Dale Earnhardt’s most memorable NASCAR Cup wins

Today marks 25 years since we lost Dale Earnhardt. Heading into the 2026 Daytona 500, Motorsport.com already put together a special feature in remembrance of that day and his impact on the sport, but today, we want to do something different.

In this simple story, we’re going to focus on seven of Dale’s most impressive and memorable NASCAR Cup Series wins, in honor of the seven-time champion:

1. 1998 Daytona 500 — 20 years of trying

There was no question about where to put this race on our list. Earnhardt had won everything there is to win at Daytona, except the 500 itself. He lost this race in various heartbreaking ways, but in 1998, after twenty years of trying, he finally captured the checkered flag. It came in the twilight of his career, four years after his final title, and three years before his death in the same race. And just how special was it? Every member of every crew lined pit road to personally congratulate the driver of the No. 3 after he crossed the finish line.

2. 2000 Talladega — The draft master shows the field how it’s done

In the fall of 2000, Earnhardt won his 76th and final Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway. It was his tenth at Talladega, and no driver has ever come close to surpassing that record. But it was the way he did it that made this win so memorable, not just the fact that it was the final time we got to see him in Victory Lane. In the final laps, he beat doors in the middle of the pack, scarring the entire right-side of his Chevrolet. Dale Jr. was leading with five laps to go, and Dale Sr. was outside the top 15. And so begin an iconic march through the field, showcasing his expertise as he cut a path forward, taking the lead at the white flag and driving off with the race win.

3. 1987 All-Star Race — The ‘pass’ in the grass

Okay, it wasn’t really a pass, but the name stuck. Earnhardt was battling for the win in NASCAR’s annual exhibition event known as the All-Star Race. He was going back-and-forth with Bill Elliott, and the two made contact on the frontstretch with seven laps to go. Earnhardt’s car turned sideways into the grass — all four wheels in the dirt. He muscled it through the infield, back onto the track, and retained the race lead in an incredible save. Earnhardt then shoved Elliott out of the way and drove off with the victory.

4. 1999 Bristol Night Race — Rattling Terry’s cage

Perhaps the most villainous Earnhardt ever looked on track, as boos rained down at Bristol Motor Speedway because of it. He was battling Terry Labonte for the race win, and a few years earlier, they tangled in the same race, with Labonte crashing across the line to win. However, 1999 was different. Labonte touched Earnhardt, nudging him out of the way to take the lead. In the very next corner, Earnhardt ran Labonte over, spinning him out on the final lap and winning the race. And as the crowd showed their displeasure, Earnhardt said those now-famous words in Victory Lane: “I didn’t mean to really turn him around, just wanted to rattle his cage a little bit.”

5. 2000 Atlanta — A true photo finish

It’s still one of the 20 closest finishes in NASCAR history. In 2000, Earnhardt went head-to-head with another Labonte, Terry’s younger brother Bobby — the driver who would defeat him in the fight for his eighth title later that same year. Bobby had a huge run on Earnhardt through the final set of corners, and the two drivers drag-raced to the line in a spectacular photo finish. Earnhardt was victorious, 0.010s clear of the green No. 18. One year later at the same track, Kevin Harvick earned his first Cup win in similar fashion at Atlanta, just three races removed from getting in Earnhardt’s seat following the 2001 Daytona 500.

6. 1993 Coca-Cola 600 — Penalized multiple times, still wins

Dale Earnhardt, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

In NASCAR’s longest race, Earnhardt was thankful to have the extra 100 miles. He fell off the lead lap due to an early speeding penalty on pit road, came back from that, but with just over 70 laps to go, he was penalized a full lap for contact with Greg Sacks. Earnhardt and team were furious, and that only made him faster. Earnhardt tore back through the field, passed Jeff Gordon and won another NASCAR crown jewel.

7. 1995 Brickyard 400 — Earnhardt conquers Indianapolis

In 1994, NASCAR added the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway to its calendar, instantly creating another prestigious race to win. Earnhardt really wanted a win at the Brickyard, and it only took him two attempts to triumph at the historic track. In 1995, he took the lead through the final sequence of pit stops — the first time he had led the entire day, but he never gave it back. Earnhardt won the race with Rusty Wallace just a few car lengths back. “I guess I’m not too old to win here,” Earnhardt said on the radio to his RCR crew.