Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. (April 29, 1951 – February 18, 2001) was an American race car driver, best known for his career driving stock cars in the NASCAR circuit. He was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina, to Ralph Lee Earnhardt and Martha Coleman. He had four children, Kelley King, Taylor, Kerry, and Dale Jr.. His widow, Teresa Earnhardt (who he married in 1982) is the owner of Dale Earnhardt, Inc., the race team and merchandising corporation Earnhardt founded with his wife in the '90s. Earnhardt is best known for his success as a driver in the Winston Cup Series, in which he won seven championships, tied for most all-time with Richard Petty. His highly aggressive driving style made him a fan favorite and earned him the nickname "The Intimidator."

Earnhardt died in a last-lap crash during the 2001 Daytona 500, the fourth NASCAR driver in the nine months since Adam Petty's death in May 2000. Due in large part to overwhelming fan outcry, NASCAR began an intensive focus on safety that has seen the organization mandate the use of head-and-neck restraints (currently, only the HANS device is approved for competition), oversee the installation of SAFER barriers at all oval tracks, set rigourous 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.