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He died racing, as he eerily suspected he would. By then, Dale Earnhardt Sr. was his generation's greatest driver. But who was this man? Find out from those who knew him well. “The Dale Earnhardt I knew a Dale Earnhardt Sr. did not compromise a second of his life. Maybe it’s because he figured he did n’t have much time here on Earth: His dad, also a racer, died of a heart attack at age 45. That family history, coupled with his chosen profession, lent an immediate sense of mortali ty: Once, he confided to a reporter, a woman asked him to drive her husband’s hearse. It was the man’s dying wish. Earnhardt declined. “I’ll be in one of them things soon enough,” he said. Little more than six years after his death at age 49 on Feb. IS, 2001, while crashing into the Turn 4 wall at Daytona, Earnhardt has a mystique that has only increased with time. He was the In timidator, capable of in spiring fear in competitors when his black Goodwrench Chevy appeared in a their rearview mirrors. He could be notoriously B gruff but in other circumstances, warm-hearted and kind. Twenty’ years ago, he won the first of his two American Driver of the Year awards. The Day tona 500 next February will mark the 10th anni versary of his first and only victory in NASCAR’s most celebrated race. USA WEEKEND Magazine recently spoke with those who knew Earnhardt best and some of those whose lives he touched to find out more about aflj ||( 6 USA WEEKEND-Aug. 31-Sept. 2. 2007 Country Music Television will broadcast Dale, the only authorized documentary on his life, narrated by actor (and racer) Paul Newman, on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. aHSraSßsfii&. 3p& -tfmi l * # - '-4 i# ; 'r Daytona cover by Sam Bass for USA WEEKEND; Winston Cup cover by Jeanne Barnes for USA WEEKEND, reference photo by Walter G. Arce/Action Sports Photography Inc. Earnhardt in blue shirt, above: Brian Smith for USA WEEKEND Larry Mcßeynolds, a fox nascar analyst who served as crew chief for Earnhardt's win at the Daytona 500 in 1998 He could go back and forth with his moods. I gave him lap times on the headset during a race in 1997, and he screamed at me, “Stop giving me those damn lap times! Leave me alone! I’m doing the best I can.” Then, a few minutes later, he complained, “Am I all alone here? Are you gonna talk to me?” It really ate at him that he competed so well at Daytona he won every conceivable race you could win there and yet he could never win the Daytona 500. In 1998, he had a great car. But after a practice, we needed to do some work with the engine. Someone tells me he decided to go socialize with the fans. I was like, “Well, he’s picking a helluva time to be social with fans. We gotta work on this car.” He comes back, and he’s absolutely beaming. He met up with a little girl in her wheelchair. She had a very bad disease, and this may have been the last 500 she’d ever see, and all she wanted to do was meet Dale. He spent 15 minutes with her, and she gave him a lucky penny to hold on to for the race. He went look ing for some adhesive to glue it to the dashboard of his race car. I helped him with that Nothing could get WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE EARNHARDTS? Check out all the stories USA WEEKEND Magazine has written on both Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Dale Jr. over the past 10 years in our online archive at usaweekend.com.