Dale Earnhardt Jr.
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[edit] Biography
Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. was born October 10, 1974 in Kannapolis, N.C. and is the son of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. He is the half-brother of Kerry Earnhardt and the brother of his business manager, Kelly Earnhardt-Elledge. Earnhardt Jr. began racing when he was 17, competing in the Street Stock division at Concord Motorsport Park. After two years, he moved up to the Late Model Stock Car division.
Eventually, Earnhardt Jr. graduated to the NASCAR Busch Series through his father's team, Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Earnhardt Jr. ran nine races in 1996 and 1997 before taking back-to-back championships in 1998 and 1999 over Matt Kenseth who would be his friendly rival in the Cup Series and beat him out for Raybestos Rookie of the year.
Earnhardt Jr. made his Winston Cup debut for DEI in the 1999 Coca-Cola 600 and won his first Cup race in 2000, his rookie season, at Texas Motor Speedway. Earnhardt Jr. went on to win Rookie of the Year honors that year.
2001 proved difficult for Earnhardt Jr., as he managed to finish eighth in the point standings and gather three wins. But he struggled on and off the track, dealing with the tragic passing of his father on the last lap of the Daytona 500. Earnhardt Jr. was running second behind new teammate Michael Waltrip when his father' wreck occurred in Turn 4.
Earnhardt Jr. went on to win the next race at Daytona, the pepsi 400, dedicating the win to his father.
In 2002, Earnhardt Jr. suffered a concussion following a wreck at California Speedway, hindering his performance and seeing him finish 11th in the point standings. But in 2003, Earnhardt Jr. won his fourth consecutive Talladega race and at Phoenix en route to finishing third in the point standings, a career best.
2004 saw Earnhardt Jr. win his first Daytona 500, six years to the day after his late father won the Great American Race. Later that year, though, Earnhardt Jr. wrecked his Corvette while practicing for the American Le Mans Series Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway. The car burst into flames and Earnhardt Jr. suffered second- and third-degree burns on his neck, chin and legs. The fire affected his performance for the rest of the season, qualifying for the first-ever Chase for the Nextel Cup and finishing fifth in the standings and winning a career-high six races.
In 2005, Earnhardt Jr. and Waltrip swapped pit crews, resulting in a struggle for both teams. Earnhardt missed the Chase for the Cup and managed just one win, at Chicagoland on a fuel mileage gamble.
Crew chief and cousin Tony Eury Jr. reunited with Earnhardt Jr. prior to the 2006 season. Earnhardt Jr. again won just one race -- Richmond in May -- but he qualified for the Chase for the Cup, finishing fifth behind champion Jimmie Johnson.
Earnhardt Jr. had a winless 2007 season where he announced he would be leaving the company owned by the elder Earnhardt and he would go to Hendrick Motorsports. He finished 16th in the final points.
In 2008, Earnhardt Jr. started the season off great winning the Budweiser Shootout event and he finished second at California have so far been his best finishes.
[edit] Career Highlights:
- Won the 1998 and 1999 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series titles.
- Won his first Nextel Cup race in 2000 at Texas Motor Speedway.
- Won the 2000 Winston all-star race at Lowes Motor Speedway in Charlotte.
- Took home Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors in 2000.
- Won the first race after 9/11 at Dover International Speedway in 2001.
- Won four consecutive races at Talladega from 2002 to 2003, tying his late father's record.
- Finished a career-best third in the Winston Cup point standings, winning three races.
- Won the 2004 Daytona 500, in just his sixth career start.
- Won a career-high six races in 2004, finishing fifth in the Nextel Cup points standings.
- Has won four consecutive NASCAR Most Popular Driver awards.
[edit] Statistics
[edit] NASCAR Record
| Season | Team Name | No. | Races | Poles | Wins | Final Placing |
| 1999 | DEI | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 48th |
| 2000 | DEI | 8 | 34 | 2 | 2 | 16th |
| 2001 | DEI | 8 | 36 | 2 | 3 | 8th |
| 2002 | DEI | 88 | 36 | 2 | 2 | 11th |
| 2003 | DEI | 8 | 36 | 0 | 2 | 3rd |
| 2004 | DEI | 8 | 36 | 0 | 6 | 5th |
| 2005 | DEI | 8 | 36 | 0 | 1 | 19th |
| 2006 | DEI | 8 | 36 | 0 | 1 | 5th |
| 2007 | DEI | 8 | 36 | 1 | 0 | 16th |
| 2008 | Hendrick | 88 | 11 | 1 | 0 | |
| TOTAL | 302 | 8 | 17 |
[edit] Video Gallery
[edit] Picture Gallery
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