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Dale Earnhardt Receives ESPY

Las Vegas, Nevada - Dale Earnhardt added to his collection of trophies and awards Valentine's Day during Monday night's ESPY Awards ceremony held at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The seven-time NASCAR champion, was attending his first ...

Edited: Apr 15, 2002, 11:45 PM

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Las Vegas, Nevada - Dale Earnhardt added to his collection of trophies and awards Valentine's Day during Monday night's ESPY Awards ceremony held at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The seven-time NASCAR champion, was attending his first ESPY Awards and voted "Driver of the Decade" out dueling fellow NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon and CART driver Al Unser, Jr. to the finish line.

The "Intimidator's" accomplishments of four NASCAR championships, 10 consecutive 125-mile qualifying race wins, along with the memorable 1998 Daytona 500 victory over the last decade are some of the events that secured his position as the "Driver of the Decade".

Accepting his award, Earnhardt remarked "I thought I did a pretty good job in the eighties." He went on to thank Mr. Bill France and NASCAR, Richard Childress, GM Goodwrench Service Plus and his wife, Teresa.

The ESPY Awards has become the "Who's Who" of the sports and celebrity fields with past presenters and attendees including: Tyra Banks; Michael Jordan; Billy Crystal; Tiger Woods; Chris Rock; Bill Murray; and Pete Sampras. "It was exciting to see all of the other athletes and celebrities attending the event. Every time you turned around there was somebody that you recognized. We had a great time I just wish we didn't have to leave as quick has we had too." The ESPY Awards were created by ESPN in 1993 and are given for Excellence in Sports Performance. A blue-ribbon panel of sports executives, journalists and retired athletes comprise the ESPY Special Nominating Committee. The ESPY is the only award that combines 19 sports to honor the best performances and most memorable moments. The winners are decided by the ESPY Finalist Committee that is comprised of top athletes and ESPN/ABC personnel.

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