Earnhardt is Superspeedwayman
NASCAR Online
Charlotte, North Carolina (September 29, 1998)

Effective this week in Charlotte the proclaiming red "Plus" on Earnhardt's hood will be replaced by the GM Goodwrench Service Plus logo.

Known as the master of the superspeedway, Dale Earnhardt has a combined total of 48 victories between Charlotte, Talladega and Daytona.   He has 31 wins at Daytona, nine at Talladega, and eight at Charlotte.  With those three tracks occupying the next three slots on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series schedule, Earnhardt and the GM Goodwrench Service Plus Chevrolet team feel confident that it won't be long before they're back in Victory Lane.  The team's last win was at this year's Daytona 500.

"We need to get back up front," Earnhardt said. "With the superspeedways coming back onto the schedule, it might be enough to steer us in the right direction. We can't catch the leaders, but we can sure catch the next couple of positions in the points."

During the 1997 GM UAW 500 in Charlotte, Earnhardt was making a charge in the final laps pushing his Monte Carlo to the limit.  He was slipping and sliding around the high-bank turns only to come up short.  Earnhardt finished in third after starting in 19th.

Lately, the team has been on a dry spell at Charlotte Motor Speedway. They've finished 11 of the last 13 races in the top-10, including two wins and seven top-fives. Their last victory came in the 1993 Coca-Cola 600.

Earnhardt won his first race at Charlotte in only his eighth attempt around the 1.5-mile superspeedway.  That win came in the 1980 National 500; it was his sixth win of his career.  He went on to win four more times at CMS including back-to-back races in 1986.

"Charlotte is where I ran my first Winston cup race," Earnhardt said. "I remember coming down here with my family to watch the races as a kid. A lot of things have happened since then. I've won a lot of races here and have seen some really exciting finishes, but my biggest thrill was watching my son Dale Jr. get the chance to race here. I have a funny feeling he's going to get his share of victories here too."

After a 15-month run, the familiar bright red PLUS that has donned the hood of the No. 3 Chevrolet has been replaced with the GM Goodwrench Service Plus logo seen at your local Chevrolet dealerships.