~Digging through Dale's Dreams~ All of Dale Earnhardt's life, he had a dream to be a race car driver...and a successful one! Growing up, Dale would watch his Father, Ralph Earnhardt, race and win throughout the Southeast. He learned fast, and when he got old enough to race, he drove fast!!! After his Father's death from heart failure in 1973, Dale was crushed, but more determined than ever to make his ultimate dream come true. He never imagined the magnitude of fame and fortune that would lie ahead!!! And then, with a half a mile to go in the Daytona 500, in February 2001, our legendary Dale Earnhardt, our Hero, died suddenly when he hit the turn 3 wall, head on. Yr Race Wins Top 5 Top 10 Poles Points '79 27 1 11 17 4 7th -1,081 '80 31 5 19 24 0 CHAMP by 19 Pts '81 31 0 9 17 0 7th -901 '82 30 1 7 12 1 12th -1,087 '83 30 2 9 14 1 8th -89 '84 30 2 12 22 0 4th -233 '85 28 4 10 16 1 8th -728 '86 29 5 16 23 1 CHAMP by 288 Pts '87 29 11 21 24 1 CHAMP by 499 Pts '88 29 3 13 19 0 3rd -232 '89 29 5 14 19 0 2nd -12 '90 29 9 18 23 4 CHAMP by 26 Pts '91 29 4 14 21 0 CHAMP by 195 Pts '92 29 1 6 15 1 12th -504 '93 30 6 17 21 2 CHAMP by 80 Pts '94 31 4 20 25 2 CHAMP by 444 Pts '95 31 5 19 23 3 2nd -34 '96 31 2 13 17 2 4th -330 '97 32 0 7 16 0 5th -499 '98 33 1 5 13 0 8th -1,400 '99 34 3 7 21 0 7th -770 '00 34 2 13 24 0 2nd -265 '01 1 0 0 0 0 ~~~ ~1979~ Car Owner...Rod Osturlund Won his first Winston Cup Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, in just his 16th start. Won his first Winston Cup Pole at Riverside, in his 24th start. Broke both collar bones in a crash at Pocono, resulting in him missing three races. Dale won Rookie of the Year, beating Harry Gant, Terry Labonte, and Joe Millikin!! ~1980~ Car Owner...Rod Osturlund Crew Chief...Jake Elder, then Doug Richert. Beat Cale Yarborough to win his first Winston Cup Championship!! First driver in history to win Rookie of the Year and Winston Cup Championship Titles, back to back!! Named NMPA Driver of the Year!!! Won the Busch Clash! ~1981~ Car Owner...Rod Osturlund Sponsor...Wrangler Changed from Chevrolet to Pontiac. Team sold to Jim Stacy in late June. Earnhardt quit the team, and signed with Richard Childress July 7th, which he then left at the end of the season. ~1982~ Car Owner...Bud Moore Changed from Pontiac to Ford. Earnhardt's only win, was also the only win for Ford. ~1983~ Car Owner...Bud Moore ~1984~ Car Owner...Richard Childress The reunion with Childress was finally starting to gel! ~1985~ Car Owner...Richard Childress Crew Chief...Kirk Shelmerdine ~1986~ Car Owner...Richard Childress Crew Chief...Kirk Shelmerdine Beat Darrell Waltrip for his second Winston Cup Championship--kept the points lead since the 9th race!!! Shared NMPA Driver of the Year Honors with Tim Richmond. Won the Busch Clash! ~1987~ Car Owner...Richard Childress Crew Chief...Kirk Shelmerdine Beat Bill Elliott for his third Winston Cup Championship!! Named Motorsports Driver of the Year! Named NMPA Driver of the Year! Won "The Winston"!! ~1988~ Car Owner...Richard Childress Crew Chief...Kirk Shelmerdine Sponsor...GM Goodwrench Won the Busch Clash! ~1989~ Car Owner...Richard Childress Crew Chief...Kirk Shelmerdine ~1990~ Car Owner...Richard Childress Crew Chief...Kirk Shelmerdine Beat Mark Martin for his forth Winston Cup Championship!! Won the IROC Championship!! Named NMPA Driver of the Year! Won "The Winston"!! ~1991~ Car Owner...Richard Childress Crew Chief...Kirk Shelmerdine Beat Ricky Rudd for his fifth Winston Cup Championship!! Won the Busch Clash!! ~1992~ Car Owner...Richard Childress Crew Chief...Kirk Shelmerdine ~1993~ Car Owner...Richard Childress Crew Chief...Andy Petree Beat Rusty Wallace by 80 points, to win his sixth Winston Cup Championship!!! Took over Points lead after the 9th race, and never looked back!! Won "The Winston"! Won the Busch Clash! ~1994~ Car Owner...Richard Childress Crew Chief...Andy Petree Beat Mark Martin by 444 points to win his seventh Winston Cup Championship!! This ties Dale with Richard Petty! Clinched the Championship Title by Rockingham!! Named NMPA Driver of the Year! Named Motorsports Driver of the Year! ~1995~ Car Owner...Richard Childress Crew Chief...Andy Petree Won the IROC Championship!!! Won the Brickyard 400, adding his name to the record books at the Indianapolis track! Won the Busch Clash! ~1996~ Car Owner...Richard Childress Dale was life flighted to the hospital after suffering a broken collar bone and sternum in a crash at Talladega on July 28th. Set a track record in qualifying at Watkins Glen on August 11th, just 14 days after his major wreck at Talladega. ~1997~ Car Owner...Richard Childress Crew Chief...Larry McReynolds After flipping his car at the Daytona 500, Dale immediately got back in and finished the race!! Finished top five in the points battle for the fifth straight season! ~1998~ Car Owner...Richard Childress Won the Daytona 500 on his 20th try!!! Halfway through the season, Kevin Hamlin takes over as Crew Chief. Involved in a major crash, which resulted in Dale being burned on his face and neck, on April 26th at Talladega. ~1999~ Car Owner...Richard Childress Crew Chief...Kevin Hamlin Crowned IROC Champ after winning 3 of the 4 events!!! ~2000~ Car Owner...Richard Childress Crew Chief...Kevin Hamlin Crowned IROC Champion, for the ?th time!!! Came from 22nd to the front, in two laps, to take the checked flag at Talladega Superspeedway in October! ~2001~ Car Owner...Richard Childress Crew Chief...Kevin Hamlin Our beloved Dale Earnhardt lost his life in a crash, in the Daytona 500, February 18, 2001. From the 3rd spot Earnhardt held off the troops while his DEI cars, Driven by Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished 1-2 respectively.