Documenting the American South

Doc South header logo Home
Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina
Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina
Commemorative Landscapes banner

Source:  Dale Earnhardt Statue. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Gibson.

  • Monument Name

    Dale Earnhardt Statue, Kannapolis

  • Type

    Sculpture

  • Subjects

    Historic Cultural Figures

    Historic Sports Figures

  • Creator

    Clyde Ross Morgan, Sculptor

  • City

    Kannapolis

  • County

    Cabarrus

  • Description

    This 9 foot tall, 900-pound bronze statue of Dale Earnhardt is clad in jeans, cowboy boots and a short-sleeved shirt. His arms are crossed on his chest in an apparently jovial gesture. The statue of the NASCAR driver stands in the middle of a circular granite base. Two small plaques sit on the front of the base. As of 2013, the work on the monument continued with plans to add 76 granite sections, one for each of his Winston Cup wins. Plans also include the installation of benches and plants around the plaza, many of them with the number 3 (Earnhardt's racing number) incorporated into them. The city of Kannapolis began planning a memorial to Earnhardt in May 2001.

  • Inscription

    Left plaque on base:
    Honoring Our / Hometown Hero / City of Kannapolis

    Right plaque on base:
    In Loving Memory / Gerald L. Moore / Wesley A. Moore

    Image of plaques

  • Custodian

    City of Kannapolis

  • Dedication Date

    October 14, 2002

  • Decade

    2000s

  • Geographic Coordinates

    35.496870 , -80.625040 View in Geobrowsemap pin

  • Supporting Sources

      "Dale Earnhardt, Kannapolis, NC," Waymarking.com, (accessed June 24, 2012) Link

      "Parks: Dale Earnhardt Plaza," City of Kannapolis, kannapolisnc.gov, (accessed June 24, 2012) Link

      Cabarrus County Convention & Visitors Bureau. "Dale Earnhardt Plaza Tribute," www.visitcabarrus.com, (accessed January 21, 2019) Link

      Glassberg, Ronnie. “Hometown Honors Earnhardt,” The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, NC), October 15, 2002

      Smith-Arrants, Gail. “Earnhardt Artist Tries to Capture Breadth of Racer,” Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, NC), July 25, 2001

      “Regional Dispatches,” Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, NC), May 16, 2001

  • Public Site

    Yes

  • Materials & Techniques

    Bronze statue, granite base

  • Sponsors

    David Murdock

  • Monument Cost

    $200,000

  • Subject Notes

    Dale Earnhardt, Sr., (April 29, 1951 – February 18, 2001) was a famous NASCAR driver from Kannapolis, NC who won seventy-six races. Earnhardt died in the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.

  • Location

    The statue is located in the Dale Earnhardt Plaza, a part of the Cannon Village shopping center off of South Main Street between West A and West B streets.

  • Post Dedication Use

    To help fund the remainder of the planned design, the city of Kannapolis has began selling non-commercial brick inscriptions on the site.

  • Materials & Assembly Cost

    $10,000.00 to commission the sculptor.

Icon for reporting missing/incorrect information Know anything else about this monument that isn't mentioned here? If you have additional information on this or any other monument in our collection fill out the form at the Contact Us link in the footer. Thank you.