Earnhardt: The greatest 'til the end
By Joe Macenka, Turner Sports Interactive


CONCORD, N.C.--Two names usually ascend to the forefront in conversations about the greatest driver in NASCAR Winston Cup Series history: Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. Petty has the all-time numbers on his side, Earnhardt the recent history.

Petty leads the sport's career winning list with 200 victories, more than twice as many as his closest pursuer.

More than half of his victories, however, came in an era when there was often more than one race a week and not every driver competed in every event. All 76 of Earnhardt's triumphs came after the circuit was reorganized and significantly streamlined, meaning, in theory at least, he was assured of competing against the best each and every time out.

While this argument is embraced strongly by Earnhardt's supporters, Petty's backers can once again point to the numbers. Both drivers won seven Winston Cup championships, but a breakdown of some individual race statistics shows Petty with a decided edge.

Petty once won 27 races in a season; Earnhardt never had more than 12. Petty had 55 victories on superspeedways; Earnhardt had 48. Petty won 139 races on short tracks; Earnhardt had 27.


One area where Petty clearly lagged behind, however, was the issue of competitiveness over the length of their careers. Petty got his final victory in 1984 but continued to drive through 1992, going the final four-plus years of his career without a top-5 finish. Earnhardt remained competitive right up until the end, finishing second in the points last year, when he won two races and recorded 24 top-10s and 13 top-5s.

He was picked by many as a legitimate title contender this year, and he began the season by running with the leaders all the way up until the final turn of the Daytona 500.



Earnhardt's name lives on through his family, team
By Joe Macenka, Turner Sports Interactive


CONCORD, N.C. --Even with the death of Dale Earnhardt, steps are in place to ensure that the family continues to maintain a significant presence in stock-car racing.

The biggest reminder of the family's influence is on a two-lane road a few miles southeast of Mooresville, N.C., where a smoked glass and steel shrine known as Dale Earnhardt, Inc. has risen from rolling farm terrain. The sprawling DEI complex of more than 200,000 square feet houses the NASCAR Winston Cup Series teams of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Steve Park and Michael Waltrip.

Playing an integral role in the development and day-to-day oversight of DEI is Teresa Earnhardt, Dale's widow. Her hands-on management style has helped DEI quickly grow into one of the top Winston Cup teams, as evidenced by the fact that all three of the company's drivers have visited Victory Lane in the past nine months.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., the youngest of Dale Earnhardt's two sons, is a two-time NASCAR Busch Series champion who last year made a successful jump to the Winston Cup ranks, winning two points events as well as the circuit's all-star race.

Kerry Earnhardt, Dale's oldest son, also is trying to break into the racing business, showing promise while driving in the ARCA ranks last year and making several recent starts in Winston Cup and Busch competition.

Dale Earnhardt also had two daughters. The eldest, Kelley King, last year made Dale Earnhardt a grandfather for the first time, and his youngest daughter, Taylor Nicole Earnhardt, is 12.

Martha Earnhardt, Dale's mother, still lives in the same home in Kannapolis, N.C., where she raised her family.



Earnhardt legacy extends far beyond track
By Marty Smith, Turner Sports Interactive


CONCORD, N.C. -- It is virtually impossible to describe Dale Earnhardt's legacy in one brief story, but his nickname is a solid starting point.

At a time when stock-car racing was viewed as a redneck passtime for back woods Southerners, "The Intimidator" used a no-holds-barred fury behind the wheel of the No. 3 Chevrolet to make individuals from all facets of life, and all corners of the globe stand up and take notice.

NASCAR chairman of the board Bill France Jr. said it best -- he was the greatest ever.

His tenacity was unmatched. It had to be. How else would a ninth-grade dropout from Kannapolis, N.C., build a multimillion-dollar business? How else could a man from a dirt-poor family make tens of millions of dollars on the strength of a tireless work ethic? How else could God-given talent be turned into the most dominant career in NASCAR history?

"I knew every single time I entered that racetrack, no matter where we went or what the circumstances were, that that 3 car was the one to beat," Rusty Wallace said Tuesday. "Even during those years he wasn't winning, he was still the best. He'll always be the best."


Earnhardt's career spanned more than two decades. It included 676 races, 76 victories, 281 top-5s and 428 top-10s. In April, he was set to snap Terry Labonte's record for most consecutive starts. He fell six races short.

Sunday, Earnhardt was fatally injured in a last-lap accident during the 43rd running of the Daytona 500, the 23rd "Great American Race" of his illustrious career. His only victory in the 500 came after 20 years of trying, in 1998.

