Dale Arnold Jarrett
Born	(1956-11-26) November 26, 1956 (age 55) Conover, North Carolina
Awards	Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) 1999 Winston Cup Champion 2004 USG Person of the Year Award
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
668 race(s) run over 24 year(s)
Best finish	1st – 1999 (Winston Cup)
First race	1984 Sovran Bank 500 (Martinsville)
Last race	2008 Food City 500 (Bristol)
First win	1991 Champion Spark Plug 400 (Michigan)
Last win	2005 UAW Ford 500 (Talladega)
Wins Top tens Poles 32 260 16
Statistics current as of November 18, 2006.

Dale Arnold Jarrett (born November 26, 1956) is a former American race car driver and current sports commentator known for winning the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship. He is the son of two-time Grand National Champion Ned Jarrett, younger brother of Glenn Jarrett; a former NASCAR driver himself and pit commentator, father of former driver Jason Jarrett, and cousin of Todd Jarrett. Beginning in 2007, Jarrett joined the ESPN/ABC broadcasting team as an announcer in select Nationwide Series races.^[1] In 2008, after retiring from driving following the 2008 Food City 500, Jarrett joined ESPN permanently as the lead racing analyst replacing Rusty Wallace. Jarrett was born in Conover, North Carolina.

Early career[link]

Upon graduation from Newton-Conover High School in 1975, Jarrett was offered a full golf scholarship from the University of South Carolina, which he declined.^{[citation needed]} Jarrett began racing in 1977 at Hickory Motor Speedway, a track his father owned and operated. In his first race, he started in last place but finished in the ninth position. He competed in the Limited Sportsman Division at Hickory, before moving up to the NASCAR Busch Series.

Busch Series[link]

Jarrett began racing in 1982 in the #24 Ford for Horace Isenhower. His best finish was a third at Hickory and he finished sixth in points that season, finishing in the top-ten fourteen times over the course of the season. He did not win a race in 1983, but won four poles and had seventeen top-fives moving into fifth in the standings. In 1984, the team received sponsorship from Econo Lodge, Valvoline, and Budweiser and had six front row starts and nineteen top-10's, finishing a career-best fourth in the final standings.

That same year, Jarrett made his Cup debut. Driving the #02 Chevrolet for Emanuel Zervakis at Martinsville Speedway, he qualified 24th and finished fourteenth. He made two more Cup starts that season, at the Firecracker 400 for Jimmy Means, and the Warner W. Hodgdon American 500. In 1986, Jarrett won six poles and his first career Busch race at Orange County Speedway in the Nationwise Auto Parts. He won his second career race at Hickory the next year, his final full-time season in Busch.

1987–1991[link]

1989 racecar

In 1987, Jarrett replaced Tommy Ellis in the #18 Chevrolet owned by Eric Freelander early in the season. Running a primarily-unsponsored car, he had two tenth-place finishes and ended the season 26th in points, second to Davey Allison for Rookie of the Year honors. He ran every race of the 1988 season, despite running with various teams. He made most of his starts in the #29 Hardee's Oldsmobile owned by Cale Yarborough, finishing eighth at Riverside International Raceway. He also ran races for Buddy Arrington and Hoss Ellington that season, finishing twenty-third in the final standings. He ran the entire season for Yarborough in 1989, posting five top-ten finishes, including two fifth-place runs.

Jarrett began 1990 without a ride before taking over the #21 Citgo Ford Thunderbird for Wood Brothers Racing at the Valleydale Meats 500, replacing the injured Neil Bonnett. He finished in the top-ten seven times during the season and finished 25th in the final standings despite missing the first five races of the season. The following season, Jarrett won his first career Winston Cup race at Michigan International Speedway, and finished a then career-best 17th in the final standings.

1992–1999[link]

Despite the win, Jarrett left Wood Brothers to drive the #18 Interstate Batteries Chevy for the fledging Joe Gibbs Racing team. In their first year of competition, Jarrett had two top-fives but dropped to nineteenth in points. Jarrett won the 1993 Daytona 500 over Dale Earnhardt (commonly referred to as "The Dale and Dale Show") in a race called by his father Ned. While he did not win again that season, Jarrett had a total of thirteen top-fives and finished fourth in the final standings. The next season, Jarrett won the Mello Yello 500, but chose to step down from the Gibbs organization at the end of the season.

Jarrett signed to drive for Robert Yates in 1995, piloting the #28 Texaco Ford in place of an injured Ernie Irvan. He won his first race for Yates at Pocono Raceway and finished 13th in the final standings. When it was announced Irvan, who had returned toward the end of the year in a Texaco Havoline-sponsored Yates car numbered 88, would return to the 28 after a year-long absence due to injuries, Yates had planned to help Jarrett compete in his own team with Hooters sponsorship. The deal fell through, however, and Yates promoted the 88 car to full-time in Winston Cup, with Ford assuming sponsorship through its Quality Care Service and Ford Credit divisions. In 1996, Jarrett won the Daytona 500 for a second time, and finished in the top-2 in each of the first three races of the season. He also won the Coca-Cola 600 and the Brickyard 400 and finished third in the final standings behind the Hendrick Motorsports teammates Terry Labonte and Jeff Gordon. Jarrett's kissing of the bricks at Indianapolis started a tradition that has been used by every NASCAR team at the race since then, and at the Indianapolis 500 since 2003.

The following season, he won a career-best seven races but lost the championship to Jeff Gordon by fourteen points.

In 1998, Jarrett won three races, and finished second in the last two races of the year, ending up third in the final standings to Jeff Gordon, despite suffering gallbladder problems.(Which made him miss the exhibition race in Japan) After an offseason surgery, Jarrett returned in 1999 and took the points lead after his first win of the season at the Pontiac Excitement 400, and held it for the rest of the season, when he won his first career Winston Cup title by 201 points over Bobby Labonte. He also retired from the Busch Series to become a part-time owner, partnering with NFL quarterback Brett Favre to field the #11 Rayovac Ford for his son Jason, Yates teammate Kenny Irwin, Jr., and Steve Grissom. He had 11 wins in the Busch series when he retired.

2000–2005[link]

Dale Jarrett's 2000 Daytona 500 winning car on display at Daytona USA, taken January 2001

Following his title in 1999, Jarrett won the Daytona 500 for the third time in 2000, but after only winning one other race and dropping to fourth in the standings, Ford elected to withdraw as a primary sponsor (although Ford Credit remained as a secondary sponsor). United Parcel Service was signed as the primary sponsor for Jarrett's car, and shortly thereafter UPS began a multi-year promotional campaign involving the company trying to convince him to drive their trademark "Big Brown Truck" in a race.

