Tag: NASCAR (Page 4 of 4)

It is hard to imagine that we are coming up on the eight-year anniversary of the untimely death of Dale Earnhardt. NASCAR has produced a five-disc DVD collection to celebrate the legacy of “The Intimidator” driving his legendary black # 3 car to victory.

I want to throw a caution flag in the air, as Earnhardt’s 10 greatest races are not complete television re-broadcasts. Instead, each 45-minute vignette features a condensed version that highlights the key moments of each race. The ultimate NASCAR fan might be disappointed as they won’t be able to watch the entire race once again, but casual fans might enjoy the shorter format.

Every race in the DVD collection provides a perfect tribute to Earnhardt’s competitive fire and his adrenaline-pumping race to the winner’s circle. My favorite races include Earnhardt’s photo-finish win over rival Bobby Labonte in the 2000 Cracker Barrel 500, capturing the 1998 Daytona 500 flag after racing 20 years on the legendary track without a victory, winning the 1989 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway the night after his father, Ralph, was inducted into the Raceway’s Hall of Fame, and Earnhardt’s final victory that saw him move from 18th place to win the 2000 Winston 500 at the legendary Talladega Superspeedway.

The bonus features on the DVD collection include the induction of Ralph and Dale Earnhardt into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame some nine years apart from one another. Dale’s ceremony features a brief retrospective from his friend, Brian Williams, about the essence of his hard-driving, world-class championship driving style. And the reaction from the audience proves Earnhardt was the most popular driver of his time.