Although his initial claim to fame may have been that he was the son of the "Intimidator," Dale Earnhardt, Jr. quickly proved that he can make a name for himself. After driving in 9 races in 1996 and 1997, Earnhardt won 7 of 31 races and finished in the top five 16 times during his first full season to win the 1998 Busch Series championship. He ran in his first Winston Cup series race on May 30, 1999, starting 8th in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe"s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina.