Dale Earnhardt Plaza

Located on Main St in between A and B Streets, the one-acre Dale Earnhardt Plaza is the home to the statue by Arizona sculptor Clyde Ross Morgan honoring Kannapolis' hometown hero and racing legend Dale Earnhardt. The 900 pound, nine foot tall, bronze statue is surrounded by walkways and gardens. Visitors can also enjoy the monument from Earnhardt's Vermont and New Hampshire fans. Just a block away, the Cannon Village Visitor Center hosts the Dale Earnhardt Tribute Center by Sam Bass that chronicles Earnhardt's career through Bass's most loved pieces.

Dale Earnhardt Tribute Numerology

Some of the thousands of visitors to the Dale Earnhardt Tribute have heard the description of the numerology designed into Dale Earnhardt Plaza. For those who don't know, make sure to take note of the details when you visit:

• Seven steps descend into the Plaza from both entrances on Main Street representing Dale's seven Winston Cup Championships. The granite base of the statue pedestal is also divided into seven sections representing his championship victories.
• The base measurements for the statue were taken from Dale Earnhardt's brother Danny.
• Dale's 76 Winston Cup career wins are commemorated by the seat wall around the statue square in the center of the Plaza, which is designed for 76 granite sections. The granite sections are not in place, but they are on the fundraising list.
• The walk around the Plaza is shaped like an oval to represent a racetrack
• The azaleas and daylilies around the center seat wall are planted in sets of three. The benches along the oval walk are grouped in sets of three. Both represent the three so well associated with Dale.
• Eight lights shine on the statue representing the number of the cars Dale's father, Ralph Earnhardt, and his son Dale Earnhardt, Jr., drive.
• The statue of Dale faces his home place and toward "Idiot's Circle."
  Idiot's Circle is the area of town teens in Dale's day once drove around on the weekends to socialize. Dale is rumored to have learned to drive and turn left there.