Earnhardt dead at 49

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Earnhardt dead at 49

Posted: 2/18/2001 3:38:37 PM EDT

For those of us who are Nascar fans and may not have heard...
Dale Earnhardt has died of injuries sustained in a last lap crash in the 2001 Daytona 500. Running third at the time, a last lap gaggle of cars were fighting it out for the 3rd. 4th, and 5th place positions. Ironically, his son, Dale Jr., finished second in a car owned by his father, as was the race winning car of Michael Waltrip. The 7 time Winston Cup Champion had a huge following, and will be missed by all the fans regardless of who they root for.

Posted: 2/18/2001 6:55:12 PM EDT

[#1]

Man that was an awful race,,,,he got shoved in the ass with about 4 seconds left,,,,,,I hope Sterling Marlin burns in hell. that was a bunch of crap.

Posted: 2/18/2001 7:02:21 PM EDT

[#2]

Rest in peace dale you will be missed [V]

Posted: 2/18/2001 7:02:49 PM EDT

[#3]

A personal hero for myself, the reason I love NASCAR.

I for one will miss him. I feel for his family.

#3

Posted: 2/18/2001 7:03:15 PM EDT

[#4]

matt's significant other here....

i cried when i heard. not a big dale fan myself, but you've got to respect his accomplishments.

longegunman, as much as i hate the cliche, "it's racing". i don't think there was any intent on anybody's part to put anybody else into the wall. besides, dale was known to do his fair share of rubbing and bumping. hell, he probably invented it. racing is a "live by the sword, die by the sword" profession. the drivers know it and he died doing what he loved.

i was just talking to my boyfriend about how race car drivers are the nicest people on earth, including the fans. perhaps i'll have to rethink that part about the fans.

Posted: 2/18/2001 7:12:30 PM EDT

[#5]

this is one of the saddest days of my life.

Posted: 2/18/2001 7:19:04 PM EDT

[#6]

This is a truly sad day. Are you supposed to cry when someone you don't even know dies?

Long live the Black Number 3

Posted: 2/18/2001 7:20:34 PM EDT

[#7]

Today was the first nascar race I sat down and watched. When my driver, dale jarret was eliminated, I started to root for earnhardt. I may be a Ford man but I cant help and root for earnhardt. When I heard about him being killed my eyes welled up with tears. He will be missed. The only comfort I take is that he is with the Lord right now racing with all the greats who have passed before him.

Posted: 2/18/2001 7:26:18 PM EDT

[#8]

I REALLY don't know what to say!

What a loss........

I sometimes watch NASCAR racing as my family is more into Drag Racing [as my brother used to run a Alcohol Funny Car].

I really liked Dale Earnhardt.........

Yeah, i'm a MOPAR guy but Great drivers are just Great drivers.

Our prayers should go out to his family.

May he rest in peace!

Posted: 2/18/2001 7:36:23 PM EDT

[#9]

This is a sad day in the world of motorsports.
I sent an email to NASCAR with the suggestion that they retire the number 3, and rename the Daytona 500 to "The Dale Earnhardt Memorial 500". It would be nice to see NASCAR honor one of the main reasons it's where it is today.

Thanks for the memories, Dale.

Posted: 2/18/2001 7:47:58 PM EDT

[#10]

Godspeed Intimidator.
I'm really starting to wonder if enough is being done to make NASCAR as safe as possible for the drivers. I watched Kenny Bernstien totally destroy his Top Fuel Dragster and walk away from it. The biggest piece left on the car was the "cage" he was in. Blaine Johnson was the first drag racer to be killed that I can remember. The higher number of fatal accidents in NASCAR makes me think safety is being forsaken for equality in speed and ensuring no team tuned their car "illegaly".

Posted: 2/18/2001 7:50:01 PM EDT

[#11]

Well...

Hopefully some good will come from this and Nascab will start taking drivers saftey seriously. I guess 3 deaths last year wasn't enough. A closed helemt and HANS device probably would of saved his life.

Unfortunatly he joins the list of racing greats that died doing what he loved...

Today brings back bittersweet memories of past greats who've died before their time: Senna, Kulwicki, Moore.

[:(]

Posted: 2/18/2001 7:52:30 PM EDT

[#12]

It was one hell of a shock when my dad called me about an hour after I watched Earnhardt hit the wall in what seemed a run of the mill accident and he told me Earnhardt was dead. I thought he was kidding. I could not believe it and still can't. Watching that accident played over and over, it just doesnt seem conceivable after the major wrecks he has walked away from. Although in almost every wreck where a driver dies it is the same type of wreck: a straight on hit to the wall.

