NAME: Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
BIRTHDATE: October 10,1974 |
HOMETOWN: Concord, NC |
RESIDENCE: Mooresville, NC |
HEIGHT: 6'0" |
WEIGHT: 165 LBS |
MARITAL STATUS: single |
FAVORITE CAR: Red Corvette |
FAVORITE ANIMAL: dog |
FAVORITE FOOD: chicken |
FAVORITE BAND: Third Eye Blind, Pearl Jam |
FAVORITE SONG: "A Little Help From My Friends" |
FAVORITE TV SHOW: Seinfeld |
FAVORITE ACTOR: Cuba Gooding Jr. |
FAVORITE ACTRESS: Cameron Diaz |
FAVORITE MOVIE: Castaway |
FAVORITE MODEL: Tyra Banks |
Dale Earnhardt Jr isn't your average driver whom started racing at the age of 4 or 5. Nah, Dale Jr didn't start racing until he was seventeen years old. A far off cry then 4. Truthfully Dale has shown what he's made of and that he has the capability to win and sometime probably soon, winning a WC Championship.
Part of the time Dale Jr. drives the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Inc or know as DEI. However, the rest of the time he is a regular guy and is out partying with his friends.
We must not forget to mention Little E's club house called "Club E". It's a place where he and his friends can get together and party down. Where is this located? Right directly in Jr's basement of his house - which is of course on his dad's property in North Carolina. How do you think Dale Jr was in High School? Any guess? Think he was totally popular? If you say yes, your wrong! He hung out with a small group of friends who pretty much hung tight and pretty much away from the so called "in crowd". To say the least, his popularity status has changed since then and it catches him off guard quite a lot since he doesn't see himself as anyone "special". Although, he does like all the attention he gets from girls.
May would think that since he is the son of Dale "the intimidator" Earnhardt, he would have advantage when pursuing a racing career. It has been just the opposite. Instead of having things handed to him, he would get there by starting at the bottom and proving what he could do all the way to the ranks of the Winston Cup Series. |
Going back a tad here; at the age of 17 Dale Jr began racing in the Street Stock Division at Concord Speedway. Come two seasons later, Jr moved up into the NASCAR Late Model Stock Division where he went on to compete for three seasons. He proved himself worthy and a grand driver by capturing 12 Bud Poles, 3 wins in 113 starts. in the Late Model Stock Division. He showed himself and everyone as well that he was ready to go on to race in the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series - he did in 1996 at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina finishing 14th. He made 8 more starts before going BGN racing full-time posting 1 top 10. The 1998 season saw Dale Jr run his first full Busch Grand National in the DEI owned #3 AC Delco Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Not being eligible for rookie honors, Jr and team chased bigger goals. Jr's first season brought his first BGN championship with 7 wins, 16 top 5's, and 22 top 10's in 31 starts.
As defending champions in 1999, Jr and the #3 AC Delco team set their sights to win consecutive titles. With another great season, Jr won his second championship in as many years with 6 wins, 18 top 5's, and 22 top 10's in 32 starts. Jr also made his official Winston Cup debut in 1999 running 5 races sponsored by Budweiser. The 2001 season started with the tragic death of Jr's legendary father at the Daytona 500. Doing as his dad would have wanted, Jr continued racing. At the end of a season so filled with emotion, Jr was 8th in points with 3 wins, 9 top 5's, and 15 top 10's in 36 starts. Thought to be a title contender in 2002, Jr started the season strong. A crash at California left Jr with a concussion resulting in a string of subpar finishes during the middle portion of the season. Getting back in stride for the late season, his finishes became stronger and more consistant. Jr's final tally was an 11th in points with 2 wins, 11 top 5's, and 16 top 10's in 36 starts
Earnhardt Jr is a force that should not be reckoned with on the racetrack and sure enough, he has proven that he has what it takes to be a winner. Despite his father is a 7 time Winston Cup Champion, Jr has done 2 times more what his father has ever done, one being that Dale Jr won the Busch title. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a driver that knows what it takes to win, not to mention run up front with the vets. From what he shows on the track, there is no doubt that in time he will for sure win a Winston Cup Champion. Maybe not as many as his father, but it doesn't hurt to try!! |
2-time NASCAR Busch Grand National Champion:1998, 1999 |
15 career wins |
BGN, 1998-7 wins-Texas, Dover, Milwaukee, California, Indianapolis, Richmond, St. Louis |
BGN, 1999-6 wins-Dover, South Boston, Watkins Glen, St. Louis, Michigan, Richmond |
seven career wins |
six career poles |
1st rookie to win The Winston, 5/20/00 |
1st Winston Cup Start-May 30, 1999 at Lowe's Motor Speedway |
1st Winston Cup Pole-May 24, 2000 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in 17th start |
1st Winston Cup Win-April 2, 2000 at Texas Motor Speedway in 12th start |
2000-2 wins-Texas, Richmond |
2001-3 wins-Daytona, Dover, Talladega |
2002-2 wins-Talladega(2) |
started professional driving career at 17 years old |
won 3 races and 12 poles in 3 years in NASCAR Winston Racing Series' Late Model Stock Division |
1998 EMPA Driver of the Year |
1998 Al Holbert Jr Memorial Award(driver of the year) |
first 3rd generation champion in NASCAR history(Ralph, Dale, Dale Jr) |