Today is Dale Earnhardt Day
A celebration is under way today at Dale Earnhardt, Incorporated in Mooresville, North Carolina. This is the ninth annual Dale Earnhardt Day. Dale would be 59 today.
Dale Jr, Kelley, Kerry, Taylor and Teresa Earnhardt will be on hand for the ceremonies.
Richard Childress, Dale Earnhardt Jr and Teresa Earnhardt are going to unveil a special No. 3 Chevrolet that Dale Jr will drive at Daytona.
Also set to make its debut is a Dale Earnhardt Hall of Fame Chevy Camaro.
I hope you’ll join me in saying Happy Birthday Dale!

The Nancy Pelosi Secret to Winning in NASCAR
Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus have mastered the art of psychological gamesmanship. They are experts at getting inside the hearts and minds of their opponents.
Drivers are more concerned about beating Jimmie Johnson than they are about making their own cars faster.
Johnson enjoys the games. “I get caught up in that mind game stuff and find a lot of satisfaction in it,†Jimmie Johnson said. “I told Chad before the year was over I want to win a lot to frustrate the competitors.
Kurt Busch is concerned
Just look at Kurt Busch’s remarks after losing at Bristol despite dominating the race and leading 278 laps.
“I don’t know, I’d rather lose to any of the 41 cars out there than the 48 car,†Busch said
“It’s up to the best of us to knock him off the top,†Busch said after losing to Johnson in the closing laps of Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol. “So it’s rough. You know, they’ve won three times this year. Not that we need to, deserve to win, it’s just that they are winning every chance they’re given. We just need to position ourselves more to get those wins.â€
Matt Kenseth is worried about Johnson, too. During the spoiler test this week at Charlotte Motor Speedway Kenseth was asked about the upcoming race at Martinsville and Johnson’s winning record there. “He’s good everywhere,†said Kenseth.
What drivers can learn from Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi knows how to play mind games all too well. She called President George Bush a “total failure†when Bush criticized Congress’s inaction on important legislation.
“God bless him, bless his heart, President of the United States — a total failure, losing all credibility with the American people,†said Pelosi.
When Barack Obama was pushing for passage of his Obama Care plan Pelosi urged her colleagues to vote for it. “But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it’†urged Pelosi.
There are a few NASCAR drivers who can stand to learn a thing or two about mind games from Pelosi.
Chad Knaus does the same thing to other crew chiefs. He’s been known to walk through the garage on the morning of the race with a rear spring over his shoulder headed to the race car – but never intending to change a thing on the car.
He just wants to get the other crew chiefs talking – to throw them off their game.
When the No. 48 team was invited to participate in a Goodyear tire test late last year many drivers including Greg Biffle were complaining that Johnson was gaining an unfair advantage. Here’s how Chad Knaus responded to that:
“But as far as sending a message, I hope it does. I hope people talk about it. Like I said earlier, I hope people are worried. I hope people are talking about the fact that we tire tested and it’s wrong. All these people can get wound up about stuff that really doesn’t matter,” said Knaus.
Dale Earnhardt was the master
I haven’t seen anyone this good at psychological racing since Dale Earnhardt. He wasn’t known as The Intimidator just for what happened on the race track.
Once at Talladega when all the other drivers were busy dialing their cars in during practice Dale shook things up with a very simple move. He parked his car in the garage, covered it up, and went fishing.
Dale Earnhardt won 10 Cup races at Talladega.
Earnhardt once struck fear into the hearts of his fellow drivers when he made his famous comment about drivers complaining about the high speeds at Daytona. Essentially, he told them if they were afraid to drive the car they should go home.
So who else in NASCAR is good at psyching out their competitors? What tactics have you seen played out by drivers? I’d be happy to hear about it in the comments, or feel free to contact me.
Dale Earnhardt Shooting Star
9 Years Ago We Lost Dale Earnhardt
Please share your thoughts about Dale.
What if Dale Earnhardt Did Not Drive for Richard Childress?
What if Dale Earnhardt had Driven for Junior Johnson Instead of Richard Childress?
Rick Houston over at NASCAR.com asks Richard Childress a very important question.
How would Richard Childress Racing have turned out if Dale Earnhardt had raced for Junior Johnson instead of Childress?
“You’ll never know,†said Childress.†Dale was a huge player.â€
The article details how Junior Johnson had a deal with Earnhardt, and how Dale nearly went to drive for Johnson before sponsor conflicts came to a head.
Junior Johnson surely regrets the deal he brokered to send Earnhardt to the No. 3 car instead of a Junior Johnson car.
