Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. began his professional driving career at the age of 17, competing in the Street Stock division at Concord (N.C.) Motorsport Park. His first racecar was a 1978 Monte Carlo that he co-owned with older half-brother Kerry. Within two seasons, the young Earnhardt had honed his driving abilities to the point of joining the Late Model Stock Car division. There, he developed an in-depth knowledge of chassis setup and car preparation, while racing against Kerry and Dale's sister Kelley. Earnhardt Jr. won consecutive NASCAR Busch Series Championships in 1998 and 1999 over rival Matt Kenseth.

Earnhardt Jr. competed for the Raybestos NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award in 2000. His primary competitor for the award was his friend Kenseth. Kenseth outran Junior in the season-opening Daytona 500. Earnhardt scored wins at the Texas Motor Speedway and Richmond International Raceway. He also become the first rookie to win the All-Star exhibition race. Kenseth ultimately scored a 42-point victory in the rookie race.

Junior did have a part in recreating one Winston Cup milestone in 2000 when he competed with his father and half-brother Kerry in the Pepsi 400 at Michigan International Speedway. That occasion was only the second time that a father had raced against two sons. Lee, Richard and Maurice Petty had previously accomplished the feat.

In 2001 Earnhardt Jr. came into the season assuming he would face a sophomore slump, but the year proved to be one of the most tumultuous and memorable seasons the young driver has experienced.

The major event of the season occurred in the final corner of the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. As Earnhardt finished second, his father had crashed in turn four. Dale Earnhardt, Sr. did not survive the wreck. Junior raced at Rockingham the following weekend, but finished in 43rd-place after a wreck that looked eerily similar to his father's wreck just one week earlier. Earnhardt rebounded and scored victories at Dover and Talladega, as well as an emotional win in the return to Daytona, finishing eighth in points for the year.

The Talladega victory earned Junior a Winston No Bull 5 $1 million bonus. This season of emotion produced nine top-fives and 15 top-10 finishes, as well as two Bud Poles.

Source: Wikipedia.org, January 2007