3: The Dale Earnhardt Story (2004)

Directed by

Russell Mulcahy

Genre

sport film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 32m

Rating

7.6 of 10 from 20 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This film tells the story of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt from his poor childhood through his rise to racing fame. It focuses on his relationships with his father and his son Dale Earnhardt Jr.

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What happens

3: The Dale Earnhardt Story is a 2004 American biographical drama television film directed by Russell Mulcahy, written by Robert Eisele, and starring Barry Pepper as NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt. It chronicles Earnhardt's life from his humble upbringing in Kannapolis, North Carolina, throughout his career racing automobiles to include his rise to dominance in NASCAR, culminating with his death in the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Its central theme focuses on the relationship between him and his father, Ralph Earnhardt, as well as the relationship between him and his youngest son, Dale Earnhardt Jr. The film premiered on ESPN on December 11, 2004. Pepper's performance earned him a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie. Many of the film's race scenes were filmed at Rockingham Speedway. The track had lost its races and at the time was used mostly as a test facility and driving school. Chad McCumbee, who portrayed Earnhardt Jr., later became a NASCAR driver in the Craftsman Truck Series. He also raced alongside Dale Jr. himself at the 2007 Pocono 500, driving Kyle Petty's 45 car, as Petty was in the TNT broadcast booth. Actors playing the part of the Flying Aces were Ray Everett, Greg Davis, David Brooks, Robbie Hicks, and Don Gyr. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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• Dale (2007)
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