Dale Earnhardt

American NASCAR driver known as 'The Intimidator', won seven Cup Series championships and is considered one of the greatest stock car drivers of all time

Ralph Dale Earnhardt was born on 29 April 1951 in Kannapolis, North Carolina, the third child of Ralph Earnhardt, one of the finest short-track drivers in the state and a 1956 NASCAR Sportsman champion. At 12, Dale secretly drove his father's race car in one of his events, and he dropped out of high school in 1967 to pursue racing full-time. Earnhardt made his NASCAR Winston Cup debut at the 1975 World 600 in Charlotte, and became a full-time driver in 1979, winning Rookie of the Year with 17 top-10 finishes. He went on to win seven Winston Cup championships between 1980 and 1994, tying Richard Petty's all-time record, driving the iconic black No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing for most of his career. Earnhardt, nicknamed "the Intimidator" and "the Man in Black" for his aggressive, uncompromising driving style, became one of the most dominant and popular figures in NASCAR history, and after his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. joined the Cup Series in 1999, was often referred to by the retronym "Dale Sr." Earnhardt died on 18 February 2001 from a basilar skull fracture sustained in a last-lap crash during the Daytona 500, a tragedy that became a pivotal moment in improving safety standards throughout motorsport. He was inducted into the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame class in 2010, and a bronze statue was erected in his honour in his hometown of Kannapolis in 2002.

Aggressive, fearless driver known for intimidating competitors and clutch performances

NASCAR legend who revolutionized the sport's popularity and safety awareness

• NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion 1980
• NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion 1986
• NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion 1987
• NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion 1990
• NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion 1991
• NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion 1993
• NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion 1994
• Daytona 500 Winner 1998
• NASCAR Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year 1979
• International Motorsports Hall of Fame Inductee 2006
• NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee 2010