Dale Earnhardt Sr.

Dale Earnhardt was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina in 1951. His father, Ralph Earnhardt, was then one of the best short-track drivers in NASCAR. Although Ralph did not want his son to follow in his footsteps, Earnhardt would not be persuaded to give up his dream of racing, and even dropped out of high school to race. Dale Earnhardt began his Winston Cup career in 1975, making his first start at Charlotte in the longest race on the Cup circuit, the World 600 and finished 22nd. Earnhardt would compete in 8 more races until 1979, when he would join Rod Osterlund Racing. In his rookie season, Earnhardt would win four poles, one race (at Bristol), 11 top 5's, 17 top 10's, and finish 7th in the points standings, winning Rookie of the Year honors. In his sophomore season, Earnhardt, now with a 20-year old Doug Richert as his crew chief, would begin the season winning the Busch Class. With wins at Atlanta, Bristol, Nashville, Martinsville and Charlotte, Earnhardt easily won his first Winston Cup Championship. His highly aggressive driving style made him a fan favorite and earned him the nickname "The Intimidator." This no-holds-barred style led to 76 victories and 7 Winston Cup titles and his universal appeal as a blue-collar, American Hero transformed the sport of NASCAR during his career. It has been said that God needed a NASCAR champion in Heaven and on Sept. 18, 2001 he called Dale home near the finish line of the Daytona 500.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt Jr. began his professional driving career at the age of 17, competing in the Street Stock division at Concord (N.C.) Motorsport Park. His first NASCAR race was in 1999 at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte and his first win came in 2000 at the DirecTV 500 in Fort Worth. Through 2006, Dale has 17 Cup wins and 108 Top 10's and is the most popular driver in NASCAR today. He has won NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award 4 years in a row (2003-2006) and fans clamor to the third-generation driver of the famous Earnhardt racing family. Earnhardt Jr. also became the first third-generation NASCAR champion when he won back-to-back Busch Series titles in 1998. In 2004, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Daytona 500, 6 years to the day after his father won his only title in the "Great American Race."

Earnhardt Jr. & Sr.

Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. (April 29, 1951 – February 18, 2001) was an American race car driver, best known for his career driving stock cars in NASCAR's top division. Earnhardt had four children, Kerry, Kelley Elledge Earnhardt, Dale Jr., and Taylor Earnhardt. His widow, Teresa Earnhardt (whom he married in 1982) is the owner of Dale Earnhardt, Inc., the race team and merchandising corporation Earnhardt founded with her in February of 1980.

Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon began racing at the age of five. Before the age of 18, Gordon had already won three short-track races and was awarded USAC Midget Car Racing Rookie of the Year in 1989. In 1991, Gordon moved up to the USAC Silver Crown and at the age of 20 became the youngest driver to win the title. Gordon then went on to spend two successful years in the NASCAR Busch Series in 1991 and 1992, driving for Bill Davis Racing (with whom he set a NASCAR record by capturing 11 poles in one season). His first Winston Cup race was in 1992 in the Hooters 500 in Atlanta and his first win came in 1994 at the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte. Jeff Gordon is widely regarded as one of NASCAR's best drivers with 4 NASCAR Series Championships all coming at a very young age. After winning the Rookie of the Year award in 1993 with Hendrick Motorsports, Gordon was termed the first "Young Gun" of NASCAR and has since been named one of NASCAR'S 50 Greatest Drivers. Going into the 2007 season Gordon has amassed an incredible 75 wins, 287 Top 10's and 56 Poles.

Tony Stewart

Tony Stewart has a long, proven history of auto racing success with championships in Sprint Cars, Indy Cars and Stock Cars. Stewart started his Winston Cup career in 1999 with a bang, as he qualified his #20 Home Depot Pontiac in second place in his first Cup race, the Daytona 500. Stewart spent most of his rookie season wowing people, as his car was often in the top 10. Since joining Joe Gibbs Racing, he has piloted his #20 Home Depot Chevy to 1999 Rookie of the Year honors and two NASCAR Series Championships in 2002 and 2005.

Jimmie Johnson

Johnson began racing in the NEXTEL Cup series in 2002. He stunned the NASCAR world by winning the pole at the 2002 Daytona 500 and ending up with a quality 15th place finish. He would only improve from there, winning three times, averaging a 13.5 place finish, and becoming the first rookie ever to both lead the series in points (he eventually finished fifth overall) and the first to sweep races at a track (Dover). Johnson's first Winston Cup win was at his home region at the California Speedway. He has never finished below fifth in the final NEXTEL Cup points standings, finished second twice (in 2003 and 2004) and won the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship. Since his rookie season Johnson ranks second among all active drivers with an average of 4.5 wins a season (behind Jeff Gordon's 5.6) and second in average top 10 finishes a season with 21.25 (behind Tony Stewart's 21.28). In 2006, Johnson became the only driver to win the Daytona 500, Allstate 400 at the Brickyard and the NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship all in the same year. He is the only driver to win three Coca Cola 600's in a row.

Alan Kulwicki

Alan Dennis Kulwicki (December 14, 1954 - April 1, 1993) arrived at the NASCAR scene in 1985 with in a borrowed pickup truck, a racecar, no sponsor, and limited budget. He was a perfectionist, and liked doing things his way. He raced for his own team thoroughout his NASCAR career. He was the 1986 NASCAR Rookie of the Year, and won the 1992 Winston Cup by the closest margin in NASCAR history. In 1998 he was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers and he was inducted in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2002. He was nicknamed "Special K" and the "Polish Prince".

