Earnhardt's Racing Team Sues To Collect Insurance

A trial began this week in the lawsuit between Richard Childress Racing and an insurance company that provided a policy on the life of Dale Earnhardt:

More than four years after Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash on the last lap of the Daytona 500, his racing team is still trying to collect on a life insurance policy it applied for just weeks before his death. Richard Childress Racing says it took out the $3.7 million policy on Earnhardt's behalf. If collected, the money would go to the NASCAR legend's widow, Teresa.

The insurance company argues that the policy never took effect because Earnhardt never took a physical and Childress had not paid the premium. (Dodd, "Earnhardt's team sues to collect insurance," Char Observer, 05/24/05).