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The 43rd running of NASCAR's Daytona 500 on
Sunday, February 18, 2001 was Dale Earnhardt's final race. He died doing
what he loved most - piloting his #3 black GM Goodwrench Service Plus
Chevrolet Monte Carlo race car, at speeds approaching 200 mph, on a super
speedway with his peers, his friends, and his son.
Earnhardt was more than a fearless and highly
skilled race car driver. He was team owner of the #15 Chevrolet Monte
Carlo driven by Michael Waltrip, who won his first Daytona 500 just ahead
of Dale's tragic last-lap crash. Dale was a family man who cherished his
mother Martha, wife Teresa, and children Taylor Nicole, Kerry, Kelly, and
Dale Jr. As well, he was a good friend and business associate to his
sponsor, GM Goodwrench Service Plus; his vehicle manufacturer, Chevrolet;
and his team owner Richard Childress.
Earnhardt had been associated with Chevrolet for
most of his 26-year racing career, and with Childress and GM Goodwrench
for the past 13 years. His Winston Cup racing career began in 1979. Since
that time, he became one of NASCAR's most popular drivers, and probably
its greatest ever, based on his accomplishments:
 | the only driver in Winston Cup history to win
"Rookie of the Year" and the points championship in
consecutive seasons (1979-'80)
| seven Winston Cup points championships (1980,
'86, '87, '90, '91, '93, '94), tied with Richard Petty for first on
the all-time list
| thirty-four victories at Daytona International
Speedway, including the 1998 Daytona 500 - an all-time record
| seventy-six career Winston Cup victories -
sixth on the all-time list
| top-ten finishes in 427 of his 677 career
races
| career Winston Cup winnings of over $41
million - the all-time leader |
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Earnhardt's chiseled face, bushy mustache, and
omnipresent dark glasses enhanced his "intimidator" image. When
he wasn't behind the wheel of his #3 Goodwrench Chevrolet, Dale was a
genteel, kindhearted man who spent hours signing autographs for the
benefit of childrens' charities, or helping dreams come true by hosting
terminally ill children at races. He successfully owned and managed many
business interests, including a Chevrolet dealership and Dale Earnhardt,
Inc., which owns three Winston Cup race teams.
Whether race fans loved Dale Earnhardt or not,
all of them ultimately respected him and his driving talent. NASCAR
Winston Cup races will continue as scheduled. The #3, licensed by Richard
Childress, will be retired for the remainder of the year in Dale's memory.
A #29 white Chevrolet Monte Carlo will compete in its place under the GM
Goodwrench Service Plus banner.
That's the way Dale Earnhardt would have wanted
it.
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