TEC | News Articles

Earnhardt gets the last laugh_11/16
They said he was finished -- that seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt had lost what it takes to be competitive behind the wheel. They were saying "The Intimidator" was all washed up. Full Story.

Dale Earnhardt loves watching Kerry, Dale Jr. succeed at track

Inconsistency plagues Earnhardt down stretch_11/13

Dale Earnhardt's first legitimate run at the NASCAR Winston Cup Series title in five years is officially over, but not before the seven-time champion posted an impressive return to power in NASCAR 2000.

Earnhardt, who after three subpar seasons was left for the retirement heap by some critics, resurfaced at the top of the points chart this year, the result of his most consistent season since 1995. He won twice and posted 12 top-5s. Only Dale Jarrett, Tony Stewart and 2000 champion Bobby Labonte equaled his 23 top-10s. One more, and he'll equal the 1995 total.

Even so, it was a lack of consistency down the stretch that ultimately eliminated Earnhardt from championship contention. Full Story.

Neil Bonnett: A Winner_10/28
It’s truly fitting that Neil Bonnett, the last driver to win a NASCAR Grand National Series event in a Dodge will be inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in April 2001 - the year in which Dodge will make its return to the modern-era's NASCAR Winston Cup Series. In a sense, Bonnett will officially return 'home' - to Alabama. Legions of visiting stockcar fans will learn about his stellar career, and his days as a member of The Alabama Gang. Full Story.

Three races left -- It's down to Labonte & Earnhardt_10/27
The NASCAR Winston Cup Series takes a much needed week off. With three races left in the season (Phoenix, Miami and Atlanta) the championship fight has boiled down to two people-Interstate Batteries Pontiac driver Bobby Labonte and the venerable Goodwrench Chevrolet driver Dale Earnhardt. Full Story.

Big E: All About Money

Earnhardt's Hopes Slip Sliding Away

Childress living his dream, setting standards_10/20
If you had to go to war, Richard Childress is a man you would want to have by your side. And by many accounts, competing in the uppermost regions of NASCAR racing in 2000 is akin to armed conflict. Full Story.

Earnhardt & Dale Jr. to race Corvette_10/17
For one of the few times this year, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s youth overcame his normally calm, confident demeanor Tuesday morning.

Standing on the dais while his father addressed the press gathering, Dale Jr. shuffled his feet and kept gazing longingly off to his right, waiting for his father to hurry up so he could go play with his new toy.

In this case the ‘toy’ was a gleaming Chevrolet Corvette C5-R, and ‘playtime’ would come next year as seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt and 1999 Busch Series champ Dale Jr. announced that they would join veteran road-racer Andy Pilgrim on the works Corvette team for next season’s Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona. Full Story.

Earnhardt crunching some pointed numbers

GM Goodwrench Service team staying focused_10/4
Charlotte's fall event has played a big part in Dale Earnhardt and Richard Childress' Championship chases over the years. And with six events remaining on the schedule, they must gain 35.5 points on the leader in each of the remaining events. Full Story.

Help needed_10/3
The field of potential champions is narrowing with each passing Sunday. For weeks, the real race has been for second. Dale Jarrett, Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt have swapped the position on a regular basis, gradually allowing the gap to widen among themselves and Bobby Labonte, who is in charge of the title run. Full Story.

Earnhardt makes a play for his 8th title_10/3
Dale Earnhardt came into the NAPA AutoCare 500 weekend at Martinsville Speedway trailing NASCAR Winston Cup Series point leader Bobby Labonte by 249 points and needing to knock 36 points a week off Labonte's lead to earn his eighth series title. Full Story.

Burton passes on passing Earnhardt after late contact

Trio keeping Labonte in title sights

Earnhardt Relying on Experience in the Final Seven_9/28
With seven races remaining the GM Goodwrench Service Plus team and Dale Earnhardt know the time is now: to make up almost 250 points to lead the NASCAR Winston Cup series point standings. That's something Earnhardt knows all too well having won Seven NASCAR Championships, no one knows how to win a championship better than Dale Earnhardt and Richard Childress. Full Story.