In 2001, he won three of the first eight races (Darlington, Texas, and Martinsville) of the season and resumed the points lead (trading it with Jeff Gordon, with the two of them having the same point totals for a few different weeks), but won only one more time over the course of the year and faded back to fifth in the standings. The year was a good year and bad year for Jarrett as he won four races (New Hampshire was the fourth win in July). The bad was a hard crash he suffered at the new Kansas Speedway where Jarrett suffered a minor concussion. Jarrett said in an interview that he does not remember being in the Protection One 400, he only remembers getting on the plane to go to the racetrack. After that season, Jarrett's long-time crew chief Todd Parrott departed and was replaced by Jimmy Elledge. After seven races of the 2002 season, Parrott rejoined Jarrett, who clinched two victories (Pocono and Michigan) and rebounded to ninth in the final standings after the poor start to the year.

In 2003, Jarrett began the season by winning at North Carolina Speedway, but only posted five more top-ten finishes, relegating him to 26th in the final standings. He rebounded in 2004 to finish 15th in points, despite not winning a race for the first time since 1992. In 2005, Jarrett got his last career win at Talladega Superspeedway, again finishing 15th in the standings.

2006 – 2008[link]

2007 car

2008 racecar

Jarrett on a parade lap before his final points race as fans and crew applaud him

During the 2006 season, Jarrett had four top-ten finishes, with a best finish of fourth at Kansas. His best starting position was second and he finished 23rd in points. It was his last year racing for Yates, as he and sponsor UPS left for Michael Waltrip Racing's new #44 Toyota team.

Jarrett started the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season on a high note as he drew pole position for the annual exhibition race, the Budweiser Shootout, at the Daytona International Speedway. He finished 18th out of 21 cars. Since Jarrett's team was a brand new team and had no owner points, and due to a rule change, he was eligible to use the Past Champion's Provisional five times as his 1999 championship was the most recent among past champions who were driving for teams not in the top 35 in owner points; prior to the rule change the use of a Past Champion's Provisional was not limited.

Jarrett was forced to use all five of his provisionals at the start of the season, starting at Daytona. He started 43rd in the Daytona 500 and finished 22nd. Dale used his last champion's provisional at the Spring Talladega race, Aaron's 499. For the rest of 2007, Jarrett had to get into that weekend's race on time. Jarrett missed eleven races in 2007 as a result.

During an interview on Speed, Dale said after his contract is up with MWR (which was expected to be in the 2009 season), he would retire, but the timetable was pushed up in October 2007 prior to the 2007 Bank of America 500. Jarrett retired from points racing after the 2008 Food City 500, turning the #44 Toyota ride to David Reutimann. His final race was the All-Star race in May, 2008 after which he joined ESPN's NASCAR coverage full-time as a booth announcer.

However, Jarrett was not guaranteed to start the first five races using the champion's provisional as he had the year before as Kurt Busch, the 2004 champion, had his team's owner points transferred to his teammate Sam Hornish, Jr. and would be first to receive it. Jarrett started off 2008 with a 16th place finish at Daytona. He retired from points racing after the 2008 Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. At the weekend's pre-race driver's meeting, he spoke to the other drivers, saying

"Enjoy this. We all have our time in this, and mine has been fantastic. To me, it has been an honor and a privilege to be able to race in this series and say I raced with and against and sometimes beat the best in the world. Thanks for allowing me to do that. Enjoy it. It's a great sport, and you guys make it what it is."^[2]

Personal[link]

• Jarrett's brother-in-law is Jimmy Makar who was his crew chief when he drove the 18 car for Joe Gibbs Racing, he is married to Dale's sister Patty.
• Jarrett is an avid golfer and has a 2 handicap in golf and in 2003 was once featured in a commercial with Phil Mickelson, Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky where they were golfing at Doral Golf Resort & Spa.
• Jarrett is featured in commercials where he is persuaded to race the UPS Truck, in recent commercials he is featured with father Ned, in one commercial and in others he is trying out the features of the truck.
• In NASCAR 2006: Total Team Control, the Big Brown Truck is unlockable as a paintjob for Jarrett.
• Dale Jarrett was a member of the Coca-Cola Racing Family of Drivers when he raced.
• Dale Jarrett and Hall-of-Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw are co-owners of the fantasy sports site http://www.PayTheFan.com
• Dale Jarrett was featured in a commercial with Jackie Stewart as Jarrett's "mentor".
• Dale Jarrett is the first cousin of USPSA/IPSC Champion Handgun Shooter, Todd Jarrett.
• Dale Jarrett and former American football quarterback Brett Favre are co-owners of the Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure and Favre was a part owner of Dale Jarrett's Busch Series team.
• Dale Jarrett also owns and operates a Ford dealership in Indian Trail, North Carolina, southeast of Charlotte.
• Dale Jarrett now lives in Hickory NC
• Dale Jarrett participated in the Olympic Torch Relay in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
• Dale Jarrett is third cousin to famous go kart driver Kory Jarrett.

References[link]

• Dale Jarrett Career Statistics
• Dale Jarrett at Daytona 500 Racing

External links[link]

• Dale Jarrett official web site
• NASCAR.com: Dale Jarrett
• Dale Jarrett Fantasy Racing Blog
• Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure
• UPS Racing
• Coca-Cola Racing Family's Dale Jarrett profile
• Dale Jarrett Foundation
• Dale Jarrett ESPN Bio

Dale Earnhardt Sr.
Dale Earnhardt late 1990s
Born	(1951-04-29)April 29, 1951 Kannapolis, North Carolina
Died	February 18, 2001(2001-02-18) (aged 49) Daytona Beach, Florida[1]
Cause of death	Basilar skull fracture from crash in Turn 4 on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
Achievements	Winston Cup Series Champion (1980, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994) 1998 Daytona 500 Champion Winston All-Star Race Winner (III, VI, IX) IROC Champion (1990, 1995, 1999, 2000)
Awards	NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year (1979) Named as one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers NASCAR Most Popular Driver (2001) 2002 Motorsports Hall of Fame Inductee 2006 International Motorsports Hall of Fame Inductee 2010 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
677 race(s) run over 27 year(s)
Best finish	1st (1980, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994)
First race	1975 World 600 (Charlotte)
Last race	2001 Daytona 500 (Daytona)
First win	1979 Southeastern 500 (Bristol)
Last win	2000 Winston 500 (Talladega)
Wins Top tens Poles 76 428 22

Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. (April 29, 1951 – February 18, 2001)^[1] was an American race car driver, best known for his involvement in stock car racing for NASCAR. Born to race car driver Ralph Lee Earnhardt, Earnhardt began his career in 1975 when he drove in the 1975 World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway as part of the Winston Cup Series (later the Sprint Cup Series).

During the course of his career, Earnhardt won a total of 76 races (including one Daytona 500 victory in 1998). He earned seven championships, which is tied for the most all time with Richard Petty. His aggressive driving style earned him the nickname "The Intimidator".

