Latest news with #DaleEarnhardt
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
In Daytona, a motorsports hall that has it all, from land to sea to air
DAYTONA BEACH — There's an Earhart (Amelia) and an Earnhardt (Dale). A Roberts (Fireball) who raced on four wheels and another (Kenny) who preferred two. A Ford (Henry) and two Chevrolets (Louis and Gaston), a France (Big Bill) and another France (Bill Jr.). A Humpy (Wheeler) and a Smokey (Yunick). The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America might not be the most famous hall devoted to the competitive motorized world, but it's certainly the most diverse — it honors men and women who competed or participated in various ways on asphalt and dirt, in water and air, in uniform or business attire. It's located, conveniently, at the World Center of Racing, just outside Turn 4 at Daytona International Speedway. But it's not just a hall of fame. It's also a museum, a showcase of machinery and artifacts highlighting competitive achievements and sheer ingenuity — from a mammoth hydroplane to a simple sewing machine. From the reigning Daytona 500 winning car to Sir Malcolm Campbell's block-long Bluebird that once lifted Daytona Beach's legend as the early-20th Century's Birthplace of Speed. A museum visit is included as part of the Speedway's daily tram tours across the entire property. Each tour ends with visitors dropped off at the museum's northeast corner, practically on the quarter-panel of the winning car from the most recent Daytona 500. That car sits there for a year, complete with any dirt, oil and confetti it gathered from its day of glory. The car — currently it's William Byron's No. 24 Chevy — sits in the shadow of a mammoth hydroplane racing boat that hangs from the ceiling just steps away. 'That's the neat thing about us here. When they get off the tram that takes them around the Speedway, they come in here and they think all they're gonna see is NASCAR,' says Don Cooper, the museum's operations manager. 'Then the first thing they see is that hydroplane. "Then they see drag cars and boats and airplanes and motorcycles … and most people who come here, the cool thing is, they've never been this close to a real race car.' The Motorsports Hall has now been here for a decade The Motorsports Hall opened in the mid-'80s in the Detroit suburb of Novi. It moved to Daytona Beach and the Speedway's ticket-and-tours building 10 years ago, replacing an interactive racing attraction first known as Daytona USA and then the Daytona 500 Experience. Some of the racing artifacts remain from the Daytona USA days, including an eye-catching replica of the Speedway's famed 31-degree banking, filled with a variety of racing vehicles. Plaques honoring the long list of hall inductees are spread across the walls. While there are other halls of fame honoring various racing disciplines — including the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte — the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America honors giants in all forms of automation. The first class of inductees, in 1989, featured some obvious racers — including Richard Petty, A.J. Foyt and Phil Hill — but also war hero and aviation pioneer Jimmy Doolittle, as well as the man who injected competition into coast-to-coast car and motorcycle adventures, Cannon Ball Baker. This year's class of nine included three men who built much of their fame in Daytona Beach, on sand and asphalt, in straight lines and with turns: William K. Vanderbilt, who was among the early beach visitors chasing the land-speed record, which he first achieved in 1904 (92 mph!); motorcycle champ Miguel Duhamel, who won five Daytona 200s; and former NASCAR champ Dale Jarrett, whose career included three Daytona 500 victories. The 2026 class, announced last month and to be inducted next March, is headlined by Dale Earnhardt Jr., and also includes sprint-car champ Sammy Swindell and powerboat legend Dave Villwock. Daytona Museum offers a wide range of displays and racing machinery For the race fan, hardcore or casual, the museum is the attraction. Many of the exhibits are on loan — drag-racing god Don 'Big Daddy' Garlits, part of the inaugural hall class in '89, has donated several cars from his own museum's collection in Ocala. The displays often rotate in and out. A current one pays tribute to hall inductees who also served in the armed forces. Another honors the late Don Panoz, a pharmaceutical giant who along the way became a major player in sports-car racing. A small replica of Big Bill France's old Main Street filling station is an original display that remains, as is the Bluebird and a relative newcomer, one of Tony Stewart's sprint cars. Also on the floor are a pair of Paul Newman's old race cars — reportedly the only two not owned by podcaster Adam Carolla. Newman, who won road-racing championships in his spare time, was a 2024 inductee. A Josef Newgarden Indy car, looking very much like it could double as a rocket ship, is part of the main floor display, and serves to remind you that those cars look so much bigger in person than they do on TV. And speaking of fighter jet-inspired automation, one of Panoz's old DeltaWing racers ('an odd duck,' Cooper says), which entered three Rolex 24s, sits in a rear showroom that will soon transform. 'We're gonna make a new open-wheel exhibit in here,' says Cooper, who then points to several old wooden doors leaning against a wall. 'Those are sets of original Indianapolis garage doors from Gasoline Alley in the '40s and '50s. We'll make a mini-garage in here,' he says. Want some Daytona 500 on-track action? There's now a simulator for that The museum recently installed a modern racing simulator, which allows 'racers' to get a real feel for taking laps around Daytona — at speed and in traffic. For the non-gamer, it'll probably take some time to literally get up to speed. 