NASCAR Legend- Dale Earnhardt Senior

On April 29, 1951 a child was born to Martha Coleman and Ralph Earnhardt who would eventually take the world of stock car racing by storm.  On that day Ralph Dale Earnhardt began his life in Kannapolis, North Carolina.  He would go on to become one of NASCAR’s most infamous drivers in history.

Here we will look at the life and career of “The Man In Black”.

The Making Of A Legend
Despite his father’s efforts to discourage young Dale from following in his footsteps, Earnhardt developed a love for the sport of car racing at an early age.  Ralph Earnhardt at the time was one of best short track drivers in the area and watching his father race and win only fueled Dale’s desire to start his own racing career.  Eventually Dale quick school to begin working full time while driving at night.  After his father succumbed to a heart attack in 1973, Dale became even more determined to blaze a trail in the stock car racing world.  He launched his NASCAR career after debuting in the then Winston Cup Series in 1975.  Four years later, he scored his first full time ride which signaled the beginning of a long and enormously successful career.

After years of financial hardship, the days of working by day, scraping together enough money to race soon became history as Dale Earnhardt Senior quickly proved himself by winning the rookie crown and his first series championship in consecutive seasons.  Beating veteran drivers, Earnhardt changed teams several times before returning to Richard Childress in 1984.  Two years later the team captured their first championship and a solidified a partnership which would lead them to six championships in nine seasons.  

Family Life
People have said that Dale Earnhardt Senior was without a doubt tough, determined and unwavering in his pursuit of his goals.  Married three times and the father of four children, he experienced his share of victories as well as failures as a husband and father.

The Death of a Legend
After years of carving out his place in stock car racing, Dale Earnhardt Senior was infamous for driving the way he lived.  He worked, played and drove hard, pushing himself to his limits and allowing no room for weakness in those around him.  His name invoked strong emotions in NASCAR fans, where people either loved or hated him as a driver.  Nevertheless, his death in 2001 left a void in the NASCAR community as well as the nation.  During the final lap of the Daytona 500, NASCAR’s season opening race, Dale Earnhardt Senior was racing in the third position when a crash into the wall took his life.  Eight years later, NASCAR is still wildly popular among fans, many of whom will never forget Dale Earnhardt Senior.