VIEWFINDER: Dale Earnhardt Sr. Collection Displayed at Aberdeen Library

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Ten years ago today, Dale Earnhardt Sr.—the famous NASCAR driver of the No. 3 Chevy—died in the final turn of the Daytona 500.

Art Elsner, 76, of Webster, has loaned his collection of Earnhardt Sr. memorabilia to the Aberdeen branch of the Harford County Public Library on Franklin Street to celebrate his life and commemorate his death.

 Elsner, who has owned racecars of his own and done public relations for former professional drivers, has been a race fan since 1957. He followed No. 3 throughout his career that ended with the Richard Childress Racing team.

 “I went to Daytona when he was a rookie and I thought, ‘This is the boy to watch,’” Elsner said. “Then he became the man to watch.”

 Elsner has collected many rare items such as movie posters and personal photographs. In fact, he still owns a working dirt track Chevy Camaro that  Earnhardt Sr. personally autographed. But he only takes it out of the garage for auto shows.

 “It’s the 10th year of his demise and I wanted to get it out to the public,”  Elsner said. “What I brought down here isn’t even a third of my collection.”