10:26 AM EDT on Thursday, April 29, 2004

By 6NEWS Staff

MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Thousands of racing fans are gathering at Dale Earnhardt Incorporated Thursday to honor NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt on what would have been his 53rd birthday.

Gov. Mike Easley has proclaimed Thursday as Dale Earnhardt Day in the state to honor the late driver. Racing fans began gathering on both sides of DEI at daybreak to pay tribute to their hero.

Known as the Intimidator, Earnhardt died in the last lap of the Daytona 500 race in 2001. His death rocked the NASCAR world, but his fans have kept his legend alive.

6NEWS This year's festivities will honor Dale's 34 trips to Victory Lane and his legacy at Daytona International Speedway.

Events planned Thursday include trivia contests, stories and opportunities for fans to tour parts of the building that are not normally open to the public.

Around 6 p.m., there will be entertainment and a few surprise guests.

In October, Easley signed legislation renumbering N.C. 136 in Cabarrus and Iredell counties as N.C. 3 in honor of Earnhardt, who drove the black No. 3 Chevrolet. The stretch of road had its number swapped with the former N.C. 3, which is in coastal Currituck County.

Earnhardt won 76 races and seven Winston Cup championships in his 23-year career. He was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.