While driving in the 2001 Daytona 500, Earnhardt died of basilar skull fracture in a last-lap crash at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2001.^[2][3] He has been inducted into numerous halls of fame, including the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Early life and personal life[link]

Earnhardt was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina, on April 29, 1951, to Martha Coleman and Ralph Lee Earnhardt, who was then one of the best short-track drivers in North Carolina. Ralph won his one and only NASCAR Sportsman Championship in 1956 at Greenville Pickens Speedway in Greenville, South Carolina. Although Ralph did not want his son to follow in his footsteps, Earnhardt would not be persuaded to give up his dream of racing, dropping out of school to race. Ralph was a hard teacher for Earnhardt, and after Ralph died of a heart attack at his home in 1973, it took many years before Earnhardt felt as though he had finally "proven" himself to his father. Earnhardt had four siblings, Danny, Randy, Cathy, and Kaye.

When Earnhardt was 17, he married his first wife, Latane Brown, in 1968. Brown gave birth to Earnhardt's first son, Kerry Earnhardt, in 1969. They were subsequently divorced in 1970. In 1971, Earnhardt married his second wife, Brenda Gee (the daughter of NASCAR car builder Robert Gee), who gave birth to a daughter, Kelley King, in 1972, and a son, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., in 1974. Not long after Earnhardt, Jr. was born, Dale and Brenda divorced. Dale then married his last wife, Teresa Houston (niece of Nascar driver Tommy Houston) in 1982, who gave birth to their daughter, Taylor Nicole in 1988.

NASCAR career[link]

Early Winston Cup career[link]

Earnhardt began his professional career at the Winston Cup in 1975, making his debut at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina in the longest race on the Cup circuit, the World 600. Earnhardt drove an Ed Negre Dodge Charger(#8) and finished 22nd in the race, one place ahead of his future car owner, Richard Childress. Earnhardt competed in 8 more races until 1979, when he joined car owner Rod Osterlund Racing, in a season that included a rookie class of future stars – Earnhardt, Harry Gant and Terry Labonte.

In his rookie season, Earnhardt won one race at Bristol, captured four poles, had 11 Top 5 finishes, 17 Top 10 finishes, and finished 7th in the points standings, in spite of missing four races because of a broken collarbone, winning Rookie of the Year honors.

In his sophomore season, Earnhardt, now with 20-year old Doug Richert as his crew chief, began the season winning the Busch Clash. With wins at Atlanta, Bristol, Nashville, Martinsville, and Charlotte, Earnhardt won his first Winston Cup championship. To this day, Earnhardt is the only driver in NASCAR Winston Cup history to follow a Rookie of the Year title with a NASCAR Winston Cup Championship the next season. He was the third driver in NASCAR history to win both the Rookie of the Year and Cup Series championship in his career, joining David Pearson and Richard Petty. Only 5 drivers have joined this exclusive club since - Rusty Wallace, Alan Kulwicki, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Matt Kenseth.

1983 racecar

In 1981, after Osterlund sold his team to J.D. Stacy, Earnhardt left for Richard Childress Racing, and finished the season 7th in the points standings but winless. The following year, at Childress' suggestion, Earnhardt joined car owner Bud Moore for the 1982 and 1983 seasons driving the No. 15 Wrangler Jeans Ford Thunderbird (Earnhardt's only full-time Ford ride in his career). During the 1982 season, Earnhardt struggled. Although he won at Darlington, he failed to finish 15 races, and completed the season 12th in points, the worst of his career. He also suffered a broken knee cap at Pocono Raceway when he flipped after contact with Tim Richmond. In 1983, Earnhardt rebounded and won his first of 12 Twin 125 Daytona 500 qualifying races. Earnhardt won at Nashville and at Talladega, finishing eighth in the points standings.

Return to Richard Childress Racing[link]

After the 1983 season, Earnhardt returned to Richard Childress Racing, replacing Ricky Rudd in the #3. Rudd went to Bud Moore's No. 15, replacing Earnhardt. Wrangler sponsored both drivers at their respective teams. During the 1984 and 1985 seasons, Earnhardt visited victory lane six times, at Talladega, Atlanta, Richmond, Bristol (twice), and Martinsville, where he finished fourth and eighth in the season standings, respectively.

The 1986 season saw Earnhardt win his second career Winston Cup Championship and the first owner's championship for RCR. He won five races and had ten Top 5 and sixteen Top 10 finishes. Earnhardt successfully defended his championship the following year, visiting victory lane eleven times and winning the championship by 489 points over Bill Elliott. In the process, Earnhardt set a NASCAR modern era record of four consecutive wins and won five of the first seven races. In the 1987 season, Earnhardt earned his nickname "The Intimidator" after spinning out Elliott in the final segment of "The Winston", a non-points event now known as the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. During this race, Earnhardt was briefly forced into the infield grass, but kept control of his car and returned to the track without giving up his lead — a maneuver now referred to as the "Pass in the Grass" even though Earnhardt actually didn't pass and couldn't have passed anyone for position as he was in the lead at the time.

The 1988 season saw Earnhardt racing with a new sponsor, GM Goodwrench, which replaced Wrangler Jeans. During this season Earnhardt garnered a second nickname, "The Man in Black", owing to the black paint scheme in which the No. 3 car was painted. He was also called "Darth Vader" more than once because of the black uniform and car, adding to his notoriety as a driver who would wreck any car he could not pass. He won three times in 1988, finishing third in the points standings behind Bill Elliott and Rusty Wallace. The following year, Earnhardt won five times, but a late spin out at North Wilkesboro arguably cost him the 1989 championship, as Rusty Wallace edged out Earnhardt for the championship.

1990s[link]

As part of a Winston No Bull 5 fan contest, Earnhardt drives a Bomb Lift Truck and attempts to load an AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM) missile as he competes in a load crew competition at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, September 2000. Coincidentally, this position on a load crew is known unofficially as a "Jammer Driver" or more officially as a Number 3 man.

The 1990 season started for Earnhardt with victories in the Busch Clash and his heat of the Gatorade Twin 125s. Near the end of the Daytona 500, he had a four-second lead when the final caution flag came out with a handful of laps to go. When the green flag waved, Earnhardt was leading Derrike Cope. On the final lap, Earnhardt ran over a piece of metal in the final turn, cutting a tire. Cope, in an upset, won the race while Earnhardt finished fifth. The No. 3 Goodwrench Chevy team took the flat tire that cost them the win and hung it on the shop wall as a reminder of how close they'd come to winning the Daytona 500. Earnhardt went on to win nine races this season and won his fourth Winston Cup title, beating Mark Martin by 26 points. Earnhardt also became the first repeat winner of the annual all-star race, The Winston.

