Dale Earnhardt NASCAR Legend

When someone thinks of Dale Earnhardt they automatically think of NASCAR. NASCAR was Dale Earnhardt's life. Dale Earnhardt NASCAR champion is described by The Earnhardt Connection as having "...won nearly every major event and title available to NASCAR Winston Cup drivers, including the Daytona 500." Long after the Earnhardt crash Dale Earnhardt is still synonymous with NASCAR and still remembered as one of the great NASCAR Champions.

Dale Earnhardt Race Car Champion

Dale Earnhardt started off his career as a teenager working to pay for his cars during the day and racing at night. He eventually made it to the Winston Cup in 1975. By 1979 Earnhardt won Winston's rookie of the year. The NASCAR Cup or more specifically the Winston Cup was won by Dale Earnhardt seven times over the course of his career.

Dale Earnhardt accomplished more than just the seven Winston Cup victories though. He was a Busch Clash winner six times and an IROC winner four times. And after many attempts Earnhardt finally won the Daytona 500 in 1998. Dale Earnhardt won over $40 million dollars during his racing career.

Dale Earnhardt Crash

Dale Earnhardt was killed while driving in the Daytona 500. He was in the final lap of the 43rd Daytona 500 and ended up in a multi car crash. The crash killed him instantly. The final race of Dale Earnhardt's life was his 23rd Daytona 500. He started the race in the seventh position and was in third at the point of the crash. After finishing in 2nd place Dale Jr went immediately to check on his father. He followed him to the hospital where Dale Earnhardt was pronounced dead at 5:16 pm on February 18, 2001.

The Dale Earnhardt crash and his resulting death spurred an investigation by NASCAR. It was discovered that Dale Earnhardt died instantly as a result of a seat belt that broke causing Earnhardt to hit his head resulting in a skull fracture. NASCAR president Mike Helton said that there would be changes as a result of the Earnhardt crash and investigation. One of the changes the NASCAR president said that would be made was adding black box crash recorders to the race cars.

Dale Earnhardt's Legacy

Dale Earnhardt was more than just a race car driver. Earnhardt was a father, husband, and a son. Dale was married to Teresa at the time of his death who still runs Dale Earnhardt Inc to this day. He was also a father of four children. Two boys named Dale Jr and Kerry. The younger of his two sons, Dale Jr is a winning NASCAR driver like his father. Kerry who is Dale Earnhardt's older son is also attempting to be a race car driver. Dale Earnhart also had two daughters named Kelley and Taylor. Dale Earnhardt's legacy as a race car driver will live on as will his memory to his loved ones.

Sources:

Dale Earnhardt Inc
NASCAR.com - Death Announcement
NASCAR.com -Death Investigation
NASCAR.com- Dale Earnhardt's Family Info.
The Earnhardt Connection