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1979 - Rookie Sensation
In just the seventh race of 1979, he won the Southeastern 500 at Bristol's high-banked short track. Besides Davey Allison, who won his sixth race in 1987, no rookie has won earlier in his rookie season. Oh stop, it's not true, one driver was faster than all. Kevin Harvick, who replaced Dale after the tragic Daytona accident in 2001, won in his third Winston Cup race as a rookie the Atlanta Cracker Barrell 500 race in the No.29 Goodwrench car. By the way, it was the same car with it Dale won his Atlanta race in 2000.
Dale Earnhardt's win in 1979 was wonderfully prescient: In 2000, his son, Dale Jr., won the seventh race of his 2000 rookie year at Texas. Another telling sign in Dale Sr.'s rookie season was toughness. The only races Dale ever failed to start in his Winston Cup career came in 1979 after a vicious, tumbling wreck at Pocono. While leading at Pocono, Dale blew a tire causing his car to flip several times leaving him with two broken collarbones, a concussion, and severe bruises to the neck and chest. But Dale Earnhardt demonstrated his trademark thoughness when he returned just six weeks later and won the pole in each of his first two post-injury starts.
His amazing effort was yet another prescient turn of
events: in 1996, he accomplished a similar feat after a wreck at
Talladega, during which he suffered a broken sternum and collarbone.
After the 1996 Talladega ride-of-hell crash, Dale
qualified for and started the Back to 1979. After returning from his Pocono mishap, from 1979 until the tragic 2001 Daytona 500, Dale didn't miss a race.
His life-ending accident at Daytona ended a consecutive start streak of 648 races- second all-time in NASCAR history. The juiciest coincidence in Dale Earnhardt's rookie campaign was the fact that his introduction to the Winston Cup world came during Richard Petty's final championship season.
NASCAR's King Richard wrapped up his seventh title in 1979, more than a thousend points ahead of the seventh-place driver in the standings- Dale Earnhardt. Within 14 seasons, Dale tied Richard's title total. Dale finished in the 1979 season 7th in points with 1 win, 11 top 5's, 17 top 10's in 27 starts and defeating Joe Millikan, Harry Gant, and Terry Labonte for 1979 Rookie of the Year honors.
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Few
drivers in NASCAR history made as big an impact in their rookie season
as Dale Earnhardt. The Kanapolis, N.C., native showed his hand early,
offering not-so-subtle clues as to the kind of driver he would
soon become. 
Brickyard 400 just six days
later. Then,
in the second race after the wreck, he won the pole at Watkins Glen.