Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (April 29, 1951 – February 18, 2001)

Darrell Waltrip

Richard Petty

During the Rebel 500 event at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina, drivers
Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty swap the lead four times in a last-lap battle
before Waltrip finally wins the race.

The race also featured a pit stop mishap in which driver David Pearson,
following a miscommunication with his crew, drove away with only two of
his four tires properly changed. Pearson’s car flipped over and had to be
removed from the race. The embarrassing incident led to Pearson, who
was a top driver, being released from his team, Wood Brothers.

Richard Lee Petty will turn 81 July 2.

(Fox News) – Living racing legend Richard Petty (above) is auctioning off
a trove of trophies, memorabilia and even some of the cars from his 60-
year NASCAR career.

They include a 1974 Dodge Charger that he won 31 races with, including
the 1974 Daytona 500 (below).

The event is being organized by Julien’s Auctions and will take place at
the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on May 12.

Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was born in Kannapolis, NC.

NASCAR racer Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won the Busch Series Championship in
1998 and 1999 and the Daytona 500 in 2004 and 2014. He went into his
first race with a car he co-owned with his half brother Kerry. Junior, as he
is called by many, won his 12th consecutive Sprint Cup Series Most Popular
Driver Award in 2014. He is the son of NASCAR Hall of Fame member Dale
Earnhardt Sr.

Junior (left) with father Dale Sr. who was killed on February 18, 2001
on the final lap of the Daytona 500. 

Robert Yates (April 19, 1943 – October 2, 2017)

(AP ) – NASCAR team owner and engine builder Robert Yates died Monday night
at age 74. No cause of death was given, but Yates had been battling liver cancer.

His son Doug Yates, who today runs Robert Yates Engines, posted the news on
Twitter, calling his dad his "hero."