My Ongoing Tribute to the Greatest NASCAR Driver Ever

Dale Earnhardt

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Earnhardt Legacy tributes planned

NEW YORK -- Dale Earnhardt's memory will be maintained through a multi-faceted initiative of programs set to open in 2003, his widow Teresa Earnhardt announced Thursday.

Teresa, speaking at NASCAR's media luncheon at the Waldorf-Astoria, detailed the Dale Earnhardt Legacy Program, which she said was created for the fans who looked up to Earnhardt as a role model, and as a means to further the humanitarian causes that he supported during his lifetime.

Earnhardt has maintained a leading role in the operation of the Dale Earnhardt Incorporated racing operation that was established and nurtured by her husband until his death in the 2001 Daytona 500.

She said the initial Earnhardt Legacy program would be comprised of a charitable foundation, The Dale Earnhardt Foundation; a major concert fundraiser at Daytona International Speedway on June 28, 2003; the launching in early 2003 of an official Dale Earnhardt Incorporated Web site; and the unveiling of shared paint schemes for the three DEI Winston Cup cars for the 2003 season.

"For some time now, I have been searching for a way to honor fans' requests for more information about Dale's life and, while doing so, advance the causes Dale believed in so strongly," Earnhardt said. "So many knew and loved Dale, but few were familiar with him off the track -- his compassion, conviction and commitment to life and humanitarian causes like children's and educational charities and wildlife issues.

"The Dale Earnhardt Legacy Program is that vehicle."

She said "a variety of other local and national activities" would be initiated "in the months and years to come."

The Dale Earnhardt Foundation, the cornerstone of the Legacy Program, is envisioned as carrying on Earnhardt's name and works through charitable causes he supported during his lifetime.

Monies already received in Earnhardt's name through The Foundation for the Carolinas are included in this new effort. Additional fundraising events are currently in the works.

Teresa Earnhardt will host the first Legacy event -- the concert at Daytona. Earnhardt won 33 times at the 2.5-mile superspeedway before he died there in a crash in Turn 4.

"The tentative list of acts scheduled to perform is impressive and exciting," Earnhardt said. "I hardly had to ask, as Dale's many friends in the music industry all wanted to participate when they heard about the event."

All profits from the concert, which is sponsored by long time corporate supporter Kraft/Nabisco, will benefit the Earnhardt Foundation. Guest artists and ticket information will be announced in February 2003.

Also launching in early 2003 will be the first official and most comprehensive Web site dedicated to Dale Earnhardt. It will contain timely information about the Legacy Program and provide a forum for fans and supporters to learn more about Earnhardt and the causes he championed.

The site located at www.daleearnhardtinc.com will also feature rare photos and clips from Earnhardt's career, racing statistics and Earnhardt Foundation news. Information about all the drivers and behind-the-scenes coverage on the DEI race teams will be found there as well.

"Over the last 18 months, we have given a great deal of thought, and heard from countless fans, about what a Dale Earnhardt Inc. Web site should look like," Earnhardt said. "We wanted to be sure to not only capture the essence of Dale, but to include highlights and news on all aspects of Dale Earnhardt Incorporated.

"I know it has taken a while to launch this site, but we wanted it done right and feel confident that it will be worth the wait."

For the first time since 1997, the paint schemes of the three DEI cars -- to be driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Michael Waltrip and Steve Park in 2003 -- will change.

The new paint scheme and striping pattern will suggest an "E" on the side of the car in honor of the man who founded and led Dale Earnhardt Incorporated.

"The elements of The Dale Earnhardt Legacy Program characterize many aspects of Dale's career, family life and issues important to him," Earnhardt said. "I am proud to unveil it today and invite everyone to join me in honoring the seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion."