Editing Dale Earnhardt (section)

====1996–1999====
[[File:Dale Earnhardt - NASCAR Photography By Darryl Moran.jpg|thumb|right|Earnhardt at [[Phoenix International Raceway]].]]
1996 for Earnhardt started just like it had done in 1993—he dominated Speedweeks, only to finish second in the [[1996 Daytona 500|Daytona 500]] to [[Dale Jarrett]] for the second time. He won early in the year, scoring consecutive victories at [[Rockingham Speedway|Rockingham]] and Atlanta. On July 28 in the [[AMP Energy 500|DieHard 500]] at Talladega, he was second in points and looking for his eighth season title, despite the departure of crew chief Andy Petree. Late in the race, [[Ernie Irvan]] lost control of his No. 28 [[Havoline]]-sponsored Ford Thunderbird, made contact with the No. 4 Kodak-sponsored Chevy Monte Carlo of [[Sterling Marlin]], and ignited a crash that saw Earnhardt's No. 3 Chevrolet hit the tri-oval wall nearly head-on at almost 200&nbsp;mph. After hitting the wall, Earnhardt's car flipped and slid across the track, in front of race traffic. His car was hit in the roof and windshield. This accident, as well as a similar accident that led to the death of [[Russell Phillips]] at Charlotte, led NASCAR to mandate the "Earnhardt Bar", a metal brace located in the center of the windshield that reinforces the roof in case of a similar crash. This bar is also required in NASCAR-owned [[United SportsCar Racing]] and its predecessors for road racing.

Rain delays had canceled the live telecast of the race, and most fans first learned of the accident during the night's sports newscasts. Video of the crash showed what appeared to be a fatal incident, but once medical workers arrived at the car, Earnhardt climbed out and waved to the crowd, refusing to be loaded onto a stretcher despite a broken collarbone, sternum, and shoulder blade. Although the incident looked like it would end his season early, Earnhardt refused to stay out of the car. The next week at Indianapolis, he started the race but exited the car on the first pit stop, allowing [[Mike Skinner (racing driver)|Mike Skinner]] to take the wheel. When asked, Earnhardt said that vacating the No. 3 car was the hardest thing he had ever done. The following weekend at [[Watkins Glen International|Watkins Glen]], he drove the No. 3 Goodwrench Chevrolet to the fastest time in qualifying, earning the "True Grit" pole. T-shirts emblazoned with Earnhardt's face were quickly printed up, brandishing the caption, "It Hurt So Good". Earnhardt led for most of the race and looked to have victory in hand, but fatigue took its toll and he ended up sixth behind race winner [[Geoff Bodine]]. Earnhardt did not win again in 1996 but still finished fourth in the standings behind [[Terry Labonte]], [[Jeff Gordon]], and [[Dale Jarrett]], with 2 wins, 13 top fives, 17 top tens, and his last 2 career poles, with an average finish of 10.6. David Smith departed as crew chief of the No. 3 team and RCR at the end of the year for personal reasons, and he was replaced by [[Larry McReynolds]].

In 1997, Earnhardt went winless for only the second time in his career. The only (non-points) win came during Speedweeks at Daytona in the Twin 125-mile qualifying race, his record eighth-straight win in the event. Once again in the hunt for the Daytona 500 with 10 laps to go, Earnhardt was taken out of contention by a late crash which sent his car upside down on the backstretch. He hit the low point of his year when he blacked out early in the [[1997 Mountain Dew Southern 500|Mountain Dew Southern 500]] at [[Darlington Raceway|Darlington]] in September, causing him to hit the wall. Afterward, he was disoriented, and it took several laps before he could find his pit stall. When asked, Earnhardt complained of double vision which made it difficult to pit. [[Mike Dillon (racing driver)|Mike Dillon]] (Richard Childress's son-in-law) was brought in to relieve Earnhardt for the remainder of the race. Earnhardt was evaluated at a local hospital and cleared to race the next week, but the cause of the blackout and double vision was never determined. Despite no wins, Earnhardt finished the season fifth in the final standings with 7 top fives and 16 top tens, with an average finish of 12.1.

[[File:Dale Earnhardt 1998 Daytona 500 Car.jpg|thumb|Earnhardt's [[1998 Daytona 500]]-winning No. 3 Goodwrench [[Chevrolet Monte Carlo]]]]
On February 15, 1998, Earnhardt finally won the [[1998 Daytona 500|Daytona 500]] in his 20th attempt after failing to win in his previous 19 attempts.<ref>Persinger, p. 12 & 13.</ref> He began the season by winning his Twin 125-mile qualifier race for the ninth straight year, and the week before was the first to drive around the track under the newly installed lights, for coincidentally 20 laps. On race day, he showed himself to be a contender early. Halfway through the race, however, it seemed that [[Jeff Gordon]] had the upper hand. But by lap 138, Earnhardt had taken the lead and thanks to a push by teammate [[Mike Skinner (racing driver)|Mike Skinner]], he maintained it. Earnhardt made it to the caution-checkered flag before [[Bobby Labonte]]. Afterwards, there was a large show of respect for Earnhardt, in which every crew member of every team lined [[pit road]] to shake his hand as he made his way to [[List of motorsport terminology#V|victory lane]]. Earnhardt then drove his No. 3 into the infield grass, starting a trend of post-race celebrations. He spun the car twice, throwing grass and leaving tire tracks in the shape of a No. 3 in the grass. He then spoke about the victory, saying, "I have had a lot of great fans and people behind me all through the years and I just can't thank them enough. The Daytona 500 is ours. We won it, we won it, we won it!" The rest of the season did not go as well, and the Daytona 500 was his only victory that year. Despite that, he did almost pull off a Daytona sweep, where he was one of the contenders for the win in the first nighttime Pepsi 400, but a pit stop late in the race in which a rogue tire cost him the race win. He slipped to 12th in the point standings halfway through the season, and Richard Childress decided to make a crew chief change, taking [[Mike Skinner (racing driver)|Mike Skinner]]'s crew chief [[Kevin Hamlin]] and putting him with Earnhardt while giving Skinner [[Larry McReynolds]] (Earnhardt's crew chief). Earnhardt finished the 1998 season eighth in the final points standings, with 1 win, 5 top fives, and 13 top tens, with an average finish of 16.2.

Before the 1999 season, fans began discussing Earnhardt's age and speculating that with his son, [[Dale Earnhardt Jr.|Dale Jr.]], making his Winston Cup debut, Earnhardt might be contemplating retirement. Earnhardt swept both races for the year at Talladega, leading some to conclude that his talent had become limited to the restrictor plate tracks, which require a unique skill set and an exceptionally powerful racecar to win. But halfway through the year, Earnhardt began to show some of the old spark. In the August race at [[Michigan International Speedway|Michigan]], he led laps late in the race and nearly pulled off his first win on a non-restrictor-plate track since 1996. One week later, he provided NASCAR with one of its most controversial moments. At the [[1999 Goody's Headache Powder 500|Bristol night race]], Earnhardt found himself in contention to win his first short track race since Martinsville in 1995. When a caution came out with 15 laps to go, leader Terry Labonte got hit from behind by the lapped car of [[Darrell Waltrip]]. His spin put Earnhardt in the lead with five cars between him and Labonte with five laps to go. Labonte had four fresh tires, and Earnhardt was driving on old tires, which made Earnhardt's car considerably slower. Labonte caught Earnhardt and passed him coming to the [[white flag]], but Earnhardt drove hard into turn two, bumping Labonte and spinning him around. Earnhardt collected the win while spectators booed and made obscene gestures. "I didn't mean to turn him around, I just wanted to rattle his cage," Earnhardt said of the incident. He finished seventh in the standings that year, with 3 wins, 7 top fives, and 21 top tens, with an average finish of 12.0.