The Earnhardts

The late Ralph Earnhardt is the father of Dale, 47, and grandfather of Dale Jr., 24, and Kerry, 29. Ralph Twice won NASCAR's Sportsman Division (1956 and 1961). Dale Seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion who has won 71 races, including the 1998 Daytona 500. Dale Jr. Won NASCAR's 1998 Busch Grand National championship in his first full season of competition. Kerry Will compete fulltime on the Busch Grand National circuit in 1999.

By Liz Clarke
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 12, 1999; Page N6

With a record-tying seven Winston Cup championships to his credit, Dale Earnhardt has plenty to be proud of in his racing career. But asked to name his greatest accomplishment, Earnhardt ranked those championships right alongside his good fortune in marrying his wife, Teresa, and the thrill of watching his son, Dale Jr., win his first NASCAR Busch Grand National race.

The setting was Fort Worth's Texas Motor Speedway, a track several drivers (Earnhardt among them) had criticized as being dangerous and awkward to race on when it opened in April 1996.

But as it turned out, the speedway served as the backdrop for one of the Earnhardt family's proudest moments two years later.

The Coca-Cola 300 was set for April 4, 1998. Dale Jr. had qualified 16th but worked his way to the front of the pack by the end of the race. On the last lap, he nudged his car's nose under Joe Nemechek's car coming out of Turn 4 on the tri-oval and blew past him. As they ducked under the lapped car of Glenn Allen on the front stretch, Nemechek's car faded, and Earnhardt roared on for his first victory in the series.

The TV cameras cut immediately to his father, Dale, who was being mobbed with requests for interviews and autographs. Earnhardt waved them all off as he strode toward victory lane with one goal in mind.

"I was going right to victory lane because I wanted to see him," Dale Sr. recalled. "Everybody was wanting to talk to me, and I was just ready to go see Dale Jr. I was definitely proud, excited and still am a little bit impressed. I was feeling a lot of emotions – just a whole lot of emotions."