The 1991 season saw Earnhardt win his fifth Winston Cup championship. He scored just four wins, but won the championship by 195 points over Ricky Rudd. One of his wins that year came at North Wilkesboro, in a race where Harry Gant had a chance to set a single-season record by winning his fifth consecutive race, breaking a record held by Earnhardt. Late in the race Gant lost his brakes, which gave Earnhardt the chance he needed to make the pass for the win and maintain his record.

Earnhardt's only win of the 1992 season came at Charlotte, in the Coca-Cola 600, ending a 13-race win streak by Ford teams. Earnhardt finished a career-low 12th in the points for the second time in his career, and the only time he had finished that low since joining RCR. Earnhardt still made the trip to the annual Awards Banquet with Rusty Wallace but did not have the best seat in the house. Wallace states he and Earnhardt had to sit on the backs of their chairs to see and Earnhardt said "This sucks, I could have gone hunting".^[4] At the end of the year, longtime crew chief Kirk Shelmerdine left to become a driver. Andy Petree took over as crew chief.

Hiring Petree turned out to be beneficial, as the No. 3 GM Goodwrench Chevy returned to the front in 1993. Earnhardt once again came close to a win at the Daytona 500, and dominated Speedweeks before finishing second to Dale Jarrett on a last-lap pass. Earnhardt scored six wins en route to his sixth Winston Cup title, including wins in the Coca-Cola 600 and The Winston at Charlotte, and the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. Earnhardt beat Rusty Wallace for the championship by 80 points.

Dale's 1994 racecar

In 1994, Earnhardt achieved a feat that he himself had believed to be impossible – he scored his seventh Winston Cup championship, tying the legendary Richard Petty. Earnhardt was very consistent, scoring four wins, and after Ernie Irvan was sidelined due to a near-deadly crash at Michigan (the two were neck-and-neck at the top of the points up until the crash), won title by over 400 points over Mark Martin. Earnhardt sealed the deal at Rockingham by winning the race over Rick Mast. Although Earnhardt continued to dominate in the seasons ahead, this would be his final NASCAR championship.

Earnhardt started off the 1995 season by finishing second in the Daytona 500 to Sterling Marlin. He won 5 races in 1995, including his first road course victory at Sears Point. He also won the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a win he called the biggest of his career. But in the end, Earnhardt lost the championship to Jeff Gordon by just 34 points.

Earnhardt began 1996 with a repeat of 1993 – he dominated Speedweeks only to finish second in the Daytona 500 to Dale Jarrett for a second time. Earnhardt won early in the year, scoring consecutive victories at Rockingham and Atlanta. In late July in the DieHard 500 at Talladega, he was in the points lead and looking for his eighth title despite the departure of crew chief Andy Petree. Late in the race, Ernie Irvan lost control of his No. 28 Havoline Ford Thunderbird, igniting a frightening crash that saw Earnhardt's No. 3 Chevrolet hit the tri-oval wall nearly head-on at almost 200 miles per hour. After hitting the wall, Earnhardt's car flipped and slid across the track, in front of race-traffic. His car was hit in the roof and windshield, and the accident led NASCAR to mandate the "Earnhardt Bar", a metal brace located in the center of the windshield that reinforces the roof in case of a similar crash.

Rain-delays had canceled the live telecast of the race and most fans first learned of the accident during the night's sports newscasts. Video of the crash showed what appeared to be a fatal incident, but once medical workers arrived at the car, Earnhardt climbed out and waved to the crowd, refusing to be loaded onto a stretcher despite a broken collarbone, sternum, and shoulder blade. Many thought the incident would end his season early, but Earnhardt refused to give up. The next week at Indianapolis, he started the race but exited the car on the first pit stop, allowing Mike Skinner to take the wheel. When asked, Earnhardt said that vacating the No. 3 car was the hardest thing he'd ever done. The following weekend at Watkins Glen, he drove the No. 3 Goodwrench Chevrolet to the fastest time in qualifying, earning the "True Grit" pole. T-shirts emblazoned with Earnhardt's face were quickly printed up, brandishing the caption, "It Hurt So Good." Earnhardt led most of the race and looked to have victory in hand, but fatigue finally took its toll and Earnhardt ended up 6th, behind race winner Geoff Bodine. Earnhardt did not win again in 1996, but still finished 4th in the standings behind Terry Labonte, Jeff Gordon and Dale Jarrett. David Smith departed as crew chief of the No. 3 team and RCR at the end of the year for personal reasons, and was replaced by Larry McReynolds.

In 1997, Earnhardt went winless for only the second time in his career. The only (non-points) win came during Speedweeks at Daytona in the Twin 125-mile qualifying race, his record 8th straight win in the event. Once again in the hunt for the Daytona 500 with 10 laps to go, Earnhardt was taken out of contention by a late crash which sent his car upside down on the backstretch. Earnhardt hit the low point of his year when he blacked out early in the Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington in September, causing him to hit the wall. Afterward, he was disoriented and it took several laps before he could find his pit stall. When asked, Earnhardt complained of double vision which made it difficult to pit. Mike Dillon (Richard Childress's son-in-law) was brought in to relieve Earnhardt for the remainder of the race. Earnhardt was evaluated at a local hospital and cleared to race the very next week, but the cause of the blackout and double vision was never determined. Despite no wins, the RCR team finished the season 5th in the final standings.

1998 saw Earnhardt win the Daytona 500 after not winning in the previous 19 attempts. Earnhardt began the season by winning his Twin 125-mile qualifier race for the ninth straight year. On race day, Earnhardt showed himself to be a contender early. Halfway through the race, however, it seemed that Jeff Gordon had the upper hand. But by lap 138, Earnhardt had taken the lead, and thanks to a push by teammate Mike Skinner, he was able to maintain it. Earnhardt made it to the to the caution checkered flag before Bobby Labonte. Afterwards, there was a large show of respect for Earnhardt, in which every crew member of every team lined pit road to shake his hand as he made his way to victory lane. Earnhardt then drove his No. 3 into the infield grass, starting a trend of post-race celebrations. He spun the car twice, throwing grass and leaving tire tracks in the shape of a No. 3 in the grass. Earnhardt then spoke about the victory, saying "I have had a lot of great fans and people behind me all through the years and I just can't thank them enough. The Daytona 500 is ours. We won it! We won it! We won it!" Unfortunately, the rest of the season did not go as well, and The Great American Race was his only victory that year. He slipped to 12th in the standings halfway through the season, and Richard Childress decided to make a crew chief change, taking Mike Skinner's crew chief Kevin Hamlin and putting him with Earnhardt while giving Skinner Larry McReynolds. Earnhardt was able to climb back to 8th in the final standings.

Before the 1999 season, fans began discussing Earnhardt's age and speculating that with his son, Dale Jr. getting into racing, Earnhardt might be contemplating retirement. Earnhardt swept both races for the year at Talladega, leading most observers to conclude that Earnhardt's talent had become limited to the restrictor plate tracks, which require a unique skill set and an exceptionally powerful car to win. But halfway through the year, Earnhardt began to show some of the old spark. In the August race at Michigan International Speedway, Earnhardt led laps late in the race and nearly pulled off his first win on a non-restrictor plate track since 1996.