After taking a victory lap, he drove down pit road where every member of every race team lined up to congratulate him. It was arguably the most memorable moment of a career chock full of storybook moments.

Overall, Earnhardt won 34 times at Daytona, a track record. At one point, he won 10 consecutive Gatorade 125-mile qualifying races. He won 10 NASCAR Winston Cup Series races at Talladega, also a record. They are two of several venues where his record is unmatched.

"I think he'll go down as one of the greatest competitors and drivers throughout NASCAR history," said Grant Lynch, president of Talladega Superspeedway. "His camaraderie amongst the drivers, his interaction with them was unique. He was such a leader. He cut up a lot and had fun, and the other drivers really enjoyed that."

That they did. To many of his competitors, the true legacy of Earnhardt stemmed far beyond the racetrack.

"As millions of race fans mourn the loss of the man they knew as 'The Intimidator,' the sport and the race that he truly loved has taken from me one of my best friends," said Dale Jarrett, 1999 Winston Cup champion. "I know I should feel fortunate that I had the opportunity to race with, tangle with, sometimes outrun, and like most, usually finish behind, the greatest driving talent NASCAR racing has ever seen.

"I am thankful for that opportunity but, more importantly, I am most grateful that I had the chance to know Dale Earnhardt in a way that so many people could only dream of. He was a true friend -- someone I could always depend on to give me an honest answer and, at the very least, his opinion.

"I looked up to him not only because of his driving skills, but because he was so much more to so many people, including me and my family. Kelley and I choose to remember this incredible racer for his caring and giving personality."



They adored him
By Joe Macenka, Turner Sports Interactive


CONCORD, N.C. --To get a perfect snapshot of what makes Dale Earnhardt's fans special, go back to Feb. 15, 1998.

It was late in the afternoon and the light was fading on what had been an unseasonably cool, damp, cloudy day in Florida; but for the Earnhardt faithful, it was a momentous and joyous occasion that would be etched in their memories forever. After 20 years of trying, their man had just won the Daytona 500 for the first time.

Earnhardt celebrated by driving his Monte Carlo onto the infield grass along the fronstretch trioval at Daytona International Speedway and launching into a smoking series of spinning doughnuts. After he was finished with his impromptu display of car-on-grass artistry, he proceeded to Victory Lane, where a long celebration followed.

Later, while Earnhardt was up in the press box conducting interviews and practically all of the spectators had left for home, dozens of The Intimidator's devotees decided it was time to make their move. They hopped over the wall on pit road and made their way out to the grassy area that Earnhardt had roughed up. Out on the grass, they got down on their knees and began tearing up chunks of what had once been perfectly manicured sod. They used beer coolers, plastic trash bags--anything they could find --to haul away their makeshift souvenirs from the big day.

Sitting high above them, Earnhardt noticed the peculiar spectacle taking place and went to the windows of the press box for a closer look. When the guilty parties below realized they had an audience from their leader, they raised their arms straight out in front of them and began bowing to the object of their affection. He acknowledged them with a wave and a broad smile.

The scene was typical of the kind of loyalty and admiration Earnhardt cultivated from his legions and legions of faithful followers. He was the runaway leader in the amount of revenue generated by souvenir sales, and it was not unusual for easily one-third of the fans at all races to be sporting his colors. He was an innovator at creating special paint schemes; tales abound of fans who looked like they couldn't afford many luxuries flocking to the gift shop at Dale Earnhardt, Inc. to buy thousands of dollars of souvenirs without blinking an eye.

But on this day, the best souvenir in the eyes of Earnhardt's hardy band of creative followers was a simple hunk of torn-up sod to be tossed into a beer cooler and hauled home, a simple reminder of a job well-done by their conquering hero.



The cowboy and his steed
By Tim Packman, Turner Sports Interactive


WELCOME, N.C. - Dale Earnhardt's death in the Daytona 500 on February 18 occurred while he was behind the wheel of a object that brought him more renown than his trademark moustache and sunglasses -- that black No. 3 Chevrolet.

The accomplishments, the victories, the daring moves that brought crowds to their feet are numerous. Competitors openly admit that when they saw his black car coming up behind them, they knew they had to be at their best to beat him -- or get ready for a 190-mph lesson.

He drove a Richard Childress Racing-owned car since 1984. Prior to hooking up with Childress, Earnhardt drove full time for Rod Osterlund in '79 and '80 and Bud Moore in '82 and '83. He entered other races on a part-time basis for Henley Gray, Ed Negre, Johnny Ray and Jim Stacy before his Childress days.