Earnhardt to hunt on TNN's Realtree Outdoors_9/11
Bill Jord

an's Realtree Outdoors kicks off the month of November when host and legendary hunter Bill Jordan takes racing buddies Dale Earnhardt and Dave Marcis, both avid hunters and fishermen, deer hunting Sunday, Nov. 5. The half-hour show airs on TNN at 7 p.m. ET/PT and re-airs at 1 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 6.

Jordan guides and demonstrates how to improve the odds of hunting as he, Earnhardt and Marcis pursue deer on the Timmins Ranch near Brownwood, Texas. Marcis takes his first buck, while both Earnhardt and Jordan each take good deer.

Earnhardt, one of the most successful drivers in NASCAR history, is a seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion who won the 1998 Daytona 500, ending 20 years of frustration in Stock car racing's biggest event. Marcis, the driver and owner of the No. 71 Team Realtree Chevrolet, expresses interest in running a fishing resort when his driving days are over.

Earnhardt replaces Labonte on starts list_8/30
Now that Terry Labonte's string of 655 consecutive starts has come to an end, the man with the longest current run is Earnhardt with 636. Earnhardt has not failed to start a race since the 1979 Southern 500. He missed that race, still recuperating from breaking both collarbones in a crash a month earlier in Pocono. Earnhardt, the top rookie in the series that year, returned in time for the race in Richmond, a week after Darlington. He finished fourth to get his consecutive start streak off to a good start.

Earnhardt is determined to win eighth points title_7/13
The fire is back in Dale Earnhardt's eyes, and Bobby Labonte is the driver who is feeling the heat from that fiery stare in his rear-view mirror. Full Story.

Dale Earnhardt reflects on first half of season_7/4
Earnhardt talks about Sunday’s race at New Hampshire, NASCAR’s proposed common templates, running for a record eighth title, his team and why he has seven straight top-10 finishes and leads the circuit with 14 top 10s in 17 starts this season. Full Story.

Earnhardt still alive and kicking_7/6
It's darn near inconceivable, really, that Dale Earnhardt is racing for his eighth Winston Cup championship this season. Eight titles? In this day and age? No way. Yet here he is, trailing Bobby Labonte by 52 points as the second half of the season begins this weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway for the New Hampshire 300. Full Story.

Aging Earnhardt still racing like a kid_7/6
Dale Earnhardt always seemed more like "The Godfather" rather than a grandfather. Sure, the 49-year-old Earnhardt already has two grandchildren and another one on the way. And perhaps his best days behind the wheel of a race car are behind him. Full Story.

At 49, Earnhardt puts the trottle to critics about him aging_7/4
He is 49 years old and hates it that he cannot quite get his gut to disappear. Otherwise, Dale Earnhardt is as happy as he could possibly be. He will almost admit to having fun. Almost. Full Story.

The Intimidator is intimidating again_6/22

Dale Earnhardt was supposed to be getting old, mellowing out, becoming an elder statesman of stock car racing. He was supposed to be nurturing the careers of the drivers on his team, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Park. Instead, The Intimidator is having a great season of his own, making old look young. And mellowing-out drivers rarely make obscene gestures as he did after being tapped on the final lap and losing to Jeremy Mayfield on Monday in the Pocono 500. Full Story.

Links:

Earnhardt Message Board

Earnhardt "May Field" a Points Leader In Pepsi 400

Are Mayfield, Earnhardt due for a rematch?

Intimidator beaten at his own game

Earnhardt: I got beat

Article: Earnhardts tower over NASCAR

Don't look now: Earnhardt's second_6/11

Dale Earnhardt tends to loom even larger in the rear view mirror of a competitor's psyche than he already is. What he is right now is 98 points behind current leader Bobby Labonte, with no other drivers left between him and his unprecedented eighth NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship. This after finishing second in Sunday's Kmart 400 at Michigan Speedway. Full Story.

