The Intimidator, The Man In Black, One of The Greatest NASCAR Driver's of All time. Dale Earnhardt was called many names over his career and many can agree that Dale was one of the Greatest NASCAR Drivers of All Time. I only got to see Dale race for really 2 seasons that I remember, of course I was 4 years old when Dale died in Daytona.. I remember something local had Dale Earnhardt at the grand opening and I got to see a lot of his cars but missed the opportunity to meet him which my mom regrets not getting me to meet him. I know my dad was a very big fan of his but other than those two things I don't remember much about him. I have gotten to meet his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., once and his grandson Jeffery Earnhardt, many times.
Dale Earnhardt drove the famed Black #3 Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the 2 seasons I remember. During the seasons I remember while him being alive Dale was just as competitive as he had been winning 6 races from 1997-2001. In 1997 the year I was born Dale did not win a race which I find rather weird as 1997 was the first year since 1978 that Dale had a zero in the wins column. The things Dale did are things that can't be matched by other drivers of his time. 7 Championships, 76 Wins, 281 Top 5's, and 428 Top 10's are just numbers that you did not see back then. Only one other driver has as many championships as Dale has and that is Richard Petty. In my era Jimmie Johnson has been the closest to tying that record but currently has 6 championships. I do remember when they made the announcement of Dale's death on February 18th, 2001. It's not an easy thing to understand when you are 4 years old but when I got older I understood it more and began to understand just how great a driver he was. It was neat because on February 18th, 2015 I was in Daytona and got to see the Dale Earnhardt Sr. statue that sits outside of the Daytona International Speedway. I remember in 2010 when Dale Earnhardt Jr won in the #3 Wrangler car at Daytona and I thought that was very cool to see. Dale Earnhardt Sr is certainly one of the Greatest NASCAR Drivers of All Time. He was one of those drivers that fans felt connected to. I know nowadays if you ask anyone who Dale Earnhardt is 95% of people will know the name and that was just how great this man was. He impacted NASCAR in so many ways and has certainly helped land NASCAR where it is today. Dale has certainly been missed but he has left a legacy and that legacy will continue to live on forever. With fans, With Drivers, With everyone. (Koelle, 2015)
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