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Dale Earnhardt remains one of the most competitive drivers to have ever stepped into the NASCAR Cup Series competition. His performance looked promising ever since his career's initial races.
Racing for Richard Childress Racing in 1984, Earnhardt got himself a mega start. Although he had already claimed 9 race wins by the time, his performance only seemed to improve, pulling off 22 top-ten finishes in a 30-race season, including two wins at Fairgrounds and Talladega. He won his first championship in 1980 before winning in 1986 with RCR.
Dale Earnhardt went on to win the titles again in 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, and 1994, thus being the joint-most successful Cup Series champion alongside Richard Petty (known as the Winston Cup during their time) and Jimmie Johnson.
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This is just one of the many records that Dale Earnhardt holds. On that note, Here are a few more from the late NASCAR legend that still stand.
#1: Dale Earnhardt was the first to win the Rookie of The Year award and the Cup Series championship in consecutive years
After debuting in 1979 with Osterlund Racing, Earnhardt marked his presence within the top 10 a surprising 16 times, quite a number for a rookie. He also won at Bristol. These accolades earned him the NASCAR Rookie of The Year title in 1979.
Following this season, he bagged his first Championship win in 1980. With this, he became the first NASCAR driver to win both achievements in consecutive years; a world record identified by Guinness.
#2: Most NASCAR Cup Series victories at Talladega Superspeedway (10)
Other than Daytona, Talladega Superspeedway provides excessive racing with a restrictor plate on the NASCAR schedule. The 2.6-mile tri-oval track requires precision and endurance to manage a victory, and Dale Earnhardt proved himself on this track multiple times. He holds the world record for a whopping 10 Cup Series victories on this track.
No one has been able to come close to this record. The second most wins is tied between three drivers with 6 wins; Dale Earnhardt Jr. (his son), Jeff Gordon, and Brad Keselowski.
#3: Most Daytona Duel victories (12)
The season-opening Daytona 500 is preceded by two Duel races, called the Bluegreen Vacations Duel, also the Daytona Duel, and earlier known as the Twin 125s. These races act as the qualifying for the Daytona 500 and help to set the lineup for the main race.
Earnhardt has the record for most wins in this race as well. With 12 wins, he is actually closer to the most team wins on the same event (Hendrick Motorsports with 16) than the driver who has the second-most wins (Cale Yarborough with 6).
The NASCAR legend's only race win at the Daytona 500 came in 1998.
