| 1996 - Talladega Crash Derails Title Hopes |
For Dale Earnhardt, the middle of the 1996 season was the summer of his discontent. During the first
 15 events of the year, Dale was at his front-running best. A runner-up finish at the Daytona 500, followed by a victory at Rockingham, put Dale at the top of the points chase
early.
After a hiccup at Richmond, Dale went on to post ten Top 10 finishes in the next dozen races. When he finished fourth at Daytona on the sixth July (at the Pepsi 400), Dale had narrowed lead over Terry Labonte. From there, he slid backwards.
Starting with the Jiffy Lube 300 at New Hampshire July 14 and ending with the Hanes 500 at Martinsville Sept. 29, a span of 11 races, Dale Earnhardt notched only one Top 10, a sixth-place at the Bud at the Glen. The stretch, which included one DNF, dropped him to forth place, 351 points behind points leader Jeff Gordon.
That one DNF was a painful one. At Talladega, Dale got caught in the "big one"- the field-thinning wreck that seems to occur during Talladega races. Contact between Ernie Irvan and Sterling Marlin sent Dale hurtling into the outside retaining wall along the track's front
stretch.
Flipped on its side, Dale's car was plowed into three cars, including one shot to the roof of his Chevy. Dale, deservedly viewed as one of the toughest drivers on the track, emerged from the wreckage gingerly, but with a wave to the
crowd.
The veteran driver was rushed to a local hospital and diagnosed with a broken sternum and collarbone.
At that point in his career, the Talladega wreck was Dale's most serious since his violent 1979 crash
 at Pocono (which forced him out of action for four races). As he had in 1979, Dale demonstrated his toughness
immediately.
Less than a week after the horrible Talladega incident, Dale qualified 12th and started the Brickyard 400 before getting relief help from future teammate Mike
Skinner.
The next week, Dale won the pole at Watkins Glen with track record of 120.733 mph, led a race-high 54 laps and stayed in the car for the entire race in an amazing effort.
The Watkins Glen pole had significane for another reason, though no one knew it at the time: It was the 22nd and final time Dale won a pole.
A strong finish to the 1996 season, with four Top 10s in the final five races, including a second place in the final race at North Wilkesboro, was not enough to counteract the painful summer. Terry Labonte earned his second title, while Dale was fourth, 330 points back.
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