When did Dale Earnhardt win his first Daytona 500?

Legendary NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, sometimes referred to as Dale Earnhardt Sr. in the wake of his namesake son's successful career, won the Daytona 500 for the first time in 1998. This victory came after 20 years of unsuccessful attempts at a win in this particular race.

By the time Earnhardt won the Daytona 500, he was a big name in professional auto racing, particularly in the United States, and it was unusual that such a famous and otherwise successful driver had never won what is widely considered to be NASCAR's most important race. Earnhardt's Daytona 500 losing streak was sometimes referred to as a jinx or a curse, though that ended with his victory in 1998.