Dale Earnhardt was an American professional stock car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, most notably driving the No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. He began his career in the 1975 World 600 and won a total of 76 Winston Cup races over the course of his 26-year career, including ten times at Talladega Superspeedway and the 1998 Daytona 500. He is the only driver in the modern era of NASCAR (1972–present) to score at least one win in each of four different decades (having collected his first career win in 1979, 38 wins in the 1980s, 35 wins in the 1990s, and his final two career wins in 2000). He won seven Winston Cup championships from 1980 to 1994, a record held with Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson.
Earnhardt won 76 races in the Winston Cup Series from 1979 to 2000. Of those, 67 wins came with Richard Childress Racing in the No. 3, with sponsorship from Wrangler Jeans and GM Goodwrench. Earnhardt won his first six races in 1979 and 1980 driving for Rod Osterlund, winning Rookie of the Year honors in 1979 and his first of seven championships in 1980. He drove for Bud Moore Engineering from 1982 to 1983, picking up three victories, before moving to Childress in 1984, where he won six more championships (1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994). [1]
Earnhardt won on 17 different tracks in the Cup Series during his career. Most of his success came at Talladega (10), Bristol, Atlanta, and Darlington (9), with these four tracks accounting for 37 of his 76 wins. Earnhardt only won three points-paying Winston Cup races at Daytona, although he won six Busch Clashes, twelve Twin 125 qualifying races, and seven Busch series races, accounting for [1]
Order | Track | Wins | First Win | Last Win |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Talladega Superspeedway | 10 | 1983 | 2000 |
2 | Bristol Motor Speedway | 9 | 1979 | 1999 |
Atlanta Motor Speedway | 9 | 1980 | 2000 | |
Darlington Raceway | 9 | 1982 | 1994 | |
5 | Martinsville Speedway | 6 | 1980 | 1995 |
6 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | 5 | 1980 | 1993 |
Richmond International Raceway | 5 | 1985 | 1991 | |
North Wilkesboro Speedway | 5 | 1986 | 1995 | |
9 | North Carolina Motor Speedway | 3 | 1987 | 1996 |
Dover International Speedway | 3 | 1989 | 1993 | |
Daytona International Speedway | 3 | 1990 | 1998 | |
12 | Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway | 2 | 1980 | 1983 |
Michigan International Speedway | 2 | 1987 | 1990 | |
Pocono Raceway | 2 | 1987 | 1993 | |
15 | Phoenix International Raceway | 1 | 1990 | 1990 |
Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 1 | 1995 | 1995 | |
Sears Point Raceway | 1 | 1995 | 1995 | |
Earnhardt competed part-time in the NASCAR Busch Series from 1982 to 1994, winning 21 races. He most notably won the Daytona 300 seven times, a feat later replicated by Tony Stewart. His first win in 1982 was the inaugural race in what was then known as the Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series. His first four victories came in cars owned by Robert Gee before starting Dale Earnhardt, Inc. in 1984. He would win his last 17 races in the No. 8 and No. 3 from 1985 to 1994. [3]
No. | Date | Season | Race | Track | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | June 23 | 1985 | Stroh's Beer 200 | Seattle International Raceways | Kent, Washington |
No. | Date | Season | Race | Track | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 28 | 1983 | Motion 250 | Cayuga International Speedway | Hamilton, Ontario |
Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. was an American professional stock car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston 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.
Robert Allen Labonte is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver and current analyst for NASCAR on Fox. He also currently competes full-time in the Superstar Racing Experience, driving the No. 18 car. Labonte is the 2000 NASCAR Cup Series champion. He and his older brother, Terry Labonte, are one of only two pairs of brothers to have both won the Cup championships. He is also the uncle of former Xfinity Series race winner Justin Labonte.
Lawrence Neil Bonnett was an American NASCAR driver who compiled 18 victories and 20 poles over his 18-year career. Bonnett was a member of the Alabama Gang, and started his career with the help of Bobby and Donnie Allison. He rose to prominence in the late 1970s with his performances in cars owned by Jim Stacy and Wood Brothers Racing, becoming one of the top competitors in the 1980s. The Alabama native currently ranks 47th in all-time NASCAR Cup victories. He appeared in the 1983 film Stroker Ace and the 1990 film Days of Thunder. Bonnett hosted the TV show Winners for TNN from 1991 to 1994. He was a color commentator for CBS, TBS, and TNN in the years until his death. Bonnett's driving career was interrupted by a severe brain injury from a crash in 1990. He was killed while practicing for the 1994 Daytona 500 for a much-anticipated comeback.
Russell William "Rusty" Wallace Jr. is an American former NASCAR racing driver. He has won the 1984 NASCAR Cup series Rookie of the Year and the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. Over the years, Wallace has been inducted in the NASCAR Hall of Fame (2013), the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (2013), the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2014) and the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame (2010).