Article: The Intimidator is Back

Earnhardt erasing gap_6/8
Look who's back within shooting distance of the Winston Cup points lead: Dale Earnhardt. Not the hard-driving new fad with "Jr." in his autograph and a rock nightspot called "Club E" in his basement. We`re talking the original. The seven-time Winston Cup champion who, at age 49, hasn`t won the title since 1994 and had largely been written off -- including here -- as over the hill. Full Story.

2000 News Archive

11/19/00 - Waltrip honored by championship panel - Darrell Waltrip's last Winston Cup Series championship party was thought to have been in 1985. That was before six champions assembled Sunday at AMS to honor one of NASCAR's greatest ambassadors.

11/17/00 - Earnhardt starts closer to his goal - Dale Earnhardt is not known as a strong qualifier, but with second-place on the line in the final points standings -- he can be.

11/15/00 - Earnhardt gets the last laugh - They said he was finished -- that seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt had lost what it takes to be competitive behind the wheel. They were saying "The Intimidator" was all washed up.

10/17/00 - Earnhardt & Dale Jr. to race Corvette in Rolex 24 - Earnhardt and Dale Jr. announced that they would join veteran road-racer Andy Pilgrim on the works Corvette team for next season’s Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona.

10/3/00 - GM Goodwrench Service Plus team staying focused - Charlotte's fall event has played a big part in Dale Earnhardt and Richard Childress' Championship chases over the years.

10/3/00 - Help needed -- Earnhardt, Burton know race pretty much out of their hands - The field of potential champions is narrowing with each passing Sunday.

9/20/00 - Earnhardt, Burton have put themselves in the center of another NASCAR feud - Earnhardt has thrown some verbal jabs at Burton and other drivers for pushing safety issues so hard, and Burton has had some pointed retorts.

9/15/00 - History shows title chase far from over - There's something very interesting about returning to the New Hampshire International Speedway this weekend. Here's the first thing: Bobby Labonte has the biggest point lead of the 2000 Winston Cup season -- 158 points.

9/13/00 - Waltrip will be third DEI driver - Michael Waltrip will be named to drive for a third Dale Earnhardt Inc.-owned Winston Cup team at a news conference Wednesday.

9/10/00 - The Intimidator moves into striking position - Heading into the stretch run of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series schedule, point leader Bobby Labonte looks in his rearview mirror and sees it filled with visions of The Intimidator.

9/6/00 - Times have changed, not Earnhardt's drive - At an age when others are retired or thinking the time is near, Earnhardt's still running hard and deep into corners. There's just a business ledger or a pending contract on the seat next to him.

9/2/00 - It's not over, Earnhardt says - Why, after all he has accomplished in his remarkable career, is winning at eighth Winston Cup championship so important to Dale Earnhardt?

8/27/00 - Pursuers gaining on Labonte in points chase - With 11 races left on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series calendar, all indications are that a tight points battle is on the horizon.

8/16/00 - Drivers have a lot on plate - NASCAR officials and competitors seemed pleased with the results of Tuesday's Winston Cup aerodynamic test at Daytona International Speedway.

8/15/00 - Intimidator intimidates Park - Wonder why Steve Park didn't launch into one of those wild, festive, tire-smoking celebrations after winning his first NASCAR Winston Cup Series race? It turns out he was under the influence of The Intimidator.

8/15/00 - Three E's Race Mich. - Dale Earnhardt hopes for the first time in his racing history, to be racing with his two sons, Dale, Jr. and Kerry, who will attempt to make his first Winston Cup debut this Friday in Michigan.

8/15/00 - Dale Earnhardt Towers over Daytona - With his record 34 victories, some claim Dale Earnhardt owns Daytona International Speedway. Now, Earnhardt’s name will adorn the new tower seats being constructed at the “World Center of Racing.”

