Seven time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt Sr was known to many in the NASCAR world as “The Intimidator”. Earnhardt would bump anyone who was in his way when it came to winning a race.
Earnhardt died on the final lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001 while he was in third place blocking for his drivers Michael Waltrip and son Dale Jr. Sr hit the wall head on and died from a broken neck. His death led to a number of safety moves to help keep the drivers safe on the track.
Metalhead Andrew Stromstad is paying tribute to Earnhardt with his new project “I Am the Intimidator”. The album is set for a March 8 release but the first single “Gasoline” is out now for digital download and streaming.
Stromstad spoke on the upcoming album saying, “I grew up worshipping NASCAR. there was a fire meme about Dale Earnhardt that said ‘turn left for mediocrity, turn right for immortality’ and it stuck with me forever.”
He continued, “originally I set out to make something humorous in nature, but then I watched a few Dale Earnhardt documentaries and found myself as the butt of the joke instead. There was a reason why he was revered and worshipped. He was a man of the people. He defied odds. He destroyed barriers. His ego was not indicative of his influence. He was as real as anyone can come. Once I came to that understanding, it was no longer a joke, it was a tribute to one of the greatest men to ever walk and roll this earth: Dale Earnhardt. And I hope passer-bys understand this outpouring of love.”
Along with the first single “Gasoline”; other songs include “No Regrets”, “Eat My Smoke”, the title track “I Am the Intimidator”, “I Am aHere…Now”, and “Crying from the Abyss”.