One week later, he provided NASCAR with one of its most controversial moments. At the August Bristol race, Earnhardt found himself in contention to win his first short track race since Martinsville in 1995. When a caution came out with 15 laps to go, leader Terry Labonte got hit from behind by the lapped car of Darrell Waltrip. His spin put Earnhardt in the lead with 5 cars between him and Labonte with 5 laps to go. Labonte had four fresh tires and Earnhardt was driving on old tires, which made Earnhardt's car considerably slower. Labonte caught Earnhardt and passed him coming to the white flag, but Earnhardt drove hard into turn two, bumping Labonte and spinning him around. Dale went on to collect the win while spectators booed and made obscene gestures. "I didn't mean to turn him around, I just wanted to rattle his cage", Earnhardt said of the incident. Earnhardt finished 7th in the standings that year, and looked like a contender again.

In the 2000 season, Earnhardt had a resurgence, which some attributed to neck surgery he underwent to correct a lingering injury from his 1996 Talladega crash. He scored what many considered the two most exciting wins of the year – winning by .006 seconds over Bobby Labonte at Atlanta, then gaining seventeen positions in the final four laps to win at Talladega, claiming his only No Bull million dollar bonus. Earnhardt also enjoyed strong second-place runs at Richmond and Martinsville, tracks where he'd struggled through the late '90s. On the strength of these performances, Earnhardt took the No. 3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet Monte Carlo to 2nd in the standings. However, poor performances at the road course of Watkins Glen, where he wrecked coming out of the chicane, a wreck with Chad Little while leading the spring race at Bristol, and mid-pack runs at intermediate tracks like Charlotte and Dover in a season dominated by the Ford Taurus in those tracks of Roush, Yates, and Penske, coupled with the extremely consistent Joe Gibb's No. 18 team with Bobby Labonte, denied Earnhardt the coveted eighth championship title.

Death[link]

This section relies largely or entirely upon a single source. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. Discussion about the problems with the sole source used may be found on the talk page. (April 2009)

In the weeks before the 2001 Daytona 500, Earnhardt elected not to attend the annual fan and media preview event, drawing vocal criticism from fellow driver Jimmy Spencer. On February 3 and 4, 2001, the first time in his career, Earnhardt participated in the Rolex 24 endurance race at Daytona, the event which kicks off Speedweeks at the track. His team, which also featured drivers Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Andy Pilgrim, and Kelly Collins, finished 4th overall and 2nd in class.^[5]

Ultimately, however, 2001 Speedweeks would be the first in many years that Earnhardt failed to win at least one race. In the first NASCAR-sanctioned event of Speedweeks, the Budweiser Shootout, Earnhardt finished second to Tony Stewart. Earnhardt was also denied victory in the Gatorade Twin 125 qualifying race in which he participated. Earnhardt had won every Twin 125 event he competed in during the 1990s, and was poised to win again in 2001 when Sterling Marlin pulled off a slingshot pass going down the backstretch, taking the victory away from Earnhardt.

On the morning of the 2001 Daytona 500, Earnhardt appeared confident and relaxed. When the race started, Earnhardt showed early promise, leading the race and maintaining a front-running position for most of the event.

A multi-car wreck on lap 173 eliminated several cars in spectacular fashion, including Jeff Gordon, Jerry Nadeau, Mark Martin, Jason Leffler, Ward Burton, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon, Andy Houston, John Andretti and Bobby Labonte. Stewart, who had beaten Earnhardt in the Budweiser Shootout, had his car flip several times midair on the backstretch. The race was red flagged to clean up the wrecked cars, and when the race resumed, it was Earnhardt and DEI drivers Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip who were running up front. As the laps wound down, Waltrip was leading Earnhardt Jr. and Earnhardt.

On the front stretch, with three laps to go, Earnhardt made contact with Sterling Marlin's front right fender. Earnhardt's car wiggled but he kept control and he remained in third position. Marlin was known for having a fast car throughout the race, and Earnhardt repeatedly blocked his attempts at passing during the last few laps. With less than two laps remaining, Darrell Waltrip in the booth commented that "Sterling has beat the front end off of that old Dodge [Marlin's car] trying to get around Dale [Earnhardt]".

Heading into Turn 3 on the last lap, Earnhardt held third and was running in the middle lane of traffic. Marlin was behind him and running the bottom lane, while Rusty Wallace's navy blue #2 Miller Lite Ford was directly behind Earnhardt and Ken Schrader was above Earnhardt riding the high lane in his yellow #36 M&M's Pontiac.

On Turn 4, Marlin came into contact with the left rear on Earnhardt's vehicle. Earnhardt slid off the track's steep banking, onto the flat apron. Trying to correct at speed, he turned sharply up the track toward the outside retaining wall. Although it briefly looked as though Earnhardt was going to avoid hitting the wall, his car went right into Schrader's path. Schrader rammed into Earnhardt just behind the passenger door, causing Earnhardt's car to snap, rapidly changing the angle of his car toward the wall. When Schrader made contact, Earnhardt hit the wall nose-first at an estimated speed of 155 to 160 mph and was pushed down the track by Schrader.

Earnhardt's right-rear wheel assembly broke off the car on impact, and the passenger window broke out of the car. The hood pins severed and the hood opened, slamming back violently against the windshield. As Earnhardt was nose first on the wall, Schrader was pushing him along the wall. No other drivers ran into Earnhardt after he hit the wall, as Schrader was the only driver in the vicinity and all of the cars behind them were able to make it past without incident.

Despite heavy damage to both cars, to the casual observer, the crash (both in force and size) looked relatively minor compared to the multi-car wreck on the backstretch on lap 173 that had completely destroyed several cars, in particular Tony Stewart, who walked away with minor injuries after his car turned sideways and then flipped several times in mid-air and was hit by several other cars.

While Michael Waltrip raced toward the checkered flag to claim his first victory, with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. right behind him, Earnhardt, Sr.'s and Schrader's cars slid off the track's asphalt banking toward the infield grass just inside of turn four. Once the cars came to a stop, Schrader climbed out of his car, with minor injuries. He peered into Earnhardt's car, only to immediately jump back and signal for paramedics while Earnhardt, Jr. - who had finished in second place - rushed to the crash scene. Both of these images are etched into the minds of many racing fans.

As medical crews converged upon the crash scene, NASCAR on Fox reporter Jeanne Zelasko asked Schrader about Earnhardt's condition. "I don't know. I'm not a doctor, but I got the heck out of the way as soon as they got there," Schrader said. Earnhardt was taken to Halifax Medical Center by ambulance after being removed from his car. Hours later, at a press conference, NASCAR President Mike Helton announced Earnhardt's death: "This is undoubtedly one of the toughest announcements I've personally had to make. But after the accident in Turn 4 at the end of the Daytona 500, we've lost Dale Earnhardt."^[6]

Earnhardt was credited posthumously as having finished 12th in the race.

