April 29, 2008, marks what would have been Dale Earnhardt’s 57th birthday.

Seven years after the iconic driver’s untimely death, we asked family, friends and former competitors one simple question: What would Dale Earnhardt’s life be like if he were here today?

Richard Petty
Owner, Petty Enterprises and seven-time Cup champion

“That’s a hard question to answer. I think he would have worked with drivers and crew members in the garage area and on the public relations side of things. He would be a hands-on person. That’s the way he grew up. He wouldn’t have known anything other than being involved in racing.”

Kenny Wallace
NASCAR driver and Speed analyst

“If not for the death of Dale Earnhardt, the soft walls wouldn’t be as prominent and the HANS device wouldn’t be as popular — you might even be called a wimp if you had one. All of the state-of-the-art safety equipment might not be inside these race cars today. His death was not in vain. “He was very influential with Mr. France and Mike Helton because they truly listened to what Dale had to say. Dale filled up the grandstands, just like his boy does today. I truly feel the sport would be headed in an entirely different direction. That’s how strong Dale Earnhardt was. If he were alive, we may not even have the car of tomorrow.”

Elliott Sadler
Driver, No. 19 Dodge
 
“Dale was really good at talking to the young drivers just getting into the Cup series. He was always giving the rookies hints and advice. I think the kids coming into the sport would have a better attitude about things. They wouldn’t be so hotheaded and ‘punkish.’

“Dale Earnhardt really knew how to put you in your place and set you straight. He reminded you how hard to race each other, how to take care of each other and to make sure you took care of the fans and sponsors. He was a great role model.”

Jeff Gordon
Driver, No. 24 Chevrolet

“I think about that from time to time. Dale was a guy who always tried to understand all sides of a scenario. That would include NASCAR’s side, the entertainment side, the business side and the competition side of the sport. That’s why I try to look at all sides of something and be open-minded about it.

“I think he would be extremely excited for Dale Jr. — that he’s at Hendrick Motorsports, one of the best teams out there. And things might have been different at Dale Earnhardt Inc. if he were still around. Junior’s move may have never needed to happen.”

Mike Helton
NASCAR President

“I feel confident he would be actively involved in the sport today running his team. I think he would be a Richard Childress-type team owner or someone who would be successful as a team owner. He would be constantly roaming around the garage area.”

Allen Bestwick
ESPN/ABC NASCAR reporter

 “I think Dale would still be racing, and I think he would still be a contending driver. I don’t know if he would be a dominating driver like he was, but who is? Even Jeff Gordon isn’t a dominating driver like he was in the mid-90s.

“I have a hard time envisioning him doing anything but racing and when he could no longer contend, saying, ‘OK, I’m done.’ ”

Darrell Waltrip
Fox NASCAR analyst and three-time Cup champion

“Dale was fanatical about little logistical things. He was a very detail-oriented kind of guy. He would be making sure his boat, ‘Sunday Money,’ would be parked right up at the front window of The Chart House in Daytona Beach. That would be the first thing he would take care of. Then, he would make sure his motorcoach and his transporter were parked in the proper places. That was important to him.

“By now, Dale would be retired from driving. I believe he would be a Sprint Cup car owner, and he and Dale Jr. would have won at least one or two championships by now. And he would make sure everyone knew they were the champions.

“Dale would probably be complaining about something he didn’t feel was fair concerning Ford, Toyota or Dodge. He’d be leaning on Brian France pretty hard about rule changes that need to be made. He’d be right in the middle of things, telling them how to run the show and how they ought to do it. Believe it or not, they would listen, and they would take his advice a lot more seriously than they would anybody else’s.”

Sterling Marlin
Driver, No. 09 Chevrolet

“Dale would probably be on his farm messing with cattle, chickens and all the stuff he used to mess with. I know he’d still be a team owner, and he would have been pretty involved in that. It’s hard to believe he’s no longer here.”

Felix Sabates
Co-owner, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates

“He would definitely be a team owner, and his organization would be right up there with Hendrick Motorsports. He would also have Dale Jr. driving for him. He might also have Jeff Gordon and somebody else. Dale was pretty slick. He would be going out stealing people from teams, just like other teams were stealing from him. He’d be right in the middle of the action.”

Larry McReynolds
Fox NASCAR analyst and former crew chief

“I worked with Dale for two years, and I’m sure of one thing: If he were still with us and still competitive, he would still be racing.

“When he had surgery on his neck and his back before the 2000 season, he felt like, ‘I can do this again. I feel good in the race car.’ You would not have seen him out there just riding around. If he felt he didn’t have the stamina to race 500 miles or he wasn’t competitive, he would have absolutely, without a doubt, walked away from driving.

“We’ve had a changing of the guard in NASCAR. Brian France and Mike Helton are there, and I think Mike and Brian would have listened to Dale. The late Bill France Jr. listened closely to what Dale had to say. I’m not saying he made any decisions based on that, but Mr. France definitely listened to Dale. He knew Dale was going to come in there and shoot straight.”

Dr. Jerry Punch
ESPN/ABC analyst

“He would be running DEI, and I think he would be a major factor in terms of a leadership position in the sanctioning body.

“He would have offered his opinions, but I don’t think he would have ever wanted to take a title or position with NASCAR.

“He believed he could make a difference in the garage area. He would be talking to other drivers, putting an arm around their shoulder and giving them advice — as he did with Jeff Gordon.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Driver, No. 88 Chevrolet

“If my dad were here today, he would be very focused on running Dale Earnhardt Inc. — making sure he had the very best employees. That was his normal chore, to get the absolute best people. He would be doing that constantly and always working in that direction.

“As far as driving, I’m not sure if he’d still be in a car today. But even if he didn’t run the full schedule, he would run a handful of races out of his own shop. He’d also be doing a lot of hunting and fishing.”

