US racing category nominee #2: Dale Earnhardt Sr
Long shadow of the man in black
Vol 87 No. 2 – February 2011
He raced hard, reaped the rewards and divided opinion. Even 10 years after his death Dale Earnhardt’s influence is still being felt in NASCAR
It happened 10 years ago on the last lap of NASCAR’s traditional season-opening Daytona 500. Everyone was jammed together in a massive pack, feet flat on the throttle in typical restrictor-plate racing style. Running third with no real hope of winning, seven-times champion Dale Earnhardt appeared to lay back to protect the two leaders, Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr, from the juggernaut of cars immediately behind. Waltrip and Junior were driving Dale Sr’s cars and it was as if the old man had decided that if he couldn’t win, he was going to make damn sure his cars and drivers finished 1-2.
Sponsored
Hendrick Motorsports and McLaren will team up in 2024 to back Kyle Larson's attempt at The Double — racing the Indy 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 on the same day
Jenson Button predicted "something very special" at Le Mans from him and illustrious team-mates Jimmie Johnson and Mike Rockenfeller, who have been unveiled as the drivers for a NASCAR Chevrolet Camaro entry at this year's 24-hour race
Get set for chaos – reigning NASCAR Xfinity champion Daniel Hemric explains what makes Talladega the pure adrenaline shot it is
Extra-heavy impacts, cars catching fire and high-speed punctures are causing leading NASCAR drivers to increasingly voice safety concerns