Aftermath[link]

Investigation[link]

Earnhardt's death was the catalyst for a number of changes in NASCAR. Following his death, there was a police investigation, as well as a NASCAR-sanctioned investigation. Nearly every detail of the event was made public, from the finding of a torn seatbelt inside Earnhardt's car to graphic descriptions of the injuries Earnhardt had suffered at the moment of impact. There were rumors that he did not have his seat belt on properly, as he liked to wear it loose so he could move around and not feel too constrained. The allegations of seatbelt failure led Bill Simpson to resign from the company bearing his name, which manufactured the seatbelts used in Earnhardt's car and nearly every other NASCAR driver's car.^[7]

NASCAR also made the use of the HANS device mandatory in all cars following Earnhardt's death. Until that point, use of the HANS device was optional, at the discretion of the drivers or teams. Earnhardt had refused to wear the device, arguing it was uncomfortable and ineffective. He was not using a HANS device on the day he died of a Basilar skull fracture. The HANS device is designed to prevent such injuries.

Several press conferences were held in the days following Earnhardt's death. Some angry fans of Dale Earnhardt wrote hate letters and death threats to Sterling Marlin, blaming him for causing the crash. Quickly thereafter, Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who had finished first and second respectively, publicly and adamantly absolved Marlin of any responsibility.

Richard Childress made a public pledge that the number 3 would never again adorn the side of a black car sponsored by GM Goodwrench. Childress, who currently holds the rights from NASCAR to the No. 3, has placed a moratorium on using it. Earnhardt's team was re-christened as the No. 29 team, with the same sponsor but with a new look (a reversed color scheme with white with black numerals and a black stripe on the bottom) for the following races at Rockingham and Las Vegas. For Atlanta, a new GM Goodwrench scheme was introduced, with angled red stripes and a thin blue pinstripe, resembling the Childress AC Delco Chevrolets driven in the Busch Series.

Childress' second-year Busch Series driver Kevin Harvick was named as Earnhardt's replacement driver, beginning with the race following Earnhardt's death held at the North Carolina Speedway. Special pennants bearing the No. 3 were distributed to everyone at the track to honor Earnhardt, and the Childress team wore blank uniforms out of respect, something which disappeared quickly and was replaced by the wearing of the GM Goodwrench Service Plus uniforms. The Earnhardt team car, the RCR number 29 Chevrolet driven by Kevin Harvick, still always displays the Earnhardt stylized number 3 on the "B" posts (metal portion on each side of the car to the rear of the front windows) above the number 29.

The rest of the 2001 season[link]

Fans took it upon themselves to begin honoring Earnhardt by holding three fingers aloft on the third lap of every NASCAR Cup race, and the television coverage of NASCAR on Fox and NASCAR on NBC went silent for each third lap from Rockingham to the following year's race there in honor of Earnhardt (and, after 9/11, in remembrance of those who perished that day). For the first three weeks after Earnhardt's death, on-track incidents brought out the caution flag on lap three. Three weeks after Earnhardt's death, Harvick scored his first career Cup win at Atlanta driving a car that had been prepared for Earnhardt. In the final lap of the 2001 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500, Harvick beat Jeff Gordon by .006 seconds, the same margin that Earnhardt had won over Bobby Labonte at the same race a year prior, and the images of Earnhardt's longtime gas man, Danny "Chocolate" Myers, crying after the victory, Harvick's tire-smoking burnout on the frontstretch with three fingers held aloft outside the driver's window, and the Fox television call by Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, and Darrell Waltrip, concluding with "Gordon got loose, but he (Harvick) is gonna get him though, it's Harvick! Harvick by inches!" are memorable to many NASCAR fans. The win was also considered cathartic for a sport whose epicenter had been ripped away.

Earnhardt was buried on his farm in Mooresville, North Carolina.

Other notable events include:

• Steve Park, driver of the No. 1 DEI Pennzoil Chevy Monte Carlo won the very next NASCAR Winston Cup race: The DuraLube 400 at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, NC held on February 26, 2001.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. won in the next Cup race at Daytona: the Pepsi 400 on July 7, 2001. This led to an emotional celebration on the infield with driver Michael Waltrip (who finished in second place), whose victory at the Daytona 500 was vastly overshadowed. By coincidence, Earnhardt Jr. had finished in second place behind Waltrip in the Daytona 500.
• Las Vegas, the 3rd race of the 2001 season, was noted for the fact that Mike Skinner, Earnhardt's teammate at Richard Childress Racing, took over Earnhardt's slot in the No Bull 5 million dollar eligibility for this race since Earnhardt had qualified for the No Bull 5 prize after his final victory in the 2000 Winston 500 at Talladega. This is the only time that a switch of driver for the No Bull 5 has ever happened.
• Earnhardt was credited with finishing 57th in the final point standings in 2001, despite running one race. He also won the 2001 Most Popular Driver award at the end of the year in the awards' ceremony banquet. Bill Elliott bowed out of the running and encouraged the same fans that had put him up for the prestigious award 16 times to vote for the Man in Black.
• Earnhardt Jr. later went on to win the 2004 Daytona 500, three years after his father's death and six years to the day after his father won the 1998 Daytona 500. He also won the EA Sports 500 at Talladega that same year.
• As of 2010, Earnhardt is interred in a concrete memorial on his farm in Mooresville, North Carolina.
• In 2010, Dale Earnhardt was one of the five inductees in the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
• Two world class roller coasters have been named after Earnhardt; the most popular being Intimidator (roller coaster) at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina, the other being Intimidator 305 located at Kings Dominion in Virginia.
• Every three years since Earnhardt's death, someone associated with Earnhardt has won the Daytona 500 (his son Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in 2004, Earnhardt's replacement driver Kevin Harvick in 2007, and Earnhardt Ganassi's Jamie McMurray in 2010.)

#3 Car[link]

Earnhardt in the No. 3 car

Earnhardt drove the No. 3 car for most of his career, spanning the early 1980s until his death in 2001. Although he had other sponsors during his career, his No. 3 is associated in fans' minds with his last sponsor, GM Goodwrench, and his last color scheme — a predominantly black car with bold red and silver trim. The black and red No. 3 continues to be one of the most famous logos in North American motor racing.

A common misconception is that Richard Childress Racing "owns the rights" to the No. 3 in NASCAR competition (fueled by the fact that Kevin Harvick's car has a little No. 3 as an homage to Earnhardt), but in fact no team owns the rights to this or any other number: However, according to established NASCAR procedures, RCR would have priority over other teams if and when the time came to reuse the number. RCR owns the stylized No. 3 logos used during Earnhardt's lifetime; however these rights may not prevent a future racing team from using a different No. 3 design. (Also, a new No. 3 team would most likely, in any case, need to create logos which fit with their sponsor's logos.)

