Earnhardt Biopic Gets the Green Flag

Come on, there’s plenty of room for more Dale Earnhardt biographies. 

With the first big NASCAR event of the year, the Daytona 500, right around the corner, Variety brings us word that producers Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher are developing a film about the life of legendary driver, Dale Earnhardt.

Earnhardt was one of the most popular and successful drivers on the NASCAR circuit. He won 7 Winston Cup titles, 76 career races, and over $40 million in prize money. Merchandise based around Earnhardt and his famous #3 accounted for millions of dollars in sales. Earnhardt won the Daytona 500 in 1998 after years of trying, but was killed in the last lap of the race in 2001.

In addition to the many shots of stock cars turning left again and again, the story will also likely feature the romance between Earnhardt and his wife Teresa, and his relationship with his son, Dale Jr., whose own career took off after his father’s death. Both Teresa and Dale Jr. have agreed to cooperate on the making of the film, despite their own frosty relationship, which culminated in the departure last spring of Dale Jr. from DEI, the racing empire built by his father. This weekend Dale Jr. will be racing for the first time since leaving DEI, appearing at the 500 as a member of the Hendrick Motorsports team.

This isn’t the first go-around for an Earnhardt biopic–ESPN produced a television version a few years ago, entitled 3 and starring Barry Pepper as Earnhardt. It was not a big success, shall we say.

No word yet on a cast or director for the big screen version. I’m guessing Will Ferrell won’t be a contender, though.