Limestone Ledger

BLOOMINGTON, IN – Virtual Dale, Real Intimidation. An AI-generated and operated hologram of Dale Earnhardt has been leaving the competition in digital dust at the historic Bloomington Speedway.

The Speedway became the world’s first racetrack to allow a non-human, artificial intelligence entity to drive a car in competition. “Dale” is powered by a single NVIDIA Blackwell V200 chip that is programmed with millions of performance data points taken from Earnhardt’s nearly 30-year professional career.

“You see, we wanted Holographic Dale to make precisely the same real-time decisions on the track that The Intimidator would’ve made in his prime,” said hologram engineer Simon Hart. “My custom chip and processor cycle through near infinite data, including driver tendencies, complex biometrics, and of course Earnhardt’s signature wildcard moments, to determine the exact actions taken on the track as if the man himself was actually at the wheel. The likelihood of error is effectively zero.”

The decision by Bloomington Speedway official to include Holographic Earnhardt in the 2025 season was met with excitement from fans, but seen by the competition as a gimmick that may compromise safety and fairness.

“When I heard the news I seriously checked to see if it was some stupid April Fools’ Day joke,” said fellow midget sprint car driver Darrel Cross. “The way I see it, a good old fashioned dirt oval is one of the last truly pure and true places on God’s green earth, and letting some computer and its team of nerds soil this sacred ground is a disgrace. There ain’t no coming back from this.”

The drivers have good reason to be frustrated as Holographic Dale has never trailed a single lap during the Hoosier Sprint Midget Series. Fans claim they feel like AI-Dale has given them a lost part of their lives back.

“Shew, I’ve cried two times in my life; when I had to shoot my black lab ‘Winston’ and when Dale died,” said Billy Price. “Now, I swear I close my eyes under those Speedway lights and I can feel the presence of The Intimidator once again dominating on the track. Rest in Power, Dale. I know God needed a driver.”

This season is being seen as a pilot for potential growth of hologram drivers. NASCAR and IndyCar are currently considering expanding their fields to include AI-powered entities and both have praised Bloomington Speedway and Holographic Earnhardt for pushing the limits of what is possible in the wide world of racing.