8/15/00 - At Daytona, horsepower vs. aero debate continues - After about 6 1/2 hours of testing Tuesday at Daytona, a brain trust comprised of NASCAR officials, team owners, crew chiefs, engineers and drivers will assemble their thoughts and hard data and determine a future course of action at the NASCAR Winston Cup Series' "restrictor plate tracks."

8/14/00 - Park does Earnhardt proud - With his victory @ The Glen, Steve Park has accomplished something his boss, Dale Earnhardt, has never done. Earnhardt, owner of Park's Chevrolet, has never won a Winston Cup race at Watkins Glen International.

8/13/00 - 'Dirty air test' makes its way Tuesday to DIS - How important is this week's NASCAR test at Daytona? Here's how important: Even Dale Earnhardt is showing up!

8/11/00 - Earnhardt becoming 'The Invigorator' - On the race track, he can be "The Intimidator." Off the track, Dale Earnhardt often is "The Invigorator."

6/14/00 - 'Intimidator,' Gordon go through career role reversal - One driver is a superstar on the rise, climbing toward the top of the standings and the peak of his profession. The other is a former Winston Cup champion, but he has lost his magic and is struggling with his crew chief. Now the roles are reversed.

6/10/00 - For Earnhardt, racing is fun again - Dale Earnhardt is having fun? If anything, that spells trouble for his competitors in the Winston Cup series.

6/8/00 - Earnhardt: Man in Black is Back - Many began to question -- coming up quickly on his 50th birthday -- whether or not Earnhardt could still run up front. He still can.

6/8/00 - Hamlin no Brooklyn dodger - Michigan native Kevin Hamlin looks forward to his regular twice-a-year trek to Brooklyn, Michigan.

6/7/00 - Richard's boys keep rolling - Two years ago, Richard Childress had a driver who was on his way out, and one who didn't seem to be on his way anywhere.

5/22/00 - Earnhardt family had a special day - Make no doubt about it, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has no problem living in his father’s shadow. Some days, he prefers things that way.

4/20/00 - 'Competition' really isn't - Earnhardt couldn't have put it more concisely after crapshooting to a third-place finish in Sunday`s DieHard 500 at Talladega: "This definitely isn`t racing."

3/31/00 - Q&A with Winston Cup driver Dale Earnhardt - Earnhardt spoke this week with Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Rick Minter.

3/30/00 - Earnhardt 'tickets' law-abiding citizens - Julie Moses thought there was something suspicious about the state trooper car riding alongside her. It was a Chevrolet, not a traditional Ford, and the guy riding shotgun looked familiar.

3/27/00 - GM will not conform to common templates - It took GM two years to finally get its latest version of the Monte Carlo approved for NASCAR competition and GM is not happy with the talk of common templates.

3/27/00 - Earnhardt is the man, but not for long - Dale Earnhardt had gotten the lead, and he didn't have to spin Terry Labonte to get it...

3/24/00 - Earnhardt has knack for finding center stage - Some athletes have it, some don't. Winston Cup racing's version of this phenomenon is, of course, Dale Earnhardt.

3/16/00 - A Cup of chemistry has Earnhardt on track - Earnhardt fans already know Dale won the title the last two times the year ended in zero. What they want to know now is ... Will 2000 be number 3?

3/15/00 - Earnhardt's start proves '99 was no fluke - Coming off his victory last Sunday at Atlanta, Dale Earnhardt looks serious about winning a record eighth NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship.

3/13/00 - Earnhardt makes like Lone Ranger and saves NASCAR - They call him The Intimidator, but on Sunday Dale Earnhardt was the Lone Ranger. At precisely the right moment, Earnhardt rescued NASCAR.

3/9/00 - Powerful Earnhardt ready for Atlanta - Earnhardt was named by Forbes Magazine as one of the Power 100, a list of the 100 most powerful celebrities and athletes.

