Dale Earnhardt
Auto Racing · Hometown: Kannapolis, NC
- Pro team(s)
- Rod Osterlund Racing, Richard Childress Racing (No. 3)
- Hall of Fame
- ⭐ NASCAR Hall of Fame
Ralph Dale Earnhardt was born on April 29, 1951, in Kannapolis, North Carolina, the son of racing legend Ralph Earnhardt. Dale left school in the ninth grade to pursue racing full-time, a decision that led to one of the greatest careers in motorsports history. "The Intimidator" — named for his aggressive, intimidating driving style — won seven NASCAR Cup Series championships (1980, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994), tying Richard Petty for the all-time record. Behind the wheel of his iconic black No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, Earnhardt became the sport's greatest supervillain-turned-legend, a master of the bump-and-run who could find his way through traffic as if by instinct. His lone Daytona 500 victory, in 1998 after 20 attempts, remains one of the most emotional moments in NASCAR history — crew members and officials lining pit road to offer high-fives as he drove to Victory Lane. He died on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 from a crash that sent shockwaves through the sport and changed NASCAR's safety standards forever. He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010 as a member of the inaugural class.