Remembering Dale Earnhardt's seven NASCAR championships
In 1994, Dale Earnhardt tied Richard Petty for the most championships in NASCAR history at seven.
He did it by being a fierce competitor, elite driver, and true ambassador of NASCAR.
Remember each of Earnhardt's historic seven championships after Jimmie Johnson joined The Intimidator and The King this week.
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1980, A historic start
Earnhardt became the first driver to win the Rookie of the Year award and follow it up with a series championship in the next season.
It was the only championship Earnhardt won with car owner Rod Osterlund.
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1986, Dominating fashion
Earnhardt dominated the 1986 season, winning the championship a week early by lapping the entire field and winning the Atlanta Journal 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
It was his first championship with car owner Richard Childress and crew chief Kirk Shelmerdine.
1987, Back-to-back
After a six-year gap between his first two championships, The Intimidator wasn't wasting any time getting his third.
Earnhardt won a career-high 11 races in '87 and posted an impressive average finish of 5.9.
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1990, The Man in Black
In 1990, Earnhardt grabbed championship No. 4, the first with his iconic black Goodwrench paint scheme.
He won nine races and edged Mark Martin by 26 points for the title, becoming the second driver in the sport with four or more championships.
1991, One more with Kirk
Earnhardt once again won back-to-back titles and climbed ever closer to Petty's historic seven championships.
It would be the last title he won with Kirk Shelmerdine, who decided to retire from being a crew chief to start a racing career of his own.
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1993, History within reach
In the season Earnhardt captured No. 6, the NASCAR world was marred by tragedy as 1992 champion Alan Kulwicki and 1992 Daytona 500 winner Davey Allison both died in aviation accidents.
Andy Petree served as Earnhardt's crew chief after Shelmerdine retired from the top of the pit box.
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1994, The Intimidator joins The King
Earnhardt once again battled Mark Martin for the championship, clinching two weeks early when he won the AC Delco 500 at Rockingham Speedway.
Earnhardt posted two more runner-up finishes in the points standings in the remainder of his career before his tragic passing at the 2001 Daytona 500.
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