'It's a professional-grade machine,' Cooper says. The next major change will transform a relic from the old Daytona USA days. A back room is still filled with 'gondolas,' which seated visitors in front of a large movie screen and gave them a feel for racing around Daytona, complete with bounces and side-to-side movement. They'll soon be gone. 'That room, we're gonna take that and make it a research area,' Cooper says. 'It'll be filled with historic materials, pictures, everything. It will be open to the public for anybody doing research.' Only by appointment, however. The Speedway says the museum sees between 100,000 and 110,000 visitors a year. Daily tram tours, which last about an hour, begin at 9:30 a.m., with the last departing at 3 p.m. Prices are $24.42 for juniors (ages 5 to 12) and $29.97 for others, with free admission for kids 4 and under. It's rare, but some visit the museum without taking the Speedway tour. Those tickets are $8.88 for ages 5 to 12, $14.43 for others, free for 4 and under. Allow an hour or more for a proper tour of the museum, which closes at 5 p.m. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: In Daytona Beach, a motorsports hall of fame covers earth, water, air
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Learn About The Infamous Dale Earnhardt Water Bottle Incident
Read the full story on Backfire News Everyone knows Dale Earnhardt not only loved practical jokes but was also fiercely competitive on the track. What they might not know is why Rusty Wallace once threw a water bottle at the man after a NASCAR race, hitting him square in the head before the two traded insults right in front of reporters and in the day, NASCAR was some pretty wild, raw stuff, nothing like what we get in the motorsport today. Earnhardt reveled in all that chaos, enjoying plenty of success before his tragic, untimely demise. But the water bottle incident stands out as one of the most memorable Dale Earnhardt moments. It was 1995 and the titans of NASCAR descended on Bristol Motor Speedway, which itself has an infamous past. Earnhardt was cooking something up for Jeff Gordon, a young star of the motorsport, all to knock the kid off his perch. Dale approached Rusty Wallace and the two came up with a scheme, which started coming together beautifully. The pair were able to force Gordon up high, then they claimed the fourth and fifth positions. That's when Earnhardt rammed the back end of Wallace's car on the fourth lap, sending him hard into the wall. It was the ultimate betrayal to Wallace, who said he was furious for the rest of the race. Ultimately Wallace came in 21st and was mad as hops at Earnhardt, who finished second. Terry Labonte was able to edge Dale out on the last lap, even though the two tangoed fiercely, which is another controversy for another day. Happy with his performance, Earnhardt was in the middle of an interview when Wallace acted out his rage. After finishing the race, Wallace's son handed him a partial water bottle. The man marched off toward Dale to tell him what he thought of his dirty trick. After yelling to get the other man's attention to no avail, Wallace hucked the water bottle like it was a grenade, hitting Earnhardt square on the forehead, shocking everyone crowded around him. But he got Dale's attention and the two began arguing about Talladega. The two men later patched things up, but in the heat of the moment, multiple witnesses were concerned the water bottle incident would come to blows. These days, drivers far too often take to X or Instagram or whatever social media platform to whine about what happened in a race. Back in the glory days of NASCAR, drivers worked things out like real men, hucking water bottles and yelling at each other. Image via ArchivesDe/X
New York Times
08-06-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Isn't Done Thinking About His Dad's Legacy
The interviews and footage that remain of Dale Earnhardt, the Hall of Fame NASCAR driver, paint a picture of an audacious, swaggering man who could charm and infuriate in the same moment. He was a superstar who reveled in villainy. But it is an image of him away from the track that captivates Dale Earnhardt Jr. It shows his father, most likely after a hunt, with his hands wrapped around a stag's horns. The animal's face rests against his dark jeans. He squints into the sunlight, wearing a Wrangler trucker hat. A T-shirt bearing the label of Jack Daniel's, the whiskey brand, peeks out from beneath a flannel shirt. This photo, Mr. Earnhardt said, was quintessentially his dad. The racetrack was where Dale Earnhardt won stock-car championships and millions of fans. It was also where he suffered injuries that killed him in 2001, when he crashed on the last lap of the Daytona 500. Away from the track he was ruggedly masculine, an outdoorsman. He was also often absent from the lives of his three oldest children. The photo is fixed to a door in a saloon that the younger Mr. Earnhardt built on his property in Mooresville, N.C., about two decades ago, when he was a wildly popular racecar driver, too. Soon that saloon became a full-fledged Old West town, designed as a place where Mr. Earnhardt could party without leaving his house and being subjected to the harsh glare that fame invites. It has a hotel, a chapel and a jail with two cells. The whole thing looks like it's right out of 'The Andy Griffith Show.' As Mr. Earnhardt grew older — he is now 50 — he stopped visiting the town so often. Then he got married and had two daughters, and the Old West town came back to life. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Why Coca-Cola 600 is one of NASCAR crown jewel races
