Sunday after Sunday as cars lined up to race, fans cheered when "GM Goodwrench Chevrolet from Kannapolis, NC, Dale Earnhardt" boomed over the loudspeaker. In Kannapolis, Earnhardt's hometown, a singular civic pride awakened during these announcements prompting stories about the early days of racing when Ralph Earnhardt, Dale's father, led the pack and Dale only dreamed of being a driver.

To celebrate Dale Earnhardt, to tell the story of his roots in Kannapolis and capture his legendary NASCAR career, citizens and City Officials are raising money to build a Tribute in Cannon Village, the city's downtown. Sculptor Clyde Ross Morgan of Sedona, AZ is creating the statue of Earnhardt due to a generous contribution by David H. Murdock, an L.A. businessman and owner of Atlantic American Properties, Inc. (AAP) in Kannapolis. AAP owns Cannon Village and is providing an acre site on the corner of Main and B Streets for the statue. AAP also paid for the remodeling of the Cannon Village Visitor Center, a block away from the statue site, to house the Dale Earnhardt Tribute Center by renowned motorsports artist Sam Bass. Bass' first exhibit opened in May 2002 with 15 prints of Earnhardt. The Dale Earnhardt Steering Committee is now raising funds and seeking in-kind contributions to prepare the statue site and assist with the development of the Tribute Center.

The Earnhardt story begins in the 1950's, when Kannapolis, like so many Charlotte-area communities, was a mill village. Cannon Mills, now Fieldcrest Cannon, Inc. a subsidiary of Pillowtex Co., was then the largest producer of towels, sheets and home textile products in the world. The mill employed thousands of people providing them with secure jobs, housing and other services. The base of the community rested on two things, faith in God and a work ethic that emphasized commitment, excellence and quality.

"Mill town people had a work ethic," said Marshall Brooks, owner of Marshall Motor Company in Concord, NC. He new Ralph Earnhardt and sponsored Dale for $75 a week when he first started racing. "When the mill worked six days a week and 12 hours a day, you worked."

Like baseball and movies, another pillar of the community was racing. "In the 1950's and 1960's," Brooks explained, "everyone had a car in the backyard. When men were off from the mill, many of them sunk every penny they had into their cars. On Saturdays a family could pack sandwiches or chicken, go to the races and have some inexpensive entertainment."

Ralph Earnhardt started in the mill but applied the same work ethic the community shared to turn his hobby into a business.

Frank Dayvault ran Dayvault's Tune Up and Brake Service in Kannapolis with his brother Wayne. They owned the only dynamometer in the area. Ralph came every week to test his cars before racing them. The brothers now own an automotive shop in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Gregg Dayvault, Frank's cousin, worked in the tune-up and brake shop and now owns his own automotive business across the street from the original shop. "Then, racing was just family helping family," he said.

"Racing was a hobby," Frank Dayvault said. "It was cheap to race then. It wasn't a business. But Ralph was different, to Ralph it was a business. He was able to make a living at it when not many people could."

People who knew Ralph describe him as a "genius with cars and parts," "a go-getter," "a workaholic" and "sharp as a tack."

"In Ralph's shop, you may come to visit, but he'd be working and you'd have to wait sometimes up to a half an hour," said Brooks. "Then he'd hold a little conversation and go back to work. He was innovative. In those days, if you needed something, you made it."

To Dale, Ralph passed on this work ethic. "Ralph let Dale learn on his own," said Frank Dayvault, "He helped him, but he wouldn't do the work for him."

"I think Dale learned to focus himself from his Dad," Brooks said, "His Dad's example gave him his drive and taught him how to do things."

"Ralph taught him how to bump, run and grind on the track," said Ralph Deal, owner of Ralph's Autoparts in Kannapolis. The Earnhardt's bought autoparts from him for thirty years until he sold his store two years ago and retired. "They raced together a few times at the Metrolina Fairgrounds in Charlotte and at the old Concord Speedway. I saw Ralph ride Dale's bumper and push him so he could learn how to handle it. Ralph had a logo on one of his cars, 'Go or blow.' Ralph would run as hard as he could until it blew. That served Dale, he was the same way."

Local memories of Dale center on his love of cars and winning. "I'm proud for Dale. He worked hard and was a good driver," Deal continued. "I remember that he always wanted to be a winner."

Frank Dayvault recounts Dale's earliest victories. "Me and my wife had a slot car track in the Midway section of town on Main Street. This was in 1963 to maybe 1965 so Dale was 12 or 13. He won his first trophy. When I was at his house a few years ago, he showed me that little trophy. He'd hung on to it all those years because it was the first trophy he ever got for racing."

Then there was the pink K-2, Dale's first racecar. Ray and David Oliver, Dale's brother-in-law, owned the 1956 Ford Club Sedan and Dayvault Tune-Up and Brake Service sponsored it. "The K-2 was the way the track numbered the cars. There was a K-1 and K-3 too," said Gregg Dayvault, "Money was tight then. My cousins, Frank and Wayne, mixed up the paint they had sitting on a shelf and that's how it came out pink with a purple top."

Gregg Dayvault and his son Ryan have since built an authentic replica of the K-2. "My son was the one who wanted to build it," said Dayvault. "We started in 1998 and finished in 2000. My cousin still remembered the exact formula for the paint. I'm glad we did it because it stands as a memorial in itself to remember Dale by."

"Dale was a good, local boy and all he wanted to do was be a racer," said Brooks. "The unique thing about Dale is that he was always from Kannapolis, NC. He never forgot where he came from. We appreciated that."

In return, when people from Kannapolis travel, the fact they are from Dale Earnhardt's hometown is the usual greeting, even before a handshake or hello.

"So many people know about Kannapolis, if they are coming to Charlotte, they're going to come the distance (to the Tribute)," said Brooks. "Unlike a lot of things, I think people will talk about Dale Earnhardt for a long time to come."

The City's Tribute will stand for a long time honoring the early days of racing that shaped Dale Earnhardt as well as the legend he became.

To contribute to the Dale Earnhardt Tribute, mail a tax-deductible contribution to:
The City of Kannapolis
C/O The Dale Earnhardt Tribute Fund
PO Box 1199
Kannapolis, NC 28082-1199
Please make checks to the City of Kannapolis.

For more information, call 704-938-5133