Dale Earnhardt Biography Dale Earnhardt was one of the best NASCAR race car drivers of all time. One of his remarkable achievements was that he achieved 76 victories in his entire career. It has also changed the way we feel confident in every way of running. Many lives were saved due to his bad crash, there were more and more safety requirements which led to today's equipment not only in NASCAR, but at every track across the nation. Ralph Dale Earnhardt was born on April 29, 1951 in Kannapolis, North Carolina to his father, Ralph Lee Earnhardt. It was the main reason he started racing because he always had his kids working on his cars and racing with him. When he was younger he dropped out before high school to become a full-time race car driver, then helped his father work on racing events held throughout the South. The more Earnhardt watched his father win races, the more it fueled his desire to race. (http://voices.yahoo.com/biography). In 1978 Earnhardt signed his first sponsorship with Rod Osterlund to start the season and win his first race on the NASCAR circuit at the Southeastern 500 in Bristol. By the end of the racing season, he had become the first driver to win more than $200,000 in his rookie year and was awarded NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors. (http://www.biography.com/people/dale/earnhardt). The following year he also won his first points championship by closing in on veteran Cale Yarborough. One of the other things Dale was known for were his nicknames. One of his many nicknames was "The Intimidator". Because of his aggressive driving style, some drivers would consider him a lion chasing... middle of paper... like a driving suit and fireproof gloves. They are also designed so that the rear and front sections of the car are crushed more easily in the event of an impact and the central sections are stronger so as to take more force away from the driver in an accident, also to keep the car on the ground during the accident. added roof flaps to keep the car from going airborne. Another way it helps is the way cars are designed. Due to the design, the body panels are so low to the ground that they help them grip the ground creating huge amounts of downforce. Dale Earnhardt Sr was one of the most well-known and beloved drivers in NASCAR history. It has changed the way the NASCAR circuit looks at technology design and safety requirements. He also changed the design of NASCAR and many other types of racing, designing not only the cars but also the tracks.