The Coca-Cola 600 is one of the four crown jewel races for the NASCAR Cup Series. These four races — the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500 — are the four more historic and prestigious races drivers aim to win every season. Advertisement The Coca-Cola 600 one of these crown jewel races for several reasons. Shop Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR tickets The first is the way NASCAR honors Memorial Day by honoring fallen soldiers on the drivers' windshields and a moment of silence halfway through the race. These are both rather new traditions for the race. On track, the Coca-Cola 600 is NASCAR's longest race. The race is 400 laps around the 1.5-mile oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway. When stage racing was introduced to NASCAR in 2015, the Coca-Cola 600 was broken up into four 100-lap stages. The racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway is exciting, as the track is one of the faster 1.5-mile tracks with 24-degree banking in the turns. Drivers usually have to lift slightly going into the corners but can get back into the gas rather quickly. Advertisement What started as the "World 600" in 1960, this race has some legendary winners, including Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip, Neil Bonnett, Rusty Wallace, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne, among several others. The "Coca-Cola 600" name was officially put into place in 1986. Dale Earnhardt won that race. The 1985 race, won by Darrell Waltrip, was called the "Coca-Cola World 600." It's just about time to drop the green flag for the Coca-Cola 600, the second of four crown jewel races in NASCAR this season. Here's more information on the race. Shop Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR tickets What does Coca-Cola 600 winner get? Winning the Coca-Cola 600 solidifies a place in NASCAR history as a winner of one of the more important races of the yearly schedule. There are several other rewards for winning the race, including: Advertisement Bruton Smith Trophy: The 80-pound bronze trophy is shaped to look like a piston and has the Speedway Motorsports logo on top with a black marble base. It's one of the coveted trophies in NASCAR. White gold and diamond ring: The winner of the Coca-Cola 600 receives a 14-carat diamond ring featuring the Speedway Motorsports logo in the center. The side of the shank features a checkered flag with round brilliant-cut white and black diamonds with the Charlotte Motor Speedway logo. The opposite side of the shank features the Coca-Cola logo integrated with a cola bottle with round, brilliant-cut diamonds. Trip to Arlington National Cemetery: The winning driver and his family make a trip to Arlington National Cemetery. This includes laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and visiting the cemetery, paying their respects to fallen soldiers. Luxury watch: The winning driver of the Coca-Cola 600 is given a luxury watch to commemorate his win in NASCAR's longest night. Advertisement Fully functioning Coca-Cola vending machine: Yes, the winning driver of the Coca-Cola 600 is given a working Coca-Cola vending machine. The machine is a throwback to when the machines were first introduced in 1929. Last 10 winners of Coca-Cola 600 Some of NASCAR's best drivers have won the Coca-Cola 600, including several champions. Here are the last 10 winners. 2024: Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing 2023: Ryan Blaney, Team Penske 2022: Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing 2021: Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports 2020: Brad Keselowski, Team Penske 2019: Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing 2018: Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing Advertisement 2017: Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing 2016: Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing 2015: Carl Edwards, Roush Fenway Racing Shop Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR tickets Who has most Coca-Cola 600 wins? Darrell Waltrip won the Coca-Cola 600 five times in his career, making him the winningest driver of the event. Hendrick Motorsports has 12 Coca-Cola 600 wins as a team, good for most all time. When is NASCAR Charlotte race? The Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Charlotte race is set for 5 p.m. CT on May 25 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. What channel is NASCAR Charlotte race on? The Coca-Cola 600 will be broadcast on Amazon Prime with Adam Alexander, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the broadcast booth. Advertisement Shop Charlotte NASCAR tickets We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn't influence our coverage. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR Charlotte race: Why Coca-Cola 600 is crown jewel race
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Here's When New Episodes of Amazon's Dale Earnhardt Docuseries Drop
A new docuseries chronicling the life and career of famous NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt has finally dropped. The four-part series is executive produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer and includes creative input from son and fellow NASCAR racer Dale Earnhardt Jr. 'Earnhardt' will drop episodes in batches on Prime Video over a couple weeks and include archival footage and interviews with the racer's friends and family. Here's everything you need to know about where and when to tune in for the first season of Prime Video's 'Earnhardt.' 'Earnhardt' Season 1 premieres on Thursday, May 22. 'Earnhardt' Season 1 will be available to watch on Prime Video beginning on Thursday, May 22. The four episode season of the docuseries will drop in two chunks in back-to-back weeks. Here's the full rundown on the 'Earnhardt' release schedule: Episode 1 – May 22 Episode 2 – May 22 Episode 3 – May 29 Episode 4 – May 29 The docuseries takes a look at the life and untimely death of the seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt. Here is the official synopsis: 'Earnhardt is a four-part documentary series that explores the legendary racing career and complex family dynamics of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. With rare archival footage, thrilling races, and emotionally revealing interviews from his children, rivals, and closest friends, Earnhardt is the definitive story of an American icon, both on and off the track.' The post Here's When New Episodes of Amazon's Dale Earnhardt Docuseries Drop appeared first on TheWrap.
