February 18, 2001- It is one of two days that we will never forget from 2001. I wasn’t much of a NASCAR fan in those days. I’ll admit to watching an NBA game that day when I got the news. A newsflash interrupted the program and NASCAR President Mike Helton uttered four shocking words: “…we’ve lost Dale Earnhardt.”
I sat speechless in disbelief. “How is it possible?” I’d watched “Ironhead” walk away from crashes that looked 10 times worse than the sequence that played before my eyes. The old racers knew. Retired racing legend Bobby Allison said the crash reminded him of the one that took his son Clifford nearly 9 years earlier. Though his focus was divided between the crash that took Dale Earnhardt and watching his brother Michael wins his first Cup race, you could see the concern in the eyes of Darrell Waltrip.
Some would say racing died that day. As I have become much more serious about racing in the last couple of years, I understand much better than I did then the devotion fans had towards the “Man In Black” and why it is so hard to accept NASCAR as it is today. There’s a lot of good men donning fire suits and taking to the tracks these days, but if there’s another one truly like Earnhardt- I’m unaware of him.
In interviews for the movie Dale an unlikely source of insight explains. NBC Evening News anchor Brian Williams talks of the connection the 7-time champion had to the common people, the foundational fan base of NASCAR. Fan after fan whose roots to the sport go back a decade or more will tell you they felt they lost a father or a brother that day.
I’m not sugar coating the fact that Dale Earnhardt rubbed a lot of quarter panels and and a lot of people the wrong way throughout his career. I was once one of those people. On Sports Center, I’d see “The Intimidator” punting Labonte, not knowing that Texas Terry got into Earnhardt a little earlier. I’d heard of Waltrip’s complaints about the North Carolinian’s racing style, not realizing that earlier in that fateful 1986 Richmond race, Waltrip had been trying the bump and run himself. I was also unaware of the survivalist mentality he had in those earlier, always concerned he may lose his ride.
The legacy of Dale Earnhardt not only lives on in his fans, it lives on in safety innovations we see today. That tragic Daytona crash was the most notable of a series of crashes the ended the lives of other racers such as Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr., and ARCA driver Blaise Alexander. The optional HANS (head and neck) device became mandatory. Open face helmets are gone, and we have the new generation “Car Of Tomorrow.” I understand fans’ impatience with the period of uneven racing we’re going through right now as teams adjust to the new car, but I can’t help but think that Michael Mc Dowell and Jeff Gordon, to name a couple, wouldn’t be here today if not for the new car.
It’s strange, but the passing of Dale Earnhardt also caught the attention of the non-NASCAR world. The outpouring of grief and affection reminiscent of the death of Elvis and JFK turned heads. Who was this man that inspired such emotion? What was it about this thing called NASCAR that produced such loyalty? Outsiders would learn that Dale Earnhardt was auto racing’s Michael Jordan, their Joe Montana, their Cal Ripken.
New fans and old Earnhardt fans found themselves pulling for “Lil’ E”- Dale Earnhardt Jr. They’d also find themselves attaching feeling for Kevin Harvick- the driver who’d assume the spot Dale Sr. vacated at Richard Childress Racing. Wisely, the legend’s best friend and employer would have the number 29 re-assigned to the team, and Harvick’s car would reverse the color scheme out of respect for Earnhardt.
In a script even Hollywood would find unbelievable, racers with attachments to Earnhardt would help bring at least some measure of healing to NASCAR nation. Steve Park, the young driver Earnhardt brought to drive for DEI, would win the race following the Daytona 500 at Rockingham. Shortly afterwards, Harvick would achieve victory in thrilling fashion over Ironhead’s last great arch-rival Jeff Gordon. Dale Jr. provided the biggest thrill of them all, winning at the track where his father lost his life that July.
His name is etched in the record books along side “The King”- Richard Petty as both hold the record for NASCAR Cup titles with 7 each. It will be record virtually impossible to break. Fans still speak of him as if he just died last week.
They say heroes never die, and provided we remember him and his contributions, Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. will live on. We learn from his life that it is possible, with hard work, determination, focus and commitment, a man or woman starting with virtually nothing may achieve great things.
This is why I have devoted the last week to remembering Dale. I want my children (one whom was born after Earnhardt’s passing) to know who he was, and others throughout the world of NASCAR. 
God bless you and Happy New Year…..
Jim
(Photo by charmers. You may see more of her photography at flickr.com)
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
JimmyMac, I doubt that anyone who knew Dale Sr could have said that any better. That story rocks and, admittedly, had me sort of choked up. I am still a fan of Dale Sr’s and follow Dale Jr’s career. As you said, “reminiscent od the deaths or Elvis and JFK”. He was the “Joe Namath” of NASCAR and I doubt that there will ever be a better race driver in the future. Tho, there maybe a “Big E” out there somewhere, he hasn’t come to the spotlight yet.
As I wrote in the sympathy card I sent to Teresa Earnhardt after Dale’s death, I lost a hero, a brother and a best friend on that fateful day at Daytona. The race Steve Park won was on a Monday due to a rain out and when he won, I cried at work. When Kevin Harvick won at Atlanta, I sat in the living room at my since-departed mother’s house watching the race with her and we both cried. And when Dale, Jr. won at Daytona in the Firecracker 400 that summer, my wife and I cried with joy in our living room at the end of that race and I told her I believe that was the most wonderful thing I had ever seen in my life.
There’s no doubt Dale is still sorely missed nearly eight years later. He was, is and always will be the best. There will only be one like Dale Earnhardt ever.
Great article! Made me cry again, but that still happens a lot when I think of how much we missed out on because of Dales death. Think of the great commercials we would have seen between Dale and Jr. They had only begun to scratch the surface on those. The hard racing, goes without saying. Glad you’re teaching your kids about Dale. Saw a little boy the other day that had to be about 6 or 7 and he had a Dale #3 jacket on and boy was he proud of that jacket. Looked like his dad was bringing him up right. LOL! I’m on the side of the #3 never racing again because I want the mystic of Dale to live on and on. Too many younger fans don’t remember the way the #43 was when Richard was behind the wheel. All they remember is always seeing the #43 running at the back of the pack. I NEVER want to see that happen to #3.
MARTI
YOU ARE RIGHT ABOUT NOT WANTING TO SEE THE #3 RUN AT THE BACK LIKE THE #43, BUT IF DALE JR WOULD LIKE TO RUN THE #3 NEAR THE END OF HIS CARER AND THE CAR WOULD BE PREPARED BY SOME ONE LIKE RCR,OR HMS I WOULD NOT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT, IF THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE THEN LIKE THE KEITH BRYANT SONG RIDDING WITH THE LEGGEND SAYS AS THEY PULLED ONTO THE TRACK, HE SAID THIS IS WHERE YOU GET OUT BOY CAUSE #3 ANT COMING BACK