NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt was buried yesterday, with a private funeral service held at the Earnhardt family's local church in North Carolina.

Close relatives attended the funeral, held at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Mooresville, prior to the memorial service being held today at Charlotte Calvary Church, Charlotte.

Although numbers at today's service have been restricted to 6000, comprising mainly of drivers, teams and Earnhardt employees, the family has allowed the memorial to be televised across the nation by FOX Sports Net.

Race fans across America are also likely to gather at a number of race venues, which are planning to broadcast the memorial to the seven times NASCAR champion, while also planning their own tributes.

The Texas Motor Speedway has announced it will shut down track activity from 11:00 a.m. until noon, to coincide with the memorial service.

The CART teams currently testing at the speedway are due to suspend their activities in honour of Earnhardt.

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