3/7/00 - Chevy Rule Change 'Right Direction' - Monte Carlo crew chiefs discussed the rule modification and how it could help at Atlanta this weekend.

3/6/00 - NASCAR changes rules for Chevrolet teams - Chevrolet's Winston Cup teams will be allowed to extend their front air dams two inches forward beginning at Atlanta.

3/2/00 - Earnhardt's new paint scheme unveiled - You can count on two things each and every May at Lowe's Motor Speedway: Good, hard racing and an exciting, new, one-time paint job for Dale Earnhardt.

3/1/00 - Advantage... Ford??? - The Ford Taurus was considerably better than both General Motors vehicles in wind tunnel test conducted by NASCAR.

1/15/00 - Earnhardt gains a new sense of competitiveness - For a brief moment Wednesday night, Dale Earnhardt morphed from a cool, confident stock car racing executive into ... well, into a father.

1/13/00 - Surgery offers Earnhardt extra benefits - Earnhardt says the operation he had to repair a painful condition in his upper back has relieved much of the pain he felt during the '99 season.

12/21/99 - Earnhardt's surgery should have him back on fast track - Almost everybody in NASCAR knows Dale Earnhardt is a constant pain in the backside. Almost nobody knew what back pain the veteran driver was going through during the 1999 season.

12/17/99 - Earnhardt's back surgery a sucess - Dale Earnhardt underwent surgery this morning to repair a ruptured disc in his spinal column.

Earnhardt on Forbes_3/9
Forbes Magazine (3-20-00) issue has listed Dale Earnhardt on its Power 100 list of the top 100 most powerful celebrities and athletes. For its second annual ranking of 100 highly paid celebrities, FORBES quantifies stardom by adding up a year's worth of earnings, media glare and, of course, Internet attention. Earnhardt ranked 36th on the FORBES Power list with an estimated 26.5 million in earnings, 29,754 web hits, 11,537 press clippings. He is ranked 39th on the money ranking. Earnhardt has made the POWER list in both years of its existences. (Champion PR)

Earnhardt quickly back on his feet Jan 5

Dale Earnhardt's back surgery, performed by physicians a week before Christmas, apparently was not as serious as Mark Martin's, which was done the day after the season ended. Associates say Earnhardt is up and about and was on his way to the NASCAR Busch Series banquet in Hollywood as of Wednesday morning. Speedvision

Article: Earnhardt Road Signs Swiped Often, but Road Not Named for Racing Earnhardts

Earnhardt will skip Winston Cup Preview Jan 11
Seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt will not attend this weekend's T. Wayne Robertson NASCAR Winston Cup Preview at the Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum due to his recovery from recent spinal surgery.

Earnhardt underwent surgery Dec. 18, to repair a ruptured disc in his spinal column. The anterior cervical discectomy was successful, and Earnhardt returned to some light activity last week. However, the seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion has cleared his schedule until he travels to Daytona Beach, Fla., for Speedweeks 2000, which begins for stock cars on Feb. 9.

"As much as I would like to be there, I really need to take it easy and get ready for the 2000 Winston Cup season," Earnhardt said. "Getting back to 100 percent has to be my main focus right now. " (NOL)

Stories to watch in 2000 Jan 4
The 3 team was showing marked improvement toward the end of the 1999 season. Can they come out of the box hot in 2000? It's almost a given, barring a wreck, that Dale will do well at the Daytona 500. SpeedFX

Earnhardt ready to defend IROC title Jan 4
Dale Earnhardt will compete in IROC again in 2000. It will be the 16th year Earnhardt has competed the the series. He has won the IROC championship 3 three times -- in 1990, 1995 and 1999.

New Monte Carlo will be ready for Earnhardt's return
Dec 24 - Richard Childress said his race team is working double-time to compensate for driver Dale Earnhardt's recovery from spinal-column surgery.

