23 Years After the Passing of Dale Earnhardt, Relive the Best Moments From His Illustrious Career

Dale Earnhardt stands in the NASCAR Hall of Fame with a string of amazing moments in racing history. He has a series of nicknames befitting his aggressive, no-nonsense attitude on the racetrack. These are ‘The Intimidator’, ‘The Man in Black’, and ‘Ironhead’. The powerful ring to these names is only the tip of the iceberg. They give you a hint about all the marvelous moments in which he snagged a win when the odds were against him.

It is the most memorable day in American stock car racing, with the Daytona 500 set to begin shortly. It is also the anniversary of Earnhardt’s tragic death on the Daytona International Speedway in 2001. Although Earnhardt breathed his last that year, three years before that, he had been the star of the show at the 1998 Daytona race. His sheer confidence at the wheel pulled crowds and fellow racers into awe of his magical potential.

Dale Earnhardt has immortalized a few NASCAR races

NASCAR legends sit in the Hall of Fame for a reason. They keep inspiring generations of drivers, decades after they saw the light of day at a race. Dale Earnhardt is one of them, proudly living in the hearts of many people, racers, and enthusiasts alike. He created a series of memories in stock car racing that strike a chord even today.

The most noteworthy memory was in 1998, which proved to be Earnhardt’s massive breakthrough year. He had won a total of 76 Winston Cup races over 40 years. But he had never brought home the Harley J. Earl trophy until 1998. 

After a 20-year winless streak, he finally entered Victory Lane at the Daytona 500 race. He led 107 of the 200 laps, including the final 61. He hilariously celebrated his achievement: “Finally got that monkey off my back!” To make the moment immortal, crew members from every team lined up to congratulate Earnhardt.

Secondly comes Dale Earnhardt’s remarkable dash from middle to first place at Talladega Superspeedway in 2000. In the final four laps of the race, Earnhardt maneuvered his way from the 18th position to the first, leaving people flabbergasted. He overtook Joe Nemechek and Kenny Wallace in the final lap.

Kenny Wallace recalled the thrill of the race and saluted Earnhardt’s superb driving. “SOOOO BAD A**. It’s the 250 thousand people in the stands screaming that do it for me.” Earnhardt was known for grabbing titles with the odds stacked against him. Sometimes he grew aggressive to get what he wanted.

Rightly called “The Intimidator”

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The last two Dale Earnhardt moments to be discussed today are not for the faint-hearted. On August 28th, 1999, Earnhardt bared his teeth to Terry Labonte at Bristol Motor Speedway. In the final lap, Labonte overtook Earnhardt. But ‘The Intimidator’ was not in the mood to lose. He banged fenders with Labonte, which sent the latter spiraling out of control and crashing into cars at the back.

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Lastly is the famous ‘pass on the grass’ moment at the 1987 Winston All-Star Race. With just a few laps remaining, leading car Bill Elliott shoved Earnhardt into the grass. But Earnhardt rolled back onto the asphalt in no time, overtaking Elliott and winning the $200,000-to-win exhibition. 

Ross Chastain, not even born at the time, said: “It’s one of those moments that’s unscripted and has withstood the test of time. If I see a clip of it online, I’m going to sit and watch it.”

Chris Buescher also marveled at Earnhardt’s skill. “At that speed in those cars and as out of control as they were, to hold it together and run through there was a massive feat,” he said. “We all knew that Dale had car control, and this was one of those big moments that highlighted it. Dale Earnhardt lives eternally in every NASCAR motorhead’s heart.

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