Add a Dale Earnhardt Autograph to Your Collection

Ralph Dale Earnhardt was born on April 29, 1951, in Kannapolis, North Carolina. His father, Ralph, was a talented short track driver. In 1956, Ralph won the NASCAR Sportsman Division Championship.

Dale began racing on the local tracks at the age of 15. He dropped out of school in the ninth grade with the hope of making a living from racing. In the short run, he planned on earning money as a mechanic.
Dale's father died of a heart attack in 1973 while working on his car at the track. Two years later, on May 25, 1975, Dale made his stock car racing debut at the World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He finished 22nd.

In 1979, racing sponsor Rod Osterlund signed Earnhardt to a Winston Cup contract. That same year he won his first race, the Southeastern 500 in Bristol, Tennessee. He became the first driver to win over $200,000 in his rookie year and won the NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award. The next year, in 1980, he won his first Winston Cup Championship. He was the only driver to win Rookie of the Year and the championship for the following season.

Earnhardt had five successful years working with Osterlund, but didn't win another championship. He began racing for Richard Childress in 1984. This was a good move for him because he had five wins that year. He won his second Winston Cup Championship in 1986.

By this time Earnhardt had picked up the nickname "the Intimidator." He became well known as an aggressive driver who wouldn't hesitate to bump other drivers out of the way to get in front of them. Fans began to line up on one side or the other. He probably had more fans who loved him, but the ones who hated him were very vocal.

Earnhardt won a total of seven Winston Cup titles, equaling Richard Petty for the most in NASCAR history.

In February 1998, Dale Earnhardt won the Daytona 500, the only major victory he had yet to win. The Daytona win was the 71st of his career. Also in 1998, both Dale and his father Ralph were honored by NASCAR as two of the 50 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR history. Dale Earnhardt died in a crash on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. He was not racing towards a victory; he was blocking other cars so his son, Dale Junior, and Michael Waltrip could finish first and second.

Dale Earnhardt was a winner at business, as well as the track. During his peak racing years, his annual income was estimated at $40 million. Earnhardt was the first stock car racer to tightly control his name and likeness. He had more than 300 trademarks on products and images. Endorsements, licensing and souvenirs made him about $30 million a year. He owned three race teams and a Chevrolet dealership.

Earnhardt exercised strict control over his trademarks and was quick to move against counterfeits and knock-offs. He refused to sign an autograph on anything not licensed by Dale Earnhardt Inc. Otherwise, he was very responsive to autograph requests both in person and through the mail.

I sent two items to Earnhardt - a trading card and a TV Guide that Richard Petty had already signed. They were both returned, signed.

Dale Earnhardt autographs soared just after his death. They settled back a few months later, but are much higher than they were.

A simple Dale Earnhardt autograph retails at about $100. A signed photo or trading card is worth about $150. A signed die-cast car retails for around $200.

Dale Earnhardt autographs are good buys at that price. Dale Earnhardt will always be collected, and as most autographs find their way to permanent collections, values will rise.



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