Dale Earnhardt

Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. was an American professional stock car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series, most notably driving the No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. The third child of racing driver Ralph Earnhardt and Martha Earnhardt, he began his career in 1975 in the World 600. Earnhardt won a total of 76 Winston Cup races over the course of his 4 decade career, including four Winston 500s and the 1998 Daytona 500. He also earned seven Winston Cup championships, a record held with Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson. His aggressive driving style earned him the nicknames "The Intimidator", "The Man in Black", and "Ironhead", while his success at the restrictor plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway also earned him the nickname, "Mr. Restrictor Plate". He is regarded as one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history.