As Earnhardt's long-time employer Richard Childress tells it, General Motors wanted the Man in Black to race in blue.

The black-owned dealerships found on our Auto 40 rankings are among the most successful franchises of the top domestic and foreign car manufacturers.

It happened at about 20:05 BST on Tuesday. The woman, aged in her 40s, was driving a black Peugeot car and died in hospital a short time after the collision. Police are appealing for any witnesses ...