By Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer
The Intimidator. The Man in Black. Ironhead. One Tough Customer. Dale Earnhardt was called all of those — he was such a legendary NASCAR figure that just one nickname wasn’t enough. Considered by many to be the best driver in the sport’s history, Earnhardt died in a last-lap crash at the 2001 Daytona 500 and has since attained almost mythical status among race fans.
But the new four-part Amazon Prime documentary that premieres May 22 won’t just concentrate on the seven NASCAR Cup championships and Earnhardt’s aggressive on-track persona, according to two of his children. Instead, as Dale Earnhardt Jr. said in a Zoom interview with reporters Wednesday, it will also include a heavy focus on Earnhardt’s personal relationships. “It shows you the human side of Dad,” Earnhardt Jr. said of the documentary. “It celebrates the man on the race track, for sure. But it also celebrates the person he was, for better or worse. And there’s some tough moments in there. Some honest moments in there.”