| Proficient race car driver, Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Junior, was born on October 10, 1974. Being the son of National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) racing exponent, Dale Earnhardt Sr., he had been exposed to the sport at a young age and turned professional at just 17 years of age, taking part in the Street Stock division at the Concord (N.C.) Motorsport Park. When Dale Jr. won the Busch Series title, he became the first third-generation NASCAR champion, after his father and grand-father. His maternal grand-father too was a racing aficionado, and was a respected NASCAR mechanic.
In 2002, Dale suffered a concussion in a race in Fontana, but later overcame this injury to win third place at Phoenix in October, 2003, resulting in his receiving the NMPA Most Popular Driver award. In 2004, he won the Daytona 500, followed by victories in both the Busch race and the Cup race. 2005 saw Dale notch six more wins and another championship. In 2006, he has been selected as a driver for the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS in NASCAR's NEXTEL Cup. His company, JR Motorsports, owns a racing team, which is also showing exemplary performance.
Dale Jr. has appeared in advertisements for companies such as Wrangler, Gillette, and Nextel. He has also graced the covers of numerous magazine, including Sports Illustrated, TV Guide, People magazine, and Men’s Health. He has been voted into the Forbes’ ‘Top 100 Celebrities’ listing, People’s ’50 Most Eligible Bachelors’ in 2002, Sports Illustrated’s ‘Favorite Driver’ in 2003, and People Magazine’s ’50 Most Beautiful People’ in 2004. Dale has also been seen in many music videos and television talk shows. He had a small role in the television series, ‘Yes Dear’, and has lent his voice to his own car in the Disney-Pixar animated film, ‘Cars’. In 2002, Dale’s literary talents were tapped, when he wrote a book about his rookie year in the racing fraternity, ‘Driver #8’, which went on to become a best seller. |