Geoffrey Bodine is a retired American motorsport driver and bobsled builder. He is the oldest of the three Bodine brothers. Bodine lives in West Melbourne, Florida.
Kerry Dale Earnhardt is a former NASCAR driver and the eldest son of seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt. He is the half-brother of former NASCAR Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. He was employed by Dale Earnhardt, Inc. as a consultant specializing in driver development until 2011. His younger son, Jeffrey Earnhardt, began racing for DEI in 2007 and currently competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Kerry Earnhardt is known for his physical similarity to his father.
Virgil Earnest "Ernie" Irvan, occasionally referred to as Swervin' Irvan, is an American former professional stock car racing driver. A retired NASCAR competitor, he is best remembered for his comeback after a serious head injury suffered from a crash during practice at Michigan in 1994 that left him with only a 10% chance of survival. Irvan has been inducted into numerous halls of fame and was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998. After a series of injuries in the late 1990s, he retired from racing in 1999.
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Kirk Shelmerdine is an American stock car racing driver and former championship-winning crew chief for Dale Earnhardt.
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Chance 2 Motorsports is a former NASCAR racing team that was founded by Teresa Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2003. Although connected with Dale Earnhardt, Inc., the race team founded by Dale Earnhardt and run by Teresa Earnhardt after his death, the two were separate operations.
Loy Allen Jr. is a former professional NASCAR Winston Cup, Busch, and ARCA series race car driver, turned real estate developer and embry-riddle-trained commercial pilot. On February 12, 1994, he became the youngest and first rookie in NASCAR Winston Cup history to win the Daytona 500 pole.
Richard Childress is an American former NASCAR driver and the current team owner of Richard Childress Racing (RCR). He became one of the wealthiest men in North Carolina. In 2004, he opened a vineyard in the Yadkin Valley AVA near Lexington. He was on the Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association. His grandsons Austin Dillon and Ty Dillon are NASCAR drivers.
Joseph Andrew Petree III, is a former NASCAR crew chief, driver, team owner, and broadcaster who has worked as the rules analyst for Fox NASCAR and the Vice President of Competition at Richard Childress Racing. After racing for years at local short tracks, Petree became part owner of the No. 32 Busch Series car for Dale Jarrett. By the age of 28, Petree was already a Winston Cup Series crew chief on the Leo Jackson racing team. That car was driven by the Bandit Harry Gant. Petree was a color commentator for ESPN and ABC's NASCAR coverage.
The 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 52nd season of professional stock car racing in the United States, and was the 29th modern-era Cup series. The season began on February 13 and ended on November 20. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte was crowned champion at season's end. The NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship was won by Ford as they captured 14 wins and 234 points to better Pontiac's 11 wins and 213 points. Chevrolet finished third with nine wins and 199 points.
The 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 53rd season of professional stock car racing in the United States, the 30th modern-era Cup series. It began on February 11, 2001, at Daytona International Speedway and ended on November 23, 2001, at New Hampshire International Speedway. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports was declared as the series champion for the fourth time in seven years.
Jeffrey L. Earnhardt is an American professional stock car racing driver who competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the Nos. 24 and 26 Toyota Supra for Sam Hunt Racing, the No. 35 Toyota Supra for Emerling-Gase Motorsports, and the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing. He is the son of Kerry Earnhardt, grandson of Dale Earnhardt, nephew of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and brother of Bobby Dale Earnhardt.
Austin Reed Dillon is an American professional stock car racing driver and reality tv show star. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Richard Childress Racing, part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro for Big Machine Racing, and part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 20 Chevrolet Silverado for Young's Motorsports. He is the grandson of RCR team owner Richard Childress, the older brother of Ty Dillon, another racing driver who also competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, and the son of Mike Dillon, a former racing driver who currently works as RCR's general manager.
Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI) was a race team founded by Dale Earnhardt and his wife, Teresa Earnhardt, to compete in the NASCAR series, the highest level of competition for professional stock car racing in the United States. From 1998 to 2009, the company operated as a NASCAR-related organization in Mooresville, North Carolina, United States. Earnhardt was a seven-time Winston Cup champion. He died in a crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Despite his ownership of the DEI racing team, Earnhardt never drove for his team in the Winston Cup; instead, he raced for his long-time mentor and backer Richard Childress at RCR. In the late-2000s, DEI suffered critical financial difficulties after drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr., and sponsors Anheuser-Busch, National Automotive Parts Association and United States Army left the team; DEI consequently merged with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2009, moving their equipment into the latter's shop, while the former's closed down. Chip Ganassi Racing's NASCAR operations was subsequently purchased by Trackhouse Racing Team in 2021.