Dale Earnhardt sr.

The legendary "Intimidator"

Dale Earnhardt was a famous race car driver. He was born on April 29, 1951 in a small town called Kannapolis, North Carolina. Kannapolis, at the time, was home of the largest cotton mill in the world. People used to call the people from Kannapolis "lint heads".

Black #3

Dale's dad, Ralph Earnhardt, raced on small dirt tracks across the Carolinas. All Dale wanted to do was race like his daddy. Dale quit school to race when he was 15 years old. In 1979, he joined his first Nascar team "Osterlund racing". His first year with Osterlund, he was the first driver to win $200,000 in his rookie year. That is why in 1979 he won rookie of the year. After 5 years with Osterlund, he joined Richard Childress racing in 1984. He then drove the black #3 Chevy Lumina.

The #3 became an icon to millions of people in the Nascar nation. In 1986 he won his second Winston cup championship. Earnhardt earned a reputation early on for his recklessness. He came to be known as "The Intimidator" for bumping other drivers out of the way to take the lead.

Dale Sr. won his forth Winston cup championship in 1990, and again in 1991. In 1993 he won his sixth, and in 1994 he won his seventh, which was his last. Although Earnhardt seemed like he could win anything, he could not win the great American race, the "Daytona 500". He tried 19 times and could not win it, but on the twentieth time he won it which was in 1998.

In 2001 his life tragically ended when he hit the wall at the Daytona 500 on the last lap in turn four. His death was a horrible loss for Nascar. Because of his driving skills he became a legend of Nascar.