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Ralph Dale Earnhardt, born April 29, 1951, in Kannapolis, North Carolina, was the son of NASCAR Grand National champion Ralph Earnhardt and his wife Martha. His Winston Cup career started with a bang, winning the Rookie of the Year in 1979 and his first of his championships in 1980, to date the only driver to achieve these feats in consecutive years. Three years later, Dale appeared with other NASCAR drivers and personalities in the Burt Reynolds/Loni Anderson racing comedy "Stroker Ace". Sharp-eyed viewers will notice that the film's climax race used actual race footage from Talladega with close-ups being shot at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Shortly after winning the Daytona 500 on February 15, 1998, he went to film his second and final movie, "BASEketeball". This film star other sports luminaries as well as racing commentator Kenny Mayne. As is the trend in recent years, drivers become car owners. Dale was no exception. For 2001, he expanded his operation to three cars with the addition of Michael Waltrip. Also driving for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., were Steve Park and his son, Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Jr. On February 18, 2001, in the closing laps of the 43rd running of the Daytona 500, Dale ran third behind two of his cars, driven by Waltrip and Dale, Jr. On the last lap, as those cars went on to win 1-2, Dale was killed in a multi-car crash on the 4th turn. In his 22-year career he won 22 poles, 76 races and 7 Championships on NASCAR's premier circuit.
