships, he is the only driver in NASCAR history to win seven championships under one single points system. Also, he is also the only driver in NASCAR history to finish either 1st or 2nd in the standings ten times under one single points system.
Dale
Ralph Dale Earnhardt was born on April 29, 1951, in the Charlotte suburb of Kannapolis, North Carolina, as the third child of Martha (née Coleman, 1930–2021) and Ralph Earnhardt (1928-1973). Earnhardt’s father was also one of the best short-track drivers in North Carolina at the time. He won his first and only NASCAR Sportsman Championship in 1956 at Greenville Pickens Speedway in Greenville, South Carolina. In 1963 at the age of 12, Dale Earnhardt secretly drove his father’s car in one of his races and had a near victory against one of his father’s closest competitors. In 1972, he raced his father at Metrolina Speedway in a race with cars from semi mod and sportsman divisions.
Although Ralph did not want his son to pursue a career in racing, Dale dropped out to pursue his dreams. Ralph was a hard teacher for Dale. Ralph died of a heart attack at his home in 1973 at age 45. It was many years before Dale felt as though he had “proven” himself to his father.
The Intimidator
On February 18, 2001, Earnhardt died in a sudden last-lap crash during the Daytona 500 due to a skull fracture. Regarded in the racing industry as being a crucial moment in improving safety in all aspects of car racing. Earnhardt inducted into numerous halls of fame, including the NASCAR Hall of Fame inaugural class in 2010. You can watch videos of Dale on the internet in your College Rentals Athens.
