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2001 SESSION


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 513
On the death of Dale Earnhardt.

Agreed to by the Senate, February 22, 2001
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 24, 2001

WHEREAS, Dale Earnhardt, the heart and soul of NASCAR racing and one of the stock-car circuit's dominant drivers for more than 20 years, died on February 18, 2001; and

WHEREAS, in the fourth turn of the final lap of the season-opening Daytona 500 race, Dale Earnhardt, battling for the lead as always, was involved in an accident that took his life at the age of 49; and

WHEREAS, a native of Kannapolis, North Carolina, Dale Earnhardt earned his first victory as a rookie driver in 1979 at Bristol Motor Speedway; and

WHEREAS, that victory would be followed by 75 more, which earned Dale Earnhardt a reputation as the "Intimidator" and a record-tying seven NASCAR Winston Cup championships, with the first coming in 1980, only his second year on the circuit; and

WHEREAS, the most widely known Winston Cup driver for most of his career, Dale Earnhardt rose from humble beginnings, put in his time on the rural, dirt-track training grounds, and captured the hearts of NASCAR fans with his aggressive, skillful, and consistently successful driving; and

WHEREAS, during his extraordinary career, Dale Earnhardt won 76 NASCAR Winston Cup races and seven championships, earned more that $40 million in prize money, started 649 consecutive races, and was named Driver of the Year three times by the National Motorsports Press Association; and

WHEREAS, Dale Earnhardt died at the track that was the scene of many of his greatest successes, including the Daytona 500, two Pepsi 400s, seven Busch Grand National races, and many other titles; and

WHEREAS, Dale Earnhardt compiled one of the finest records in the history of NASCAR and had become the most recognizable, and one of the most popular, race-car drivers in the nation; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby mourn the untimely passing of one of the giants of stock-car racing, Dale Earnhardt; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare three copies of this resolution for the family of Dale Earnhardt and others as an expression of the high regard in which his memory is held by the members of the General Assembly.