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The cowboy and his steed |
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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. More Stories...
Earnhardt: The greatest 'til the end |
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