Two things stand out to me. First, Earnhardt transcended generations. He won his first Winston Cup championship in 1980, beating legendary drivers like Yarborough, Waltrip, Petty and Benny Parsons. That generational range also is reflected in Earnhardt's fan base. The other thing that stood out about Earnhardt was his resiliency.
Older drivers tend to decline with age.
Waltrip went from ninth in point standings at age 47 to 29th by age 49. Surely during the 2000 season at age 49, Earnhardt would continue to slide in the standings. Instead, Earnhardt reeled off 13 Top 5 finishes, finished in second place in the point standings and was considered among the favorites to win the 2001 championship. Now there will be no more championships. No more wins.