Kenny Francis
Team director, No. 9 Dodge

“Dale Sr. was a great guy. He took a lot of time out for a lot of people. But he did that in such a way that few people knew about all the things he did.

“It’s hard to say specifically what would be different. He always had a lot of authority and respect among those of us in the sport, and I’m sure his views would be honored.

“I’m sure he’d be trying to run his race team. That’s what would make him the happiest. Knowing him the little bit I did, he had a real competitive spirit.”

Donnie Wingo
Crew chief, No. 42 Dodge

“Dale would still own a race team, but I don’t think he’d be driving. I think he’d be involved in a lot of the decision making. As long as it didn’t interfere with his hunting and fishing, he would be right in the middle of it.

“As far as the new car, it’s hard to say if he would have liked it. He did like his race cars to slide around a little bit, so maybe it would have suited him.”

Steve Hmiel
Manager of competition, Chip Ganassi Racing

“I think he would have driven another year or two. He would be playing a large role with his race team, and he would have a much bigger impact with NASCAR — as far as the decisions being made. I think he would offer more forward thinking.

“Although he didn’t dictate the direction of NASCAR, he looked at things from a pretty broad perspective — like Jeff Burton does today.

“He would be right here watching and pulling people aside saying, ‘You need to do this better and do that better.’

“A real void was created with the loss of Dale. He was someone that everyone trusted.”

Danny “Chocolate” Myers
Longtime RCR crew member

“Almost 10 years after the fact, Dale would still be involved in racing. He would still be working on the farm, continuing to be a family guy, going to the race track, doing all the things that he loved doing.

“Thinking back to the times we won, it makes you say, ‘Why didn’t we take more time savoring that moment?’ I think victory lane for us was cool because Dale was a racer’s racer. I think when we won a race with Dale, all the other guys we raced against who expressed their congratulations to us really meant it.

“Our team was a lot closer than people may have thought. The real cool thing about our team was that we all kind of came from the same background, including Dale. We were all a bunch of blue-collar guys that grew up tough and grew up hard. But we all had the same desire to do whatever it took to win.”

Richard Childress
Owner, Richard Childress Racing

“Dale would be very visible in the sport, but I don’t think he would have been someone who would have worked for NASCAR. He wanted to make sure his teams and his businesses succeeded, and he wanted to take care of his family. Those would have been the main things we would have seen him do.

“He would be a great team owner today because he had a lot of interest in his race teams. He would have probably also done some TV, but he would not have been a full-time commentator, I can tell you that.

“He’d also be spending time on his boat, and he’d be doing a hell of a lot of hunting and fishing. We had plans to go hunting in Africa. I would come back from trips and tell him stories and he would say, ‘You’ve got to take me with you when I retire.’

“There were two things we talked about that he really wanted to do: go on a sheep hunt with me in British Columbia and take Teresa and my wife, Judy, to Africa.”

Kevin Triplett
Dale Earnhardt’s former PR representative

“It’s really hard to say. He was hard to read. You’d be sitting there with the weight on your back foot waiting on a fastball, and he would throw you a curve. You just don’t know what he would have done. “I don’t know if he would be driving, but we talked once about how long he might race. It was right about the time Harry Gant ripped off those seven Cup and Busch wins in September of 1991 at age 51. He said, ‘You know, I had thought at one point that this age (40) would be where I would step down. But if Harry can do it at his age, he’s added several years onto my career.’”

Humpy Wheeler
President, Lowe’s Motor Speedway

“When he died in 2001, he knew that he was in the twilight of his career, and it wasn’t going to be long before he retired from driving. That’s the tragedy of his death for those of us who knew him well. He was only a year or two from saying, ‘That’s enough.’

“He’d be all hyped up about the start of a new season as a car owner and seeing Dale Jr. race. He’d also be badgering Dale Jr. about what he should be doing in the draft. He’d also have a couple more drivers. He’d be sitting there hollering and screaming at me about having too many people working for him who all want raises.

“There’s no question about it. None. Zero. He would still be heavily involved in the sport. He worked in racing all of his life, and he’d be right in the middle of it today. That was why he built Dale Earnhardt Inc.”

David Ragan
Driver, No. 6 Ford

 “You think of Dale Earnhardt Sr. as someone who never quit at anything he attempted. He was a true racer. I think he probably would be retired. He would be overseeing the tremendous potential of his son, Dale Jr., as well as his racing operation.

“He would also be coaching his grandson, Jeffrey (son of Dale’s oldest son, Kerry) and spotting for the team.

“He’s just not someone who would have vanished into the background. He would definitely still be a big part of the sport.”

Rusty Wallace
ESPN/ABC NASCAR analyst and former Cup champion

“If Dale were with us today, this probably would have been his first year of retirement. His dream was to build Dale Earnhardt Inc., and I believe if he were still here, Dale Jr. would be driving for him. No doubt about that. He’d probably have a four-car team right now, because he was one of the most popular guys in the sport and raising sponsorship money was not a problem for him.

“He’d have a bigger boat and he’d be enjoying life. I knew Dale well, and that was his plan. One of his passions was getting on the water.

“I miss him a ton. I think about him all the time. He was such an icon. When he left us, that’s when some of our problems with the sport began.”

Don Miller
Former president, Penske Racing

“He would be the senior statesman of the sport. One thing Dale had that would have never gone away was his ability to communicate with heads of state or the guys down at the two-car garage. He knew it all. He could communicate with someone from Belly Button, West Virginia, all the way to Washington, D.C. He was stubborn as hell at times, but he was the type of person people looked up to.”

This article originally appeared in the April 2008 issue of NASCAR Illustrated.