So do the sponsors who refused to back Earnhardt as his career was getting started.
Richard Childress would not have 6 NASCAR Championships without Dale Earnhardt.
But that street goes both ways. Earnhardt and Childress had a chemistry that would have never existed between Dale Earnhardt and Junior Johnson.
Dale Earnhardt would never have 7 NASCAR Championships without Richard Childress.
Dale Earnhardt Original Winning Car
Authentic Dale Earnhardt Race Winning Car to be Sold
You see a lot of cars like this that were show cars or replicas – but this one is the real deal. The car is for sale on eBay.
It comes with documentation showing that the car was built by Richard Childress Racing and raced by Dale Earnhardt.
It’s a 1990 Chevy Lumina that Dale won the Atlanta 500 in. The car was named Iron Head by Earnhardt’s crew. If you look closely you will see where the crew engraved the name Iron Head.
Dale Earnhardt’s First RCR Win
Dale Earnhardt’s First Win in the No. 3
Dale Earnhardt was happy to run 2nd in the Talladega 500 – at least up until turn 3 on the White Flag Lap.
Earnhardt’s right foot must have been through the floorboard on that final lap, because he passed Terry Labonte like he was standing still. Dale had the pedal to the metal.
Watch Dale Earnhardt win his first race for Richard Childress. Dale drove the No. 3 to Victory lane for the first time in the 1984 Talladega 500.
Talladega was not one of Earnhardt’s best race tracks. He only won there 10 times in 44 starts.
Earnhardt had 23 top 5 finishes and 3 poles at the 2.66 mile Alabama track.
Earnhardt Talladega Win Impossible
Earnhardt Talladega Win Impossible
If you are running 17th at Talladega with 5 laps to go you are not going to win. It’s impossible. You might as well park the race car. You ain’t gonna win. Nobody is that good.
Unless your name is Earnhardt.
This was Dale Earnhardt’s last win.
As I stood there watching the final few laps unfold I remember thinking that Dale’s not gonna win this one, even though he had always been so strong at Talladega.
Then with 4 laps to go the No. 3 was a little closer to the front.
With 3 laps to go Dale was closer still.
When the white flag flew Dale was in the lead.
How is that possible?
Black Number 3 Returning to NASCAR
Richard Childress Bringing Back the Black No. 3
A black No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet will race in NASCAR this weekend for the first time since Dale Earnhardt ran his last Daytona 500 in 2001.
Austin Dillon – Grandson of Richard Childress – will drive a black No. 3 Chevy Truck in Saturday’s Camping World Truck Series race at Iowa Speedway.
If Dillon’s career takes him to the Sprint Cup Series I fully expect him to be behind the wheel of the No. 3 car then, too.
Some Earnhardt fans will be unhappy about this decision — but the No. 3 was Richard Childress’ number before it was Dale Earnhardt’s.
Childress had 285 NASCAR starts before he stepped out of the No. 3 car and put Earnhardt behind the wheel. But it took Earnhardt to drive the car to 6 championships.
Are you happy to see the No. 3 back on the track even though someone whose last name is not Earnhardt is behind the wheel of it?
Dale Earnhardt Video
Toby Keith’s “Last Ride” — A Tribute to Dale Earnhardt
Here’s Toby Keith’s tribute song to Dale Earnhardt titled Last Ride — set to a video. Enjoy.
Dale Earnhardt with Dale Jr Video
Interview with Dale Earnhardt and Dale Jr
Do you want to get an inside look at Dale Earnhardt Jr’s relationship with his Father? If so you have to watch this video.
You can listen to Dale Earnhardt say “People come up to me and say you’re Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Dad? Pretty cool.”
Dale Earnhardt also talks about what he hoped to see in his Son — and DEI — in the future “All I hope is you do well enough when I retire from driving I can be a nice comfortable car owner with a winning driver,” said the elder Earnhardt. Too bad it didn’t work out that way.
The two Earnhardts also debate who is the better driver.
“When I was his age I was a lot better than he is now,” The Intimidator said.
But Junior would not hear of that. “I think it’s the other way around – I think I”m a little better than he was at 23,” said Dale Jr.
Dale tried to give his Son some advice in a round about way that Junior might listen to it.
“I remember my dad telling me the dos and don’ts of life,” Dale Earnhardt Sr. said. “You never believe what your dad says, and it always came true.”
“I sorta let him learn it on his own and help it when it needs help. Hopefully we can keep the driver going in the right direction and everything will work well.”
Watch this video and let us know what you think.