"The most important thing is that Dale Earnhardt gets 100 percent healthy," said Childress. "He knows that we want him back in the race car as soon as he is ready, but not before then. If you know anything about Dale Earnhardt, you can bet when Dr. (Charles) Branch gives him the green flag to get back in the car, he'll be the first one at the track ready to go, with uniform on and helmet in hand."

Complicating the situation somewhat is the fact that Chevrolet teams will be debuting an entirely new Monte Carlo during the 2000 season.

"We have a strong superspeedway program at RCR," said crew chief Kevin Hamlin. "The 2000 Monte Carlo will be a challenge over the winter, but I'm confident that by the time Dale is healed up and ready to go, we'll be ready for him.

"I told him to just take it easy and get better, and we'll have his seat warm for him when the doctor gives us the word." (By Monte Dutton)

Earlier Earnhardt news
Behold a Pale Driver

Earnhardt plans to intimidate into 21st Century

Earnhardt & Gordon: Best of the '90s?

Earnhardt was back in black in '99

Earnhardt gathers for run at 8th title
Perhaps it's just wishful thinking, but Dale Earnhardt is sure he can win another championship in 2000. Earnhardt, who'll be 48 when he begins the new season at the Daytona 500 in February, won the last of his record-tying seven Winston Cup titles in 1994. Full Story.

Earnhardt, Skinner preparing new Monte for Daytona

Like many drivers, teammates Dale Earnhardt and Mike Skinner are staying busy preparing for the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 20.

Both the Intimidator and Skinner have been doing a lot of wind-tunnel testing lately to gain a better understanding of their cars' new Chevrolet Monte Carlo bodies.

One of the two -- it has not been determined which -- will participate in the first test session on Jan. 10-11 at Daytona International Speedway. But both drivers will likely take part in the second round of testing at the track in the last week of January. (From CountryCool)

Welcome Earnhardt fans!
During the '99 season, Dale Earnhardt proved that, with the right package, he can still compete as solidly as ever. He dominated the restrictor-plate tracks once again, sweeping the Talladega races, and finishing second at both Daytona races. He won his tenth-straight Twin 125's race in Daytona, making it a decade sweep for him in that event. He made a last-lap pass at Bristol for another thrilling win. The most top-10's Earnhardt has ever gotten in a season was 25 in 1994 -- Earnhardt was only four off from that mark with 21 top-10's in 1999. He won his third IROC title, capturing victories in three of the season's four races in the process. He also made his 600th consecutive Winston Cup start, and got his 400th career Winston Cup top-10.

Next season should be interesting too. Chevy teams will debut the new 2000 Monte Carlo, and optimism is high that the new car will put Chevy back in midst of the manufacturers' battle. Off the race track, the new DEI complex was opened. Expectations are high for DEI's young Winston Cup teams, with Steve Park and Dale Jr. at the wheel. Ron Hornaday's new Busch series ride with DEI should be fun to watch also. Earnhardt and Richard Childress made headlines by extending their contract, assurance that the combo still feels good about their future on the race track together.

Dale ended the year at the NASCAR Winston Cup Awards Banquet on Dec. 3rd. It was his seventh straight trip to the stage and his 19th in his 21-year career.

Random Earnhardt news
The Race Reports and News pages contain archived information from the completed season.

Final 1999 Season Graph: Small Size - Large

Dale Earnhardt Fan Pictures

Famous Fixens, Inc. will make a beef jerky bearing Dale Earnhardt's name and signature. The product should be out in January.

As the 20th Century comes to a close, ESPN took a look back over the years at the best North American racers. Earnhardt, winner of seven Winston Cup titles and the '98 Daytona 500, was at No. 4 among drivers of the 20th Century.

Congratulations Big Tex on winning the NASCAR Challenge prize contest.

Chevrolet 2000 Monte Carlo site
Check out our 2000 Chevrolet Monte Carlo page for news and pictures about the all-new fifth generation Monte Carlo that will now make its racing debut in 2000.