Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt were two legendary NASCAR drivers. Petty, known as "The King", won 200 races and 7 championships between 1964-1981, setting records. However, NASCAR was less regulated then. Dale Earnhardt, known as "The Intimidator", won 7 championships with only 76 wins, showing his skill. He dropped out of school to race and became a champion. Tragically, Earnhardt died in a crash on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. While Petty statistically achieved more, Earnhardt only needed 76 wins to get 7 titles, making his career more impressive.

1. Two Legends of NASCAR
Richard Petty Vs. Dale Earnhardt

2. History behind Nascar
The history of NASCAR goes way back and basically starts in the south. Its
southern roots are firm. It started back when things were simple. To get away from a
cop you had to have a better car. There were no radio waves, no helicopters, and if you
could outrun a cop you could get away. Why would you want to get away? Well, you
didn’t want to get caught with all the liquor you had in the back of your car. Back then
this was called bootlegging. Some of the first race car drivers were bootleggers. The
first race was held in 1948 at Daytona Beach, FL. One of the famous ones was Junior
Johnson. He was quoted as saying “It gave me so much advantage over other people
that had to train and learn how to drive” (Houston). Some people want to think it’s a
myth but as Pierce said in his article "People look at Junior Johnson, and he's really kind
of the end of the line. Going beyond that, I was looking at people who were early
mechanics. Those guys weren't necessarily involved in bootlegging, but a lot of them
made their living working on bootleggers' cars” (Houston). I suppose that’s why in the
early days more rednecks, hillbillies and just southern people liked NASCAR. They could
relate to that southern way of life. Yes, NASCAR has grown from those southern roots
to now being nationwide, tracks are everywhere and when you look at the fans in the
stands there’s a more diverse crowd.

3. The King

4. Richard Petty
Richard Petty, known as “The King”, was born on July 2, 1937 in
Level Cross, North Carolina. He started his racing career in 1958. He got his
nickname due to the fact that he won 7 Daytona 500s and 7 Championships
between the years of 1964 to 1981. He is the only driver at this point to win
the Daytona 500 7 times. He also won over 200 races in his career and is still
alive today. That is what he is best known for to this day. I believe that he is
one of the greatest, but when you look at that point in history NASCAR was
still young. If you take a look at when Petty raced compared to when
Earnhardt Sr. raced, it was very different. When Richard Petty was racing
there weren’t as many rules and regulations plus they raced more. That gave
anyone with more money the advantage. Drivers could do different things
and get away with it easier. Look at some of the cars back then and you will
see what I mean.

5. The Man In Black

6. Dale Earnhardt
Dale Earnhardt, known as “The Intimidator”, was born April 29, 1951,
in Kannapolis, North Carolina. He dropped out of school in the ninth grade to
race full-time and work as a mechanic. He was a country man that loved to
fish hunt and just be outdoors.
In May of 1975 is when Dale Earnhardt made his NASCAR debut. He
was known as “The intimidator” for his aggressive driving. He won seven
Winston Cup Championships and broke $30 million in career earnings. That
with only winning 76 races. So, a kid dropped out of school and became
someone that a good ole country boy could relate to. He won the rookie of
the year honor and a year after that won the championship. He still holds
that record of doing that in back to back years. He was the first driver to start
in 500 consecutive races. Earnhardt was very reckless and if you were in 1st
place on the last lap you didn’t want Earnhardt Sr. behind you.

7. The lose of a Legend

8. The tragic end
• Earnhardt’s life and career was cut short at the Daytona 500 back in 2001
where on the last turn he crashed. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was
at my girlfriend’s house and I watched up until the last 2 laps. I remember
thinking it’s going to be Michael Waltrip winning, Earnhardt Jr finishing 2nd
and Earnhardt Sr finishing 3rd. When I got back to my house my dad knew
that I didn’t know. It hit me when my uncle John called and was in tears. I
rushed into the living room and this is what made my heart sink. “This is
undoubtedly one of the toughest announcements that I've ever had to
personally make," said NASCAR president Mike Helton, "but after the
accident in turn four at the Daytona 500 we've lost Dale Earnhardt." Even if
you didn’t know or like Nascar most people new the iconic legend
Earnhardt Sr. His death was compared to the president dyeing that’s how
famous and well known he was

9. Dale Earnhardt was Better!!!!
• Dale Earnhardt was better than Richard Petty. If you look at the stats
both drivers hold records to this day. Earnhardt only had 76 compared
to Petty whom had over 200. Petty won 7 Daytona 500s and
Earnhardt won only 1. Statistically, you might say Petty would have
been better. If you look at it a different way, it took Earnhardt 76 wins
compared to over 200 to get 7 championships. In that span of time,
yes, he only won one Daytona 500, but I believe it was more
memorable than Petty’s 7 Daytona 500 victory’s.

10. Work Cited
• Houston, Rick. Nascar. 1 November 2012. Web. 28 March 2016.
• N.p. ABC News. N.d. Web. 28 March 2016.
• N.p. Bio. N.d. Web. 28 March 2016.