3: The Dale Earnhardt Story
Television release poster
Genre	Biographical drama
Written by	Robert Eisele
Directed by	Russell Mulcahy
Starring	Barry Pepper J.K. Simmons Elizabeth Mitchell Sean Bridgers Joe Chrest Chad McCumbee Greg Thompson Kevin Stillwell Ron Prather
Music by	Louis Febre
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producer	Orly Adelson
Producer	Lynn Raynor
Cinematography	James Chressanthis
Editor	William B. Stich
Running time	90 minutes
Production companies	Orly Adelson Productions ESPN Original Entertainment
Original release
Network	ESPN
Release	December 11, 2004 (2004-12-11)

3: The Dale Earnhardt Story is a 2004 American biographical drama television film directed by Russell Mulcahy, written by Robert Eisele, and starring Barry Pepper as NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt. It chronicles Earnhardt's life from his humble upbringing in Kannapolis, North Carolina, throughout his career racing automobiles to include his rise to dominance in NASCAR, culminating with his death in the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.^[1] Its central theme focuses on the relationship between him and his father, Ralph Earnhardt, as well as the relationship between him and his youngest son, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The film premiered on ESPN on December 11, 2004. Pepper's performance earned him a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie.^[2]

Many of the film's race scenes were filmed at Rockingham Speedway. The track had lost its races and at the time was used mostly as a test facility and driving school. Chad McCumbee, who portrayed Earnhardt Jr., later became a NASCAR driver in the Truck Series.^[3] He also raced alongside Dale Jr. himself at the Pocono 500, driving Kyle Petty's 45 car, as Petty was in the TNT broadcast booth.

Actors playing the part of the Flying Aces were Ray Everett, Greg Davis, David Brooks, Robbie Hicks, and Don Gyr.

Synopsis

The film details the life of stock-car racing legend Dale Earnhardt. From an early age, Earnhardt learned about cars from his father Ralph, who worked at a mill to feed and clothe his family but also rebuilt jalopies in his garage and raced them at local events on weekends. Ralph, a minor legend in Southern stock-car racing, inspired Dale to follow his own passion for racing. After dropping out of high school to race, Dale started out in his father's shadow and struggled to establish himself for more than a decade, especially when tangling with legends in the sport such as Darrell Waltrip. Dale finally broke into NASCAR in the late '70s, and in time became the top prize money winner in NASCAR history. The lessons Dale learned from his father are revisited when Dale's own teenage son, Dale Jr., decides to take up racing at the age of 16.^[4]

Cast

Copyright infringement controversy

The script of this film was not approved by Earnhardt's widow, Teresa Earnhardt and the Earnhardt Family. The film, although capturing the essence of Earnhardt, is inaccurate in many of the events seen in it. Richard Childress, the former car owner and team owner of Earnhardt, sued ESPN for copyright infringement with its use of the "3" logo.^[5] In December 2005, the lawsuit was settled out of court.^[6]