Dale Earnhardt

1980, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion

Born: April 29, 1951 (d. 2001)
Hometown: Kannapolis, NC
The File: Won his seventh NASCAR Winston Cup title in 1994 to equal Richard Petty's record. Other wins came in 1980, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, and 1993. Considered one of the most talented and tenacious drivers in NASCAR history. Ranks sixth on the all-time NASCAR Winston Cup career win list. Only driver to go from Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year (1979) to the Series champion (1980) in successive seasons. Career purses total more than $35 million. First Daytona 500 victory in 1998 followed 30 other wins at storied Daytona International Speedway. Five-time winner of National Motorsports Press Association's Driver of the Year award and two-time winner of American Driver of the Year honor (1987 and 1994).

If Dale Earnhardt was running fifth, he wanted to be fourth. If he was fourth, he burned to be third. And if he was running second - watch out. Earnhardt - a.k.a. "the Intimidator" - might be the most "driven" driver ever to climb behind the wheel of a NASCAR Winston Cup car.

Winning is an absolute obsession. Yet, the man is also a genius at keeping a non-winning car running in the top five.

Earnhardt is relentless and tenacious. But it is his touch of finesse that keeps damaged and non-competitive equipment in the hunt.

During his six-championship association with car owner Richard Childress, Earnhardt finished in the top three in 37 percent of the races he started. He failed to finish less than seven percent of his starts.

He refused to quit or back off - a lesson he learned from father Ralph Earnhardt, a two-time NASCAR Sportsman Division champion, and passed down to his son Dale Earnhardt Jr., a two-time NASCAR Busch Series champion.

"I grew up around cars and racing is all I ever wanted to do," said Earnhardt.

Richard Petty will forever be NASCAR's King. But Earnhardt drove to the sport's soul. He was the classic, hard-nosed competitor who asked no quarter and gave none. He drove with a fire, which made Earnhardt an icon to his partisan followers.

"There's Earnhardt and then there's everybody else. The biggest thing about Earnhardt was his desire," said car owner Bud Moore. "When he slid down into that race car, he was going to the front. If it was at all possible, he would find a way to get there."