Dale Earnhardt acquired the nickname "the Intimidator" for his obsession with winning by any means necessary. He took 76 checkered flags, sixth-most in Winston Cup history.
Dale Earnhardt's stare, evident in this 1986 photo, is one reason he's called "The Intimidator"
It was an obsession that earned him more money than any driver in Winston Cup history (over $41 million) and tied him for the most titles in Winston Cup history (7, tied with Richard Petty).
But that obsession also led to his death, as he fought to preserve the win for one of his drivers, Michael Waltrip, in the final turn of his 23rd Daytona 500.
"NASCAR has lost its greatest driver," said NASCAR Chairman of the Board Bill France, "and I personally have lost a great friend."
Earnhardt was born April 29, 1951 in Kannapolis, N.C., the son of NASCAR driver Ralph Earnhardt. His father won the NASCAR Sportsman Championship in 1956 and made 51 Winston Cup starts. Ralph Earnhardt died in 1973, two years before his son joined the Winston Cup circuit.
In 1979 Earnhardt won Rookie-of-the-Year honors, and a year later he became the first NASCAR driver to win Rookie of the Year and the Winston Cup series championship in consecutive years.
In 1984 Earnhardt began a successful 18-year association with Richard Childress Racing that continued into the 2001 season, as Earnhardt won six more Winston Cup championships (1986, '87, '90, '91, '93, '94).
In 1998 after 20 attempts, Earnhardt — who won more races than any driver at Daytona International Speedway — achieved the crowning win of his career with a Daytona 500 victory. Earnhardt added to his legacy in 1998 when NASCAR honored him and his father Ralph as two of the 50 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR history.
Depicted here is his 2000 Goodwrench Service Plus Monte Carlo. Richard Childress Racing painted Dale's roll cages red for most all of the races, except on Daytona and Talladega .
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