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| Birth Name(s) : Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
Date of Birth: N/A |
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Single
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Athlete |
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Full Dale Earnhardt Jr. Biography
Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (born October 10, 1974), is a professional American race car driver. He is the son of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. He is also the grandson of Ralph Earnhardt. During his career, Earnhardt, Jr. has competed successfully in a number of racing classes and events, is a two-time Busch Series champion (one of 6 people to win back-to-back championships), and was the winner of the 2004 Daytona 500. As of 2000, his primary role is driver of the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS/Impala SS in NASCAR's NEXTEL Cup. Earnhardt, Jr. is also the owner of JR Motorsports, and former co-owner (with stepmother Teresa Earnhardt) of Chance 2 Motorsports.
Dale Jr. did have a part in recreating one Winston Cup milestone in 2000 when he competed with his father and half-brother Kerry in the Pepsi 400. That occasion was only the second time that a father had raced against two sons. Lee, Richard and Maurice Petty had previously accomplished the feat.
The major event of the season occurred in the final corner of the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. As Earnhardt, Jr. finished second, to his teammate Michael Waltrip, his father had crashed in turn four, due to contact with Sterling Marlin, who was in fourth spot at the time. Dale Earnhardt Sr. did not survive the wreck. He was pronounced dead at 8:35 p.m. that Sunday. Junior raced at Rockingham the following weekend, but finished in 43rd-place after a wreck that looked fairly similar to his father's wreck just one week earlier. Earnhardt, Jr. rebounded and scored victories at Dover and Talladega, as well as an emotional win in the return to Daytona, finishing eighth in points for the year.
The Talladega victory earned Junior a Winston No Bull 5 $1 million bonus. This season of emotion produced nine top-fives and 15 top-10 finishes, as well as two Bud Poles.
In 2002, Junior had a roller-coaster season. He struggled after enduring a concussion at Fontana in April — an injury he did not admit to until mid-September. In the three races following Fontana, Earnhardt, Jr. finished no better than 30th. Still, Junior rallied to score two more wins at Talladega, a pair of Bud Pole Awards and an 11th-place finish in the standings.
In 2006, during the spring weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, Junior and other DEI drivers drove with special black paint schemes on their cars, intended to be reminiscent of his late father's famous #3 paint scheme. On Father's Day 2006, Dale Jr. drove a vintage Budweiser car at Michigan International Speedway to honor both his grandfather (Ralph Earnhardt) and father, who at one point in both their careers used the number 8 car. After rain caused the race to be ended early, Dale Jr. finished 3rd with Kasey Kahne winning the race. After 17 races in the 2006 season, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. sat 3rd in the championship standings with one win, coming at Richmond in May 2006.
On August 5, 2007, Dale Jr. earned his first pole position in a race since 2002 at Pocono Raceway. Although Kurt Busch won the race, Earnhardt had a dramatic comeback to finish second after spinning out and experiencing shock troubles. Earnhardt led for eight laps before Busch took over. On August 12 at Watkins Glen International, Dale Jr. was making the push into the Top 12 of the Nextel Cup standings from his #13 position. After being at the #2 position during the race, Jr. had engine problems on lap 64 and had to end his race day. After the Glen, Junior tried furiously to reach the 12th spot in standings. However, a resurgence by Kurt Busch and a blown engine during the final race at Richmond ended his Chase hopes.
On August 15, 2007 it was announced that Dale Earnhardt Jr. would not be taking his familiar #8 with him to Hendrick Motorsports next season. His late grandfather, Ralph Earnhardt, used that number and Earnhardt Jr. picked it when he entered the Cup Series in 1999. Earnhardt's father also used #8 early in his career. Earnhardt Jr. blamed his step-mother for not allowing the #8 to move with him to Hendrick Motorsports. Earnhardt Jr. said negotiations broke down when Teresa Earnhardt asked for part of the licensing revenue, along with wanting the number back after he retired.
Earnhardt Jr. will move to the current #25 car with Tony Eury, Jr. coming to Hendrick to remain as his crew chief. On September 19, the official announcement was made that Earnhardt Jr. would be driving the #88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevy for the 2008 season.
He appeared in the 2006 film Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. He walked up in a crowd and asked Ricky Bobby for his autograph, but told him "don't tell any of the other drivers." |
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