When he made the permanent move to RCR, the car itself, and his career, soared to new heights.

"The Intimidator" earned six of his seven championships in his glossy black painted mount, won 65 of his 76 races and recorded 275 top-5 finishes. He never finished lower than 12th in points, and no matter which track he drove at, he was the one to watch.

His image and his race car began to show up on hats, T-shirts, plates, mugs, blankets, lunch boxes, lighters, coolers, flags, banners, bumper stickers and just about anything else that fans would buy. If it wasn't his picture or one of the cars, it was the white three, outlined in red on a black background that was seen on paraphernalia.

When it looked like his career was on a possible downslide in 1997 and 1998 because he registered only one victory, he answered back with five victories in the next two seasons. His greatest possible single-race accomplishment came in the Daytona 500 in '98 when he finally was victorious in the race that seemed to elude him in so many ways before.

Earnhardt will not only leave behind a legacy as a father, husband, grandfather and driver. He also leaves behind a lasting memory of a shiny black Chevrolet that made people watch races, that was a frequent visitor to Victory Lane and instilled fear into a fellow driver's rear-view mirror.



Dale Earnhardt changed the face of NASCAR
By Tim Packman, Turner Sports Interactive


MOORESVILLE, N.C. - Many fans who have gathered outside of the Dale Earnhardt Inc.-owned race shop since his death in the Daytona 500 are expressing a "Now who do I watch?" attitude. As they place their flowers, signs and mementos at the black wrought-iron fence at the edge of the property some just stand and cry, while others have this blank look on their faces.

To say "The Man in Black" brought a few fans to NASCAR would be an understatement. To say he changed the way NASCAR was regarded could be a safe statement as well. Of those gathered at the sprawling complex that houses his three cars driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Steve Park and 2001 Daytona 500 victor Michael Waltrip, they openly wonder who they're going to cheer for now.

In countries all over the world, the name of the man referred to as "The Intimidator" was known. They may not have known what NASCAR was all about, but they knew Earnhardt. To some in the United States, he represented what this country was all about. He came from the barest of essentials in his hometown of Kannapolis, N.C. and grew up doing what his dad did -- race cars. He came from having almost nothing to having everything he could ever want. He was proof of the American Dream, and he proved it at high speed.

Part of his legacy will be that he made a name for himself by being the best at what he did. He may not have been that way when he entered his first NASCAR Winston Cup Series race in 1975, but he sure did make a point to correct that through the years.

Rookie-of-the-year honors in 1979, followed by the first of seven championships in '80 and countless other achievements, put the name of Earnhardt in peoples' ears. He brought NASCAR to people who otherwise would never have felt the need to watch 43 drivers battle it out on a Sunday afternoon for a checkered flag.

Richard Petty has the title of "The King of Stock Car Racing" and deserves his share of credit for the recognition he brought to the sport. When Petty retired in 1992, Earnhardt picked up where he left off as the dominant personality representing NASCAR.

Earnhardt's battles with the old school of drivers -- Bobby Allison, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough and Petty -- when he first started racing, let people know he was a force to be reckoned with. Allison liked how Earnhardt went about his racing.

"Earnhardt made due with what he had -- he made his equipment better," said Allison, the 1983 series champion. "Some drivers today start to complain about conditions and their foot gets lighter on the gas pedal. Earnhardt just went out and raced harder."

He was often referred to as the "Master of the Draft" for his ability to dominate and win on tracks like Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway --two tracks where he heads the sport's all-time victory list.

"Dale Earnhardt seemed to have the business sense to be able to market himself in the way nobody else ever had, and hasn't to this day" said Grant Lynch, president of Talladega. "That's a side of him that when we think about him on the race track, he was just as savvy in his race car as he was sitting at his office in Mooresville. Some of the things he brought to the sport, through the marketing of himself with his name and his image, broke new ground for NASCAR away from the track."

Bristol Motor Speedway was the site of Earnhardt's first victory in '79. It was also where he had two exciting finishes under the lights in '95 and '99. Both instances involved Terry Labonte. The first one went to Labonte as the victor, but in the second event it was Earnhardt going to Victory Lane.

Track spokesman Wayne Estes said Earnhardt changed the face of racing at the famed .533-mile concrete oval.

"Before Dale Earnhardt started to race here it was just a race to make it to the end," he said. "After he started racing here the challenge became to get by Earnhardt. The fans that are mourning here by the thousands came to this track to see him race. He was what made the show here at Bristol with the spectacular things he could do on the track."