Dale Earnhardt Jr
- Category : Sports-Race-Cars
- Type : GP
- Profile : 2/4 - Hermit / Opportunist
- Definition : Single
- Incarnation Cross : RAX Penetration 3
Biography
American race car driver, the son of champion driver Dale Earnhardt who was killed on the track at Talladega, Fl on 2/18/2001. His father’s son, on the following weekend he carried on the family tradition, driving his red Chevy Monte Carlo at the North Carolina speedway. On the first lap, fans gasped as he was bumped from behind and spun into a concrete wall, just as his dad had done a week before. Dale Jr. walked away, which his dad had not been able to do.
Dale Jr. was the second child of Dale and Brenda, his second wife, who divorced when the boy was three. He and his dad became closer in more recent years, sharing the same sport that they loved. The family was all about racing, starting with Ralph and continuing through three generations. Dale Jr. accomplished the Busch Series Grand National Division Championship in 1998, becoming hands-down the most popular driver in the Busch series.
The racer won the Daytona 500 on February 15, 2004. It was a particularly emotional triumph given that his father died on the same course three years prior.
The racer survived a horrifying accident on July 18, 2004 on Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA. Just as he rounded a turn on his first lap, his car spun out, slammed into a concrete wall, and burst into a smoky blaze. Within 15 seconds, Earnhart had pried himself out of the driver’s side window, and a track volunteer helped him get clear of the fire. Earnhardt sustained second degree burns to the inside of both thighs and his chin. He was released from the hospital the following day.
The racer announced on May 10, 2007 that he is leaving the team run by his stepmother, with whom he has had a rocky relationship. Called the Brad Pitt of the NASCAR world, Earnhardt wants to be a free agent.