Best of the Intimidator: The greatest moments of Dale Earnhardt's career

Dale Earnhardt is widely considered to be the best stock-car driver ever. With 76 NASCAR Cup Series wins and seven championships, he earned the respect of fans worldwide. These are the best moments of his illustrious racing career.

Becoming the "first man" to win at the Brickyard

Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt's rivalry in the 1990s wasn't much of a rivalry between the two legendary drivers at all.

Instead, it may have been their two opposing fanbases that hated each other, as Earnhardt's blue-collar, North Carolina base was a far cry from Gordon's California and Indiana upbringing.

After Gordon won the inaugural Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis in 1994, Earnhardt took his chance to poke fun at "Wonder Boy" in victory lane, famously quipping, "I'm one of two men to win it, if not the first."

Daytona flip was no deterrent to the Man In Black

If you had just flipped down the backstretch at 190 miles per hour in the Daytona 500, would you get back in a car ready for the dumpster?

99 percent of drivers would likely say no, but Earnhardt simply wasn't like other drivers. When Earnhardt discovered that his battered Chevrolet Monte Carlo would still start, he decided to get back in the car and finish the race. He could only salvage a 31st-place finish, but it was certainly the most hard-earned 31st-place finish in racing history.

The "Pass in the Grass"

Contrary to popular belief, Earnhardt's supposed "Pass in the Grass" wasn't actually a pass. Earnhardt retained the race lead despite getting loose off of turn four in the 1987 Winston in the middle of a fierce battle with Bill Elliott for the win.

Whether Earnhardt's move was an official pass or not, it's often referred to as Exhibit A when fans say that he was the most talented driver in NASCAR.

Talladega, 2000: 18th to first in four laps

With four laps to go in the 2000 Winston 500 at Talladega, Earnhardt was buried back in the 18th position. He had broken into the top 10 with three laps to go, and with two laps to go, he had taken the lead from Mike Skinner.

With a push from Kenny Wallace, Earnhardt was strong enough to hold off the field and win the 76th and final race of his career. Earnhardt's drive to the front is often considered one of the best drives in the sport's history and further proves that Earnhardt was one of the best superspeedway racers of all time.

Earnhardt finally captures the Daytona 500

For 19 years, the Daytona 500 evaded Earnhardt by any means necessary. Whether it be a flat tire, a seagull, fuel mileage, or a crash, every conceivable variable kept one of NASCAR's greatest drivers from winning its greatest race. However, that wasn't the case in 1998, as Earnhardt captured his first and only Daytona 500 victory by dominating the last corner of the race.

In the process, he helped create potentially the most famous line in NASCAR history, spoken by CBS lead announcer Mike Joy: "20 years of trying, 20 years of frustration! Dale Earnhardt will come to the caution flag to win the Daytona 500! Finally!"