In 2004, ESPN released a made-for-TV movie entitled 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story which used a new (but similarly colored) No. 3 logo. The movie was a sympathetic portrayal of Earnhardt's life, but the producers were sued for using the No. 3 logo. In December 2006, the ESPN lawsuit was settled, but details were not released to the public.

It is generally believed that current NASCAR owners have agreed never to use the No. 3 in Sprint Cup competition again, although this is not official NASCAR policy. Dale Earnhardt Jr. made two special appearances in 2002 in a No. 3 Busch Series car: these appearances were at the track where his father died (Daytona) and the track where his father made his first Winston Cup start (Charlotte). Earnhardt Jr. won the first of those two races, which was the season-opening event at Daytona. He also raced a No. 3 sponsored by Wrangler on July 2, 2010 for Richard Childress Racing at Daytona. In a green-white- checker finish he outran Joey Logano to win his second race in the 3.

Otherwise, the No. 3 was missing from the national touring series until September 5, 2009, when Austin Dillon, the 19-year-old grandson of Richard Childress debuted an RCR-owned No. 3 truck in the Camping World Truck Series.^[8] Austin Dillon and his younger brother Ty Dillon have been driving #3's in various lower level competitions for several years, including the Camping World East Series.^[9]

Richard Childress Racing entered the number 3 in the Daytona Truck race on 13 February 2010 painted identically to when Earnhardt drove it, but with Bass Pro Shops as a sponsor. It was driven by Austin Dillon. Oddly, the number 3 was involved in a wreck almost identical to that which took the life of Earnhardt: being spun out, colliding with another vehicle and being turned into the outside wall in turn number four.^[10] Dillon again returned to a number 3 marked racecar when he started 5th in the 2012 Daytona Nationwide Series opener in an Advocare sponsored black Chevrolet Impala.

Only the former International Race of Champions actually retired the No. 3, which they did in a rule change effective in 2004. Until the series folded in 2007, anyone wishing to use the No. 3 again had to use No. 03 instead.

In 2009, Tim McGraw released the song "Southern Voice;" the song makes reference to Earnhardt and the number 3 in the line "Number Three drove it."

In the movie Zombieland, Woody Harrelson's character, Tallahassee, draws a 3 on his car doors. He does this to pay homage to Earnhardt.

The Christian metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada have a song titled "Number Three, Never Forget" in honor of Dale Earnhardt.^{[11] [12]}

Legacy[link]

Earnhardt has a street in his hometown of Kannapolis named after him. Dale Earnhardt Boulevard (originally Earnhardt Road) is marked as Exit 60 off Interstate 85, northeast of Charlotte. Dale Earnhardt Drive is also the start of The Dale Journey Trail,^[13] a self-guided driving tour of landmarks in the lives of Dale and his family. A road between Kannapolis and Mooresville, near the headquarters of DEI, formerly NC 136, was switched with State Highway 3 which was in Currituck County by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. In addition, Exit 73 off Interstate 35W, one of the entrances to Texas Motor Speedway, is named "Dale Earnhardt Way".

In 2000, shortly before his death, Earnhardt became a part-owner of the minor league baseball team in Kannapolis, and the team was renamed the Kannapolis Intimidators shortly thereafter. After his death, the team retired the jersey number 3 in Earnhardt's honor, and a "3" flag flies beyond the left field wall during every game.

Atlanta Braves assistant coach Ned Yost was a friend of Earnhardt, and Richard Childress. When Yost was named Milwaukee Brewers manager, he changed jersey numbers, from No. 5 to No. 3 in Earnhardt's honor. (#3 is retired by the Braves in honor of outfielder Dale Murphy, so Yost could not make the change while in Atlanta.) When Yost was named Kansas City Royals assistant coach, he wore No. 2 for the 2010 season, even when he was named manager in May 2010, but for the 2011 season, he switched back to #3.

Between the 2004 and 2005 JGTC (subsequently renamed Super GT from 2005) season, Hasemi Sport competed in the series with a sole black G'Zox sponsored Nissan 350Z with the same number and letterset as Earnhardt on the roof.

During the April 29, 2006 – May 1, 2006 NASCAR weekend races at Talladega Superspeedway, the Dale Earnhardt Inc cars competed in identical special black paint schemes on Dale Earnhardt Day, held annually on his birthday, April 29. Martin Truex Jr won the Aaron's 312 in the black car, painted to reflect Earnhardt's Intimidating Black No. 3 NASCAR Busch Grand National series car. In the Nextel Cup race on May 1, No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 1 Martin Truex Jr., and No. 15 Paul Menard competed in cars with the same type of paint scheme.

On June 18, 2006 at Michigan for the 3M Performance 400 Dale Earnhardt Jr ran a special vintage Budweiser car to honor his father and his grandfather Ralph Earnhardt. He finished 3rd after rain caused the race to be cut short. The car was painted to resemble Ralph's 1956 dirt cars, and carried 1956-era Budweiser logos to complete the throwback look.

In the summer of 2007, Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI) with the Dale Earnhardt Foundation, announced it will fund an annual undergraduate scholarship at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina for students interested in motorsports and automotive engineering. Scholarship winners are also eligible to work at DEI in internships.^[14] The first winner was William Bostic, a senior at Clemson majoring in mechanical engineering.^[15]

"Earnhardt Tower", a seating section at Daytona International Speedway, the track where Earnhardt was killed, was named in his honor.

In 2008, on the 50th anniversary of the first Daytona 500 race, DEI and RCR teamed up to make a special COT sporting Earnhardt's 1998 Daytona 500 paint scheme to honor the tenth anniversary of his Daytona 500 victory. In a tribute to all previous Daytona 500 winners, the winning drivers appeared in a lineup on stage, in chronological order. The redesigned No. 3 car stood in the infield, in the approximate position Earnhardt would have taken in the processional. The throwback car featured the authentic 1998-era design on a current-era car, a concept similar to modern throwback jerseys in other sports. The car was later sold in 1:64 and 1:24 scale models.

The Intimidator 305 roller coaster has been up and running since April 2010 at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. Named after Earnhardt, the ride's trains will be modeled after Dale Earnhardt's black-and-red Chevrolet. ^[16] Another Intimidator was built at Carowinds, in Charlotte, NC.

During the third lap of the 2011 Daytona 500 (a decade since Earnhardt's death), the commentators on FOX fell silent while fans each raised three fingers in a similar fashion to the tributes throughout 2001.^[17]

Awards[link]

Dale Earnhardt's suit on display at the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame

• Awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine by North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt in 1994^[18]:634
• Inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1994^[19]
• Earnhardt was named among NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998
• Earnhardt was posthumously named NASCAR's Most Popular Driver in 2001, the only time he received the award.
• He was posthumously inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2002.
• He was inducted in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2006.
• Earnhardt was named Number 1 among ESPN's NASCAR's 20 Greatest Drivers in 2007 in front of Richard Petty.
• Inducted in the Inaugural Induction Class for the NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 23, 2010.

