<div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date'>1974</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Dale Earnhardt Jr. is Born</div><div class='timeline-text'>On October 10, 1974, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date'>1996</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Racing Debut in NASCAR</div><div class='timeline-text'>Dale Earnhardt Jr. made his debut in NASCAR Nationwide Series at the Myrtle Beach Speedway.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date'>1998-99</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Wins NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship</div><div class='timeline-text'>Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his first NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship in 1998 and repeated the feat in 1999.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date'>2001</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Loss of Father in Daytona 500</div><div class='timeline-text'>Dale's father, racing legend Dale Earnhardt Sr., died in a crash during the final lap of the Daytona 500.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date'>2004</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Wins Daytona 500</div><div class='timeline-text'>Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Daytona 500, NASCAR's most prestigious race, 3 years after his father's fatal crash on the same track.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date'>2008</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Joins Hendrick Motorsports</div><div class='timeline-text'>Dale Earnhardt Jr. left Dale Earnhardt, Inc., the team founded by his father, to join Hendrick Motorsports.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date'>2017</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Retires from Full-Time Racing</div><div class='timeline-text'>Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced his retirement from full-time racing at the end of the NASCAR season.</div></div></div>