Fans jam DEI for Earnhardt's birthday

MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Dale Earnhardt Inc. threw open the doors and welcomed in fans to help celebrate what would have been Dale Earnhardt's 51st birthday on Monday.

The day-long celebration to remember and celebrate the late seven-time champion was unique in many ways. For the first time since the facility opened, the public was allowed into the showroom area to look at various cars from Earnhardt's past.

The shop is home to the Chevrolet teams of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Steve Park and Michael Waltrip. All three drivers, along with Kenny Wallace, were expected to make appearances throughout the day.

	Fans watch a tape of the 1998 Daytona 500 on the grass in front of DEI. Credit: AP

The doors opened at 8 a.m. ET and fans were already lined up to get in the building. From security personnel, it was learned the first fans were sitting outside at 5:30 a.m. ET to get inside.

Teresa Earnhardt, Dale's wife, was the main catalyst for the event.

"Teresa decided we needed to celebrate Dale's birthday," said J.R. Rhodes, spokesperson for DEI. "Last year, obviously, we couldn't do that. But, we are celebrating his birthday this year.

"This (DEI) was something Dale was very proud of; he was proud of this building and what he and Teresa had built. He was proud to let the public in and Teresa wanted to let the public in and show all that we have here.

"The crowd has been more than we could have ever imagined. And, we are still welcoming people as the day goes on until this ends at 9 p.m. tonight.

Fans were allowed to view the different cars that Earnhardt used during his career. Credit: Tim Packman, TSI

Team members from Richard Childress Racing, who fielded the famed No. 3 Chevrolets for Earnhardt, and others who worked with Earnhardt were planning to pay a visit in the evening hours.

Some of the No. 3 cars the RCR group worked on during Earnhardt's career were on display in the showroom. Several of them were historical in their own right.

One was the car he took to Victory Lane in the Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in October of 2000. It was the last time Earnhardt won a Winston Cup race.

The yellow-and-blue Wrangler Chevy driven in the 1999 The Winston was lined up with the 1998 Coca-Cola car he used in Japan. The 1998 car was the first time Earnhardt competed against his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., in a race.

Also on display for the fans to see were passenger cars from Earnhardt's personal collection.

	Earnhardt's classic No. 3 sits on the DEI showroom floor. Credit: Tim Packman, TSI

Cars in the parking lot showed license plates from North and South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee and West Virginia.

Christy Cox, from Thomasville, N.C., brought her sons Kyle, 11, and Chris, 9, to the celebration. It was a bonus day for the boys as mom took them out of school for the event.

"I like Dale Jr. and so do the boys," Cox said. "Kyle was an Earnhardt fan before and we just took the day off of school since it's so close to the end of the year for them.

"This is really nice of DEI to open up the doors to the fans like this. Last time I was here we had to look through the glass at everything. It's neat to be back here this time.

"It's a nice tribute and I heard they were going to do this every year. I hope they do."