TV appearances[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Dale has appeared in movies and TV shows.

• Stroker Ace 1983
• Baseketball 1998
• Arli$$ 1998
• King of the Hill 1998
• The Fifty 1998

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	NASCAR portal

• Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
• Teresa Earnhardt, wife
• Dale Earnhardt, Jr., son
• Jeffrey Earnhardt, grandson
• Kerry Earnhardt, son
• Richard Childress Racing

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dale Earnhardt

• Dale Earnhardt Inc.
• Dale Earnhardt at the Internet Movie Database
• The Dale Trail, official tour of Earnhardt's Hometown of Kannapolis, NC
• Career statistics at racing-reference.info
• Orlando Sentinel article on the inquiries into the cause of death
• Sports Illustrated article on the controversy over Earnhardt's seat belt
• Earnhardt at The Crittenden Automotive Library includes full Win List, Statistics

Shane Hmiel (born May 15, 1980 in Pleasant Garden, North Carolina) is a former American racecar driver. He was paralyzed in a near fatal racing accident on October 9, 2010. He is the son of Steve Hmiel, former NASCAR crew chief and current Competition Director for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.

NASCAR career[link]

Shane Hmiel was one of the more controversial drivers in NASCAR, failing three separate drug tests and ultimately being banned for life.

In 2001, he was the Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Goody's Dash Series, with two wins and 13 top-10 finishes, finishing fifth in points.

In 2002 and 2003, he was a Busch Series competitor. Hmiel's best NASCAR effort came at Indianapolis Raceway Park in August 2003, where he won the pole, led the most laps and staged a very competitive battle with Brian Vickers. Vickers won, and Hmiel finished fourth. However, in September 2003, he was suspended indefinitely for failing a drug test (see below).

He was reinstated in 2004 and was picked up by Craftsman Truck series owner Billy Ballew Motorsports, a Busch ride with Braun Racing and a Cup ride with Bill Davis Racing. He was in a series of commercials with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. during the early part of the 2005 NASCAR season that dealt with his title sponsor WinFuel multivitamins.

In his return to the Busch Series, he got into a very heated incident with Dale Jarrett during the Sharpie 250 at Bristol. When Jarrett leaned into Hmiel's window to question why Hmiel had spun him out, Hmiel flipped the middle finger toward Jarrett that were captured live on national television (especially the finger gesture pointed at Jarrett). Hmiel was fined $10,000 USD and docked 25 points in the standings for the incident.

Hmiel failed a drug test at Dover in 2005, and was escorted from the garage by NASCAR officials. After failing a third drug test in early 2006, Hmiel was banned from NASCAR for life (see below).

During his four-year NASCAR career, Hmiel appeared in seven Nextel Cup races, 83 Busch races, and 29 Truck Series races. He had one win: in the Truck Series' Las Vegas 350 in 2004.

Substance Abuse Test[link]

NASCAR's Substance Abuse Policy allows NASCAR to administer drug tests virtually anytime, anywhere, based only on "reasonable suspicion." There is no driver's union to prevent such tests.

Hmiel violated NASCAR's substance abuse policy when he tested positive for heroin in 2003. At the time, he was the highest-profile driver to fail such a test. Hmiel was suspended from September 2003 to January 2004, then reinstated after NASCAR's demands were satisfied. In 2005 he tested positive for marijuana and cocaine, and was suspended "indefinitely" starting in May 2005. Hmiel was offered a chance at reinstatement after his second infraction, under condition that he submit to medical and psychological reviews, and frequent drug testing before reinstatement. In February, 2006, Hmiel failed a drug test, and was banned for life. He stated on WindTunnel with Dave Despain on April 4, 2010, over four years since, that his ban was the best thing that's happened to him.

Hmiel was not paid his 2005 salary for races prior to the suspension, as Braun Racing alleged that Hmiel signed the contract in bad faith due to health concerns. Under oath, Hmiel admitted that he violated NASCAR's substance abuse policy with a positive test for marijuana in 2003 and a positive test for marijuana and cocaine in 2005. Hmiel admitted that he "may have used heroin on a regular basis" prior to failing the first NASCAR test, but denied he was using drugs on a regular basis (at least once a week) in 2005. Hmiel denied that he'd tested positive for heroin at any time from 2003–2005, and testified that he was not under the influence of any drug at any time while he was racing.^[1] The disposition of the lawsuit is unknown.

Open-Wheel Racing and Redemption[link]

After rehabilitation from drug addiction and three-years-sober.

Hmiel competed in all three national touring divisions of the United States Auto Club in the USAC Silver Crown Series, the USAC National Sprint Car Series, and the USAC National Midget Series.

In 2009, Hmiel earned his first USAC-sanctioned win in the Sprint Car division at Iowa Speedway and scored a then-career-best dirt track finish of second in the Four Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway. Hmiel earned post-season honors as USAC's "Most Improved Driver." He was also named the Rookie of the Year in the 2009 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In 2010, he earned his first career Midget Series victory in front of family and friends at Hickory Motor Speedway less than an hour from Mooresville, North Carolina, where he currently resides. The momentum from that victory carried on to other divisions. In the Sprint Car division, he broke the world speed record for a non-winged Sprint Car at Iowa Speedway, winning the pole with an average speed of 146.444 miles per hour. In addition the speed record, he earned three victories, all on pavement, at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis (twice) and Salem Speedway. In the Silver Crown division, he earned his first career series win and first dirt track win in the Hoosier Hundred race at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

He was slated to make his Firestone Indy Lights debut at Chicagoland Speedway for the Chicagoland 100 on August 28, 2010, but a back injury kept him from competing in the race.

Away from the track, Hmiel is a co-host on the syndicated racing-themed television show "3 Wide Life."

Accident and Paralysis[link]

Shane Hmiel was involved in an accident in Terre Haute, Indiana on October 9, 2010, in a USAC Silver Crown car. The roll cage collapsed after hitting the retaining wall. He was airlifted to Methodist Hospital with head, back, and neck injuries. Shortly after arriving, he was in critical but stable condition after having been put into a medically-induced coma to minimize brain swelling. He was paralyzed as a result of his injuries. Shane's mother has started a Facebook page titled "Shane Hmiel - Road to Recovery" to share updates on his condition.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Shane Hmiel driver page on Racing One
• SceneDaily.com: Five years after being banned from NASCAR for drug use, Shane Hmiel just happy to be racing again
• Shane Hmiel Seriously Injured
• Shane Hmiel on "long road to recovery" after surviving frightening wreck