Dale Earnhardt, Inc. is a NASCAR team that fields the # 01 Principal Financial, #1 Bass Pro Shops, #8 U.S. Army, and #15 Menards Chevys with with drivers Regan Smith (#01), Martin Truex, Jr. (#1), Mark Martin, Aric Almirola (#8), and Paul Menard (#15) in the Sprint Cup Series, the team is based in Mooresville, North Carolina. Originally formed in 1980, the team was owned by seven-time Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt, before his death in a crash on the closing lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Despite his ownership of the racing team, he never raced for it in the Winston Cup; instead preferring to race for his long-time mentor and backer Richard Childress at RCR.