In NASCAR’s early years, the series was home to moonshiners, who souped up their cars to outrun the local police in the dead of night during the Prohibition era, and they would show off their souped-up machines in races. From 1949-1971, NASCAR was in its early years, and failed to gain national recognition. This would eventually change, thanks to one man.
In 1972, the “Modern Era” of NASCAR began. Stricter rules, more uniform cars, and the races were less of a playground for the moonshiners, and more of a competition of the pinnacle of motorsports. In 1975, the irrefutable G.O.A.T. of NASCAR made his debut. Dale Earnhardt, of Kannapolis, North Carolina, was rather unknown at the time of his NASCAR debut. At that time, most in the NASCAR world knew the Earnhardt name due to Dale’s father, Ralph. Ralph raced various types of cars throughout the Carolinas. Dale would quickly make a name for himself, however.
In 1979, Earnhardt would race in his first full-time Winston Cup Series season, driving the #2 car for Rod Osterlund. He’d claim his first victory at Bristol later that year, the first of 76 wins that “The Intimidator” would claim. Earnhardt would be crowned the Rookie of The Year in 1979, in a rookie class with many future NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees, such as Terry LaBonte and Harry Gant.
In 1980, Earnhardt would start his sophomore season off strong, winning the season-opening exhibition race, the Busch Clash. He’d claim the championship, winning five races in 1980. This would be Earnhardt’s final full season driving for Osterlund.
In 1981, Rod Osterlund sold his team to businessman J.D. Stacy mid-season, prompting an angry Earnhardt to depart the team after only four races under Stacy, and end up at Richard Childress Racing, where he managed to finish seventh in the points standings. Earnhardt would eventually come back to Richard Childress Racing, but not yet.
From 1982 to 1983, Earnhardt would race the yellow and blue #15 Wrangler Ford for Bud Moore. Earnhardt had limited success for Moore, finishing 12th in 1982’s points, and seventh in 1983.
In 1984, Earnhardt would re-join Richard Childress Racing, where he’d stay until the end of his career. In his reunion season with Childress, Earnhardt would finish fourth in the 1984 standings, and eighth in 1985.
In 1986, Earnhardt would claim his second of seven Winston Cup championships. With five wins, 16 top-5s, and 23 top-10s, he was a deserving champion.
In 1987, Earnhardt earned his first nickname, and arguably the most famous. “The Intimidator”. The reason for this moniker was due to multiple reasons. Firstly, Earnhardt was known for his rough driving style. Not dirty, but rough. He was “One Tough Customer”, as the Wrangler commercials said. The “Pass In The Grass” move he pulled off in the 1987 Winston All-Star Race was another reason for the nickname. Earnhardt would claim his third championship this season.
1988 was a turning point in Earnhardt’s career. Wrangler Jeans didn’t renew their sponsorship, allowing GM Goodwrench to come in and sponsor Earnhardt. Following the change in sponsorship, Earnhardt’s car was painted black, a feature that not only would define Earnhardt, but one that stuck with him until the end of his career. In the 1988 season, Earnhardt would finish third in points.
In 1989, Earnhardt would fall short of the championship by 12 points, with a costly spin in North Wilkesboro sealing his season’s fate.
In 1990, Earnhardt’s famous struggle with the Daytona 500 would begin, after leading 155 laps out of 200, He’d run over a piece of metal on the backstretch, allowing underdog Derrike Cope to claim his only career victory. The RCR #3 team would hang up the cut tire that ran the piece of metal in their shop, as a reminder of how close they came to winning the “Great American Race”. Earnhardt would go on to win nine races in 1990, winning his fourth championship. In 1991, Earnhardt would claim his fifth championship, and would enter 1992 as a championship favorite.
1992 was one of the worst seasons of Earnhardt’s career. He had only one win, coming at Charlotte, and would finish 12th in points. 1992 would be the final season for “The King” Richard Petty, who at the time was the sole record holder for most NASCAR championships as a driver, with seven.
In 1993, RCR hired Andy Petree to be the new crew chief for Earnhardt. The pair would have a successful season, with Earnhardt claiming his sixth championship, one away from the aforementioned Petty’s record of seven championships. Earnhardt would again fall short in the Daytona 500, with Dale Jarrett passing him on the last lap.
In 1994, Earnhardt would claim the record-tying seventh championship, however early in the season it seemed unlikely. Ernie Irvan was neck-and-neck with Earnhardt for the majority of the season, however Irvan had a severe crash at Michigan, which nearly killed him, sidelining Irvan for the rest of the season, allowing Earnhardt to put nearly 400 points on eventual-second place driver Mark Martin.
In 1995, Earnhardt’s rivalry with the young up-and-comer Jeff Gordon was in full swing. The “Man In Black” was a polar opposite on track to the “Rainbow Warrior”. Their backgrounds were different too. Earnhardt wasn’t raised on racing, he was raised by racing. As a kid in the Carolinas, racing was life. As mentioned, his father was a racer. Gordon, originally from California, who moved to Indiana in pursuit of better racing opportunities, primarily for open-wheel or dirt cars, not NASCAR’s big, bulky stock cars.
Also in 1995, Earnhardt claimed victory in the second-annual Brickyard 400, the only race held at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway besides the prestigious Indianapolis 500.
In 1996, Earnhardt had what at the time was the biggest crash of his career. During the DieHard 500, Earnhardt hit the wall head on in the Tri-oval at nearly 200 mph, sliding upside down on his roof and coming to a halt. Many thought they witnessed the end of the “Intimidator”. To everyone’s shock, Earnhardt climbed out of his car, and waved to the fans, refusing a stretcher. Despite a broken collarbone, shoulder blade and sternum, Earnhardt continued to race the following week, although he got out of the car early to allow Mike Skinner to drive.
1997 was a down year for Earnhardt. For only the second time in his career, he didn’t win at all in the 1997 season.
In 1998, after 20 years and 20 attempts at the race, Earnhardt won the Daytona 500. Earnhardt had won many times at Daytona, but never the marquee event. He fell short many times, and with various misfortunes. He blew a tire, got passed, and even hit a seagull once. The infamous struggle he had with the race was known by all in the sport, so when Earnhardt did his victory lap, in the words of Mike Joy “every man on every crew” lined up on pit road to shake Earnhardt’s hand. He did a burnout in the grass, etching a #3 with his tire tracks.
In 1999, the aging Earnhardt would be subject to retirement rumors. Earnhardt was in his late 40s, and his son Dale Jr. was speculated to make his Cup Series debut, the time would be right. He didn’t relinquish his throne. He won multiple races, and made history again, however not in a good way. In the Bristol night race, Earnhardt was behind Terry LaBonte on the last lap. Earnhardt hit LaBonte in the rear quarter panel, causing him to spin. Earnhardt would win the race, but for the first time in his career, the fans booed him. After the race, Earnhardt would famously quote: “I didn’t mean to turn him around, I just wanted to rattle his cage.” This boosted his “Intimidator” moniker to new heights. Everyone knew that if you saw the black No. 3 car in your mirror, you best get out of the way.
2000 was a good year for Earnhardt, who fell short of a record-eighth championship, but finished second, behind Bobby LaBonte. Earnhardt would claim his 76th, and ultimately final victory at Talladega, in the Winston 500.
In the 2001 Daytona 500, Earnhardt was fast. Really fast. He owned his own race team, but still raced for Richard Childress. His team, Dale Earnhardt Inc., had three cars in the race, the No. 1 of Steve Park, the No. 8 of his son, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and the No. 15 of Michael Waltrip, who had never won a race before. Throughout the race, Earnhardt, Earnhardt Jr., and Waltrip would be dominant, leading the pack until the very end.
On the last lap, Earnhardt was positioned in third, with Waltrip leading, and Earnhardt Jr. in second. Going into turn four, Earnhardt would attempt to block the No. 40 of Sterling Marlin, and the two would collide, sending Earnhardt spinning towards the outside wall, where he’d hit head on at over 160 mph, and slide down the banking into the grass, where his car, career, fame, fortune, and his life would end. Waltrip would go on to win the race, with Dale Jr. finishing second. They both knew not of the fate of “The Man in Black.”
The race was the debut for the NASCAR on FOX broadcasting program, with the trio of announcers being longtime-commentator Mike Joy, Earnhardt’s former crew-chief Larry McReynolds, and Waltrip’s brother, Darrell Waltrip. After watching the crash in turn four, and his brother win the biggest NASCAR race of the season, Waltrip would say on a hot mic: You got it Mikey, you got it! Mikey! [pause] I hope Dale’s alright. I- I guess he’s alright isn’t he?” These haunting words foreshadowed Earnhardt’s fate. The crash itself didn’t look bad by modern standards, with our padded walls and super-safe helmets and neck restraints. But 160 mph will make your head hit the steering wheel hard, and that’s truly what killed Earnhardt.
Fellow racer Ken Schrader was the first to the scene, as he had been involved in the wreck. He’s never said what it looked like or what he saw, but he has opened up and has said “I’m not a doctor or anything, but I knew… I knew he was dead.”
Earnhardt was pronounced dead on arrival at Halifax Medical Center at 5:16 PM on February 18th, 2001.
In the immediate aftermath, NASCAR held a press conference, where then-president of NASCAR Mike Helton announced what many had feared. Helton would announce: “This is undoubtedly one of the toughest announcements that I’ve ever personally had to make. But after the accident in Turn 4 at the end of the Daytona 500, we’ve lost Dale Earnhardt.”
Earnhardt was the fourth driver to die in a year, with Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr., and Tony Roper all passing due to crashes in the 2000 season. This caused many safety changes and innovations.
The Steel And Foam Energy Reduction Barrier (SAFER Barrier) was implemented and mandatory at all NASCAR tracks in the following years. It disperses the energy when hit, and squishes and bends to allow the dispersion.
The Head And Neck Support Device (HANS Device) is a neck restraint that keeps a driver’s head straight and secure while driving, and in the event of a crash.
The Car of Tomorrow (COT) was the Generation-5 race car developed by NASCAR, designed to be safer, to prevent driver harm as much as possible.
All these safety measures worked, as no driver has died in a nationally-sanctioned NASCAR race since Earnhardt in 2001. The death of Earnhardt was almost as influential as Earnhardt himself was on NASCAR. He brought new popularity, fame, and a whole lot of people into the sport, and made them lifelong fans.
Coming up on 25 years since his death, it’s almost impossible to not see remnants of Earnhardt at the track. Many fans still fly #3 flags, some have tattoos, merchandise, and more. Earnhardt shaped NASCAR’s national identity, and “The Man In Black” defines NASCAR’s identity.
Overall, Dale Earnhardt was the perfect role model for NASCAR. A tough, brazen, blue-collar man who wasn’t afraid to rough someone up on track.
No matter what you call him, “The Intimidator”, “The Man In Black”, or “Ironhead” you simply can’t deny that he was, and is the greatest NASCAR driver of all time.