Bill Elliott

William Clyde "Bill" Elliott (Born October 8, 1955 in Dawsonville, Georgia) is a part-time driver in, and former champion of, the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup series. It was announced on February 20, 2007 that Elliott will be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on August 15, 2007. The ceremony will take place in Detroit. The winner of the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup championship, in his career Elliott has garnered 44 wins in that series, including two Daytona 500 victories, and a record four consecutive wins at Michigan International Speedway during 1985-86. Elliott also holds the track record at both Talladega and Daytona International Speedway with speeds of more than 200 mph, neither of which is likely to be broken due to the current use of restrictor plates at both tracks. Elliott won NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award a record 16 times, which he last won in 2002. He withdrew his name from the ballot after that. The award will be renamed for Elliott when he officially retires from the sport.

Matt Kenseth

Kenseth made his Winston Cup series debut in 1998 at Dover, Del., filling in for Bill Elliott who had to attend his father's funeral on the day of the race. He finished sixth, the third best debut of any driver. The last driver before Matt to debut with a top-10 finish was Rusty Wallace in 1980. In 2000 Kenseth's entire team joined the Roush Racing organization, where they beat out Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to win the Raybestos Rookie of the Year. He won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, and is still the only rookie to win the famed 600 mile event. He went on to finish 14th in points with four top 5s and 11 top 10s. Matt has already reached the pinnacle of his sport with a NEXTEL Cup Championship in 2003 and he continues to distinguish himself as one of the best young drivers on the circuit finishing a close second in the standings in 2006.

Davey Allison

Davey began competing in some of NASCAR's lower divisions in 1985 and in July, car owner Hoss Ellington gave him his first chance to drive a Winston Cup car in the Talladega 500. Davey qualified Ellington's Chevrolet 22nd and finished 10th in his first Winston Cup start. Davey's first win came in the 1987 Winston 500 at Talladega and that same year he was named the 1987 Rookie of the Year. He won the Daytona 500 in 1992 and on July 12, 1993 he tragically passed away in a helicopter crash .In his short career, Davey Allison posted 19 wins, 66 top-five and 92 top-ten finishes. He also won 14 poles and earned $6,724,174. He was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.

Mark Martin

After racing in the short dirt tracks in the state of Arkansas for several years, Martin debuted in the American Speed Association (ASA) in 1977. He won the circuit's Rookie of the Year title in 1977 and then 3 consecutive championships from 1978 to 1980 and a 4th in 1986. In 1987, while driving in the NASCAR Busch Series at Dover, he was spotted by car owner Jack Roush and began a long-term relationship that lasted for 18 years. Mark made his Winston Cup debut in 1988 while driving the Stroh Lite car. He has distinguish himself throughout his career as one of NASCAR'S Greatest Drivers, finishing second in the cup standings four times (1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002). We feature Mark in his new Roush Racing 2006 AAA sponsored uniform with the cards highlighting his career up to the present. Many hard-to-find cards are included making this a great collectors item.

Richard Petty

Richard Petty began his NASCAR career on July 18, 1958, 16 days after his 21st birthday. His first race was at the Canadian National Exhibition Grounds in Toronto, Canada, where he finished 17th having completed 55 of 100 laps in an Oldsmobile. In 1959, Richard was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year, after he produced 9 top 10 finishes, including six Top 5 finishes. Petty is arguably the greatest NASCAR driver of all time winning a record 200 races during his career, winning the Daytona 500 a record seven times, and winning a record 27 races (ten of them consecutively) in the 1967 season alone. He also collected a record number of poles (127) and over 700 top-ten finishes in his 1,185 starts, including 513 consecutive starts from 1971-1989. He also won nine Most Popular Driver awards. In 1997, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.

Rusty Wallace

Rusty Wallace began his stellar career in 1980 when he finished second in his first NASCAR race at Atlanta. Wallace joined the Winston Cup circuit full-time in 1984, winning NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors and finishing 14th in the final points standings. He raced in the #88 Gatorade Pontiac for Cliff Stewart. Rusty's first win came on April 6, 1986, at the Bristol Motor Speedway. Bristol would also eventually become the site of his 50th career NASCAR win. In 1987 he reached a new sponsorship, and his early career is most remembered for his #27 Kodiak Pontiac. He dominated at short tracks and road courses. In 1989, Wallace won the NASCAR Winston Cup Championship, beating out close friend and fierce rival Dale Earnhardt by twelve points. Rusty won the IROC Championship in 1991 and was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers I 1998. He retired after the 2005 season with a 14.4 career average finish and 55 career wins, which is tied for 8th on NASCAR's all-time wins list.

Kasey Kahne

Kahne, known by his fellow drivers as K.K.K., or Triple K, replaced Bill Elliott in the #9 Dodge at the end of 2003 when Elliott announced a part-time schedule starting with the 2004 season. In 2004, Kahne surprised many by nearly winning several races (including five second-place finishes and 13 top-fives), winning four poles and captured the Raybestos Rookie of the Year award. He scored his first career NEXTEL Cup victory in his sophomore season of 2005, after a dominating performance in the Chevy America Revolution 400 at the Richmond International Raceway. He also scored two poles in back-to-back weeks at Darlington and Richmond during the same year. On Monday, March 20, 2006, Kahne won the rain delayed Golden Corral 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Nearly three weeks later, he won the Samsung/Radio Shack 500 at Texas. He has won four races since, among them a season sweep at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in the Coca-Cola 600 and the Bank of America 500, holding off Jimmie Johnson, who would go on to finish second in both events. He has also won at California and Michigan. On September 9, 2006, in only his third NASCAR season, Kahne successfully raced his way into the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup by finishing third at Richmond. When he qualified for the Chase for the Championship Kahne was 10th, 16 points ahead of 2005 Nextel Cup Champion Tony Stewart who coincidently missed the Chase.