#3

treitz3

10 years have passed since the greatest race car driver to run the NASCAR circuit actually raced. His legacy lives on and will forever within the sport.

All of my friends have been on the phone reliving what it was he meant to us.

To me? It was the end of NASCAR as we knew it. It was the beginning of the end to all of us getting together every weekend to cheer for the ol' #3 to win the race. Things slowly faded for us after his death. Sterling Marlin fans, Mark Martin fans, Dale Jarrett fans and even Poo-Boy's fans [Jeff Gordon] united every single weekend throughout the racing season for what seemed like decades.

He changed the sport forever and I don't care what or who you are a fan of, you can not deny that. He was on the verge of winning his 8th Winston Cup championship the day he died. Those that know the sport know I'm not out of line. After many years of being average, he and his team were coming back with a vengeance like you haven't seen since.

Dale died offering the chance for his team drivers to win the one race that had alluded him for 2 decades. At least for one certain date, that is. Although he had the most wins at that track, that one date didn't like him until year 20.

Even though I never met the man, he was part of my family. Even though my friends [most of them] had never met him, he was family. When Ken Schrader said he had seen a ghost? We were glued to every single informative source we had at the time. If you don't know what I'm talking about? You never lived the life.

Oh, what a life it was!

Dale Earnhardt. The ol' #3. May his life and legacy be 3ternal!








Damn, I miss him on that track.......Dale, you rock! Thanks for the memories, brother. Though I miss the times you were in my life, I wouldn't trade them for anything. Thanks.

Toolfan66

For me it was The day Nascar died. I still don't watch Nascar like I did back then, I catch a race here and there but my passion for the race was buried with the loss of the Man in Black!!!


Well said treitz..

Fongolio

His legacy lives on in almost any racing sport where the Hans device is used. It was only after his death that the device became widely used and undoubtably would have saved his life. RIP Mr. Ernhardt.

nooshinjohn

Fongolio wrote: »

His legacy lives on in almost any racing sport where the Hans device is used. It was only after his death that the device became widely used and undoubtably would have saved his life. RIP Mr. Ernhardt.

I think he would have retired from the sport before he wore that horse collar.


I remember watching that wreck and thinking to myself that it was just another run-of-the-mill crash, and a fairly benign one at that. No parts went flying across the track, just some bent sheet metal. It was perhaps one of the more "serene" two car wrecks I had seen at Daytona. Any second, I expected to see the mesh curtain drop and Dale to climb out of the car and look down the track to see how his boy finished... the curtain did not come off until the safety crews arrived. Before he was taken from that #3 car, I knew something horrible had happened. When he was removed from the car, I knew he was gone.

I still cannot see how he was taken from this life based upon the footage of the crash. I know his safety gear failed, but that does nothing to reduce the shock of it, and that shock has not deminished for me in the ten years since his passing. He is a legend, and forever will be. RIP Intimidator, and thanks Dale Earnhart, for the memories.

treitz3

Shortly after his death, a program showed the impact of his car against the wall. You could see the initial impact and then you could actually see the impact waves of his car ripple across the full length of the car multiple times within microseconds as it hit the wall. At that point, you could understand. Words can not describe.

As the doves were flying, Dale was taken to a better place.

Rodeo0530

I wasn't even a real big Nascar fan, but I remember that day vividly. I was driving home from visiting my family after watching the race and I turned on the radio to hear the news and I was stunned. I really do feel now that that was when Nascar died, even though they had a few more years of great popularity, it's not the same with #3. He was a great man off the track that wasn't publicized until after his death because he didn't want the notoriety. He was a great man that died too young.

nooshinjohn

I was hoping Dale Jr. would step in and fill the void left by his father. Sadly that void is more like the vacuum of space that nobody can fill. Watching Jr. drive at times I can see flashes of his father, but for the most part, I cannot help but think that he drives with the ghost of a legend in the car with him. Until he can come to grips with that, he will always struggle behind the wheel....

treitz3

I'm sorry but watching him as a rival to his dad should have given you an indication as to the driver he was/is.

nooshinjohn

treitz3 wrote: »

Watching him as a rival to his dad should have given you an indication as to the driver he was/is.

And that is why my hopes for Jr. were so high. I loved watching them battle each other. That last race, it seemed to me that Senior was trying to symbolically pass the torch to his son. After he was gone, Jr. drove like a man possessed, but since then the grit and ambition have seemed to fade, and he cannot even catch a break. He lost the pole slot at this Sunday's Daytona because of a wreck in practice for god's sake.

treitz3

John, he's never had his dad's talent. Never has, never will.

Fongolio

nooshinjohn wrote: »

I think he would have retired from the sport before he wore that horse collar.

Why do you say that? Dale Earnhadrt was too "cool" to wear safety equipment known conclusively to save lives? He wore the fire suit, rode in the role cage, wore a helmet and complied with all the other Nascar safety regulations. I think it's just silly to think he'd quit racing because of a safety device. He was a lot deeper and loved the sport a lot more than that John.

nooshinjohn

NASCAR also made the use of the HANS device mandatory in all cars following Earnhardt's death. Until that point, use of the HANS device was optional, at the discretion of the drivers or teams. Earnhardt had refused to wear the device, arguing it was uncomfortable and ineffective. He was not using a HANS device on the day he died of a Basilar skull fracture. The HANS device is designed to prevent such injuries.

He was nearing the end of his career when he died, and according to a few books I read about his life, he was perhaps going to retire at the end of the 2001 season. If the rule change were made to force the use of the HANS, Dale would have likely gone with it, but he would have looked for ways to modify the device to his liking.

Fongolio

I think if it was mandated when he was still alive, if he really wanted to race, he'd have worn it, just like every Nascar driver does now. When I was an Ironworker I was working just as the rules about fall restraint devices came into effect. All the old timers grumbled and mumbled about how it was crap and that they were uncomfortable and dangerous etc. etc. Well guess what? They all wore them and used them. I never saw one guy quit because of a safety regulation. I'm pretty sure the same is true in Nascar and Dale would have worn it grumbling and mumbling because at the end of the day his job was racing and he loved it. I agree with you totally that he would have found ways to modify it to make it work for him.

None of this takes away that beyond all the great races and memories we have of him, his last great legacy was that his death was the straw that prompted Nascar to mandate the HANS device and thus made the sport safer for all that followed him.