LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Dale Earnhardt: Dale Earnhardt Jr
built 151 days ago
In 2004, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won the Daytona 500, six years to the day after his father won his only title in the "Great American Race." On July 18, during on off-weekend from NASCAR, Dale Jr. crashed a Chevrolet Corvette C5-R during a practice for the American Le Mans Series Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway. The car slid off course and hit a concrete barrier during warm-up the day of the race, rupturing a fuel line and causing the car to burst into flames with Earnhardt, Jr. still inside. He suffered second and third degree burns on his neck, chin, and legs partially due to not wearing a protective balaclava with his helmet. The burns prevented him from finishing two races where he was replaced by Martin Truex Jr. and his DEI teammate John Andretti in the middle of the races. In the fall, Junior became the first driver to sweep a weekend at Bristol by winning both the Busch race and Cup race in the same weekend.
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Dale Jr. is Beautiful: Dale Earnhardt Jr., current Nextel Cup points leader, will appear on newsstands this week as one of People Magazine's [need sub to view] "Most Beautiful People." Earnhardt is pictured leaning against his Budweiser race car and is among the elite "most beautiful" list that includes Jennifer Aniston, Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees and Andre 3000 of the hip-hop group OutKast.(Delaware News Journal)(4-29-2004)
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Tragedy would strike in 2001 when Dale Earnhardt was killed in a crash on the last turn of the last lap of the Daytona 500. At the time of the crash, Earnhardt was running third while Michael Waltrip and Dale Jr. were running first and second in cars owned by Earnhardt. Earnhardt was attempting to hold up traffic when he was tapped by Sterling Marlin, collided with Ken Shrader and went headfirst into the wall in turn four. He died instantly. In a sad coincidence, Earnhardt died in the same turn as Neil Bonnett, his close friend who died during practice for the 1994 Daytona 500.
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On April 27th, 2006, Dale Earnhardt was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. A limited edition Action / Motorsports Authentics Hall of Fame diecast will be produced to commemorate this special event. This piece would look great next to the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Talladega Black Tribute diecast. Both the Dale Earnhardt and the Dale Earnhardt Jr are due to begin shipping in August. Also available and in stock, the official Hall of Fame Tee shown below.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a stock car driver and son of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. The younger Earnhardt was twice champion of the Busch Racing Series, then moved up to the Winston Cup circuit for his first full season on in 2000. He had two Winston Cup victories that year, including his first at the Coca Cola 600 in April. Earnhardt finished second in the 2001 Daytona 500, the race in which his father was killed. Three years later, Earnhardt took the checkered flag to win the 2004 running of the Daytona 500. Dale, Jr. became one of the most popular NASCAR drivers, and he stayed that way despite rocky seasons in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
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On August 15, 2007 it was announced that Dale Earnhardt Jr. would not be taking his familiar #8 with him to Hendrick Motorsports in 2008. His late grandfather, Ralph Earnhardt, used that number and Earnhardt Jr. picked it when he entered the Cup Series in 1999. Earnhardt's father ... used #8 early in his career. Earnhardt Jr. blamed his stepmother 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. [7]
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Dale Earnhardt Jr