1993 Dale Earnhardt #3 GM Goodwrench Bristol Racecar

VIN# 4931012

Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. (April 29,1951– February 18, 2001) was an American race car driver, best known for his career driving in NASCAR. Earnhardt is known for his success in the Winston Cup Series, now known as the Nextel Cup Series. He won seventy-six races (including his only Daytona 500 victory in 1998), and his seven championships are tied for most all-time with Richard Petty. His highly aggressive driving style made him a fan favorite and earned him the nicknames "Ironhead", "Mr. Restrictor Plate", "The Man in Black" (no relation to Johnny Cash) and most famously "The Intimidator".

Dale Earnhardt began his Winston Cup career in 1975, making his first start at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in the longest race on the Cup circuit, the World 600. Earnhardt drove an Ed Negre car and finished 22nd in the race, one place ahead of his future car owner, Richard Childress. Earnhardt competed in 8 more races until 1979, when he joined Rod Osterlund Racing, in a season that included a rookie class of future stars - Earnhardt, Harry Gant and Terrry Labonte.

In his rookie season, Earnhardt won four poles (one race at Bristol), had 11 Top 5 finishes, 17 Top 10 finishes, and finished 7th in the points standings, in spite of missing four races because of a broken collarbone, winning Rookie of the Year honors. In 1981, after Osterlund sold his team to J.D. Stacy during the season, Earnhardt left for Richard Childress Racing. In 1983 Earnhardt swapped teams with Ricky Rudd. Rudd went to Bud Moore's #15, and Dale took over the #3 made famous by Rudd. Wrangler sponsored both cars. The 1988 season saw Earnhardt racing with a new sponsor, GM Goodwrench, which replaced Wrangler. During this season Earnhardt garnered a second nickname, "The Man in Black", owing to the black paint scheme in which the #3 car was painted. He was also called "Darth Vader" more than once because of the black uniform and car, adding to his notoriety as a driver who would wreck you if he couldn't pass you. He won three times in 1988, finishing third in the points standings behind Bill Elliott and Rusty Wallace. The following year, Earnhardt won five times, but a late spinout at North Wilkesboroarguably cost him the 1989 championship, as Rusty Wallace edged out Earnhardt for the championship.

The 1990 season started with another disappointing result in the Daytona 500. Near the end of the 500, he had a 4 second lead when the final caution flag came out with a handful of laps to go. When the green flag waved, Earnhardt was leading Derrick Cope. On the final lap, Earnhardt ran over a piece of metal in the final turn, cutting a tire. Cope, in an upset, won the race while Earnhardt finished 5th. The #3 Goodwrench Chevy team took the flat tire that cost them the win and hung it on the shop wall. Apparently, this strategy to inspire worked, because Earnhardt won nine races. He also won his 4th Winston Cup title, beating out Mark Martin by just 26 points.

The 1991 season saw Earnhardt win his 5th Winston Cup championship. He scored just 4 wins, but took the title by 195 points over Ricky Rudd. One of the biggest highlights of the season for Earnhardt was scoring the win at North Wilkesboro. Harry Gant, who had tied Earnhardt's mark of 4 consecutive wins and was going for a 5th, lost the brakes late in the race, giving Earnhardt the chance he needed to make the pass for the win.

After winning his second set of consecutive titles, Dale Earnhardt was determined to make it 3 in a row, but Ford's new engine and aerodynamic package for the Thunderbird dominated, winning 13 consecutive races from the end of the 1991 season into the first nine races of 1992. Earnhardt's only win in 1992 came at Charlotte, in the prestigious Coca Cola 600, ending the 13-race win streak for the Ford teams. Earnhardt finished a career-low 12th in the points for the 2nd time in his career, and the only time he had finished that low since joining RCR. At the end of the year, longtime crew chief Kirk Shelmerdine left to become a driver. Andy Petree took over as crew chief.

Hiring Petree turned out to be beneficial, as the #3 GM Goodwrench Chevy returned to the front in 1993. Earnhardt once again came close to a win at the Daytona 500, and dominated Speedweeks before finishing 2nd to Dale Jarrett on a last-lap pass. Earnhardt scored 6 wins en route to his 6th Winston Cup title, including wins in the Coca Cola 600 and The Winston at Charlotte, and the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. Earnhardt beat Rusty Wallace for the championship by 80 points.

In 1994, Earnhardt achieved a feat that he himself had believed to be impossible - he scored his seventh Winston Cup championship, tying the legendary Richard Petty. Earnhardt was very consistent, scoring 4 wins, and winning the title by over 400 points over Mark Martin. Earnhardt sealed the deal at Rockingham by winning the race over Rick Mast. Although Earnhardt continued to dominate in the seasons ahead, this proved to be the last Winston Cup title of his career.

Earnhardt died in a last-lap crash during the 2001 Daytona 500 , the fourth NASCAR driver to die in the nine months prior. Due in large part to overwhelming fan outcry, NASCAR began an intensive focus on safety that has seen the organization begin to require the use of head-and-neck restraints, oversee the installation of SAFER Barriers at all oval tracks, set rigorous new rules for seat-belt and seat inspection, develop a roof-hatch escape system, and develop a next-generation race car built with extra driver safety in mind, dubbed the Car of Tomorrow.

This is an actual Earnhardt NASCAR reportedly used during the 1993 and 1994 seasons, 2 of the most important season in his career when he won back to back titles. It was purchased at Auction prior to Earnhardts' death and was reported to be the car he won Bristol in, but this did not happen until 1994. Reportedly it is one of 10 or 12 built for the 1993 season. It is painted in night reflective paint for night racing. The car features a chevy V-8 small block with a 4 speed transmission, fuel cell, complete roll cage, steel body, correct seat with harness, basically everything it would need to hit the track once again.

It would also be the perfect centerpiece for an Automotive or Racing Museum or of course any Earnhardt fan's collection! This is a rare opportunity to get an important piece of NASCAR history.