Dale Earnhardt (1952 - 2001)
23.2.01

Whilst Ferrari fans were enjoying the recent Daytona 24-hours because of the F333SP that was fighting for the lead, American race fans were almost certainly more interested in a certain Chevrolet Corvette driven by stock-car legend Dale Earnhardt.

In his first sportscar race he finished fourth overall and cemented his reputation as one of the most popular drivers America had ever seen.

Dale was always the charming communicator

Dale Earnhardt's death in the Daytona 500 just two weeks later occurred while he was behind the wheel of an object that brought him more renown than his trademark moustache and sunglasses - the 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.

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.

He drove a great 24-hours at Daytona

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.

To European race fans it was like loosing Senna all over again. 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 .

Another who, like Senna, never got to drive a Ferrari but wouldn't it have been great if he had?

The memorial service for Dale Earnhardt will be broadcast live on television across the United States.

ciao, Dale.

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