This will shake Nascar to the core. Since Richard Petty retired Dale has been the heart and soul of Nascar. In the last few years a bunch of Nascar drivers have met their end. Just when you think its getting safer a legend checks out.

Posted: 2/18/2001 8:23:56 PM EDT

[#13]

I was at work while the race was going.When the night shift people came in and said that Dale Earnhardt had been killed,I thought they were joking.I wanted to cry.Still cant believe he is gone.

Posted: 2/18/2001 8:32:52 PM EDT

[#14]

. Watching that accident played over and over, it just doesnt seem conceivable after the major wrecks he has walked away from. Although in almost every wreck where a driver dies it is the same type of wreck: a straight on hit to the wall.

View Quote

He died of head injuries and as was pointed out by Janus other safety devices may have prevented his death.

Typically when drivers die in impact collisions, they die from the shock and trauma of decelleration more so than physical injuries.
One of my favorites Mark Donohue, GTP Porsche 917-30, was killed by rule makers. They were required to used special tires when qualifying, these tires weren't made to last long they blew and he crashed into a chain link fence sending a pole through his skull, if I remember correctly.
Sometimes trying to make everyone "competitive" isn't always safe. Sad.

Posted: 2/18/2001 8:43:53 PM EDT

[#15]

I'm still amazed that he was kileld by such a seemingly minor accident. The big wrecj ealrier in the race tore up a lot of cars but there were no serious injuries, then this little one that took a life.

It is sad to see him go, but atleast he went quickly while doing something he loved.

Posted: 2/18/2001 8:45:49 PM EDT

[#16]

I can't believe this happened. Did any see him kiss his wife good bye before the race when she wished him good luck? This put a tear in my eye. I cheered for him since I was six years old. For me this is like losing a childhood icon. He is the one of the reasons I got so interested in cars. I feel for his family, I cannot begin to imagine what they going through.

Posted: 2/18/2001 9:14:12 PM EDT

[#17]

Very sad...

Posted: 2/18/2001 9:29:42 PM EDT

[#18]

Im not a nascar fan but when i hear his name i know who he is his car number and his sponserships.When i heard the news i couldnt believe it.Its a sad day when a legend like Earnhardt dies.

Posted: 2/18/2001 9:33:22 PM EDT

[#19]

Remember his ad in the gun rags advertising a Remington semi-auto .22. He was a great man and I will miss him.

Posted: 2/18/2001 9:46:10 PM EDT

[#20]

I cannot believe this, I had not heard until now. What a horrible thing.

Posted: 2/18/2001 10:53:23 PM EDT

[#21]

lonegunman: you are a stupid as# hol#! Sterlin Marlin was doing nothing that Dale hadnt done many times before. Dale chose not to wear the latest in safety equipment for reasons of comfort. the hans device which in all most probablity would have saved his life, is required equip in most forms of racing. Dale never gave any one a kiss and a hug as he put them in the wall, been there, seen it, and heard him on the radio as he told Harry Gant he was going to do it to him...
i also cried when i heard, as did my wife. this is a very sad day.

Posted: 2/19/2001 12:11:02 AM EDT

[#22]

paterpk
I don't know how you came to the conclusion that the hans device would have saved him when the doctor at the scene said that a full face helmet, neck protection, and hans device would not have saved him. Check out the stories on nascar.com and daleearnhardt.net and see for yourself.

As far Sterling Marlin, I don't like the guy personally, but I don't think he did anything really wrong in the race. That is how you get past people, and I think Earnhardt would agree! I did get angry when he said that Earnhardt hit him and crashed though. Marlin did cause that crash.

Posted: 2/19/2001 12:29:51 AM EDT

[#23]

Never did get the idea in watching a bunch of cars drive in a circle for 500 miles.
For that kind of fun, I could just whack myself in the head repeatedly with a hammer.

I am sorry to hear that he died. At least he was doing something he loved, and from what I hear he was dead on impact. I can think of worse ways to go.

Posted: 2/19/2001 12:33:11 AM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:
lonegunman: you are a stupid as# hol#! Sterlin Marlin was doing nothing that Dale hadnt done many times before. Dale chose not to wear the latest in safety equipment for reasons of comfort. the hans device which in all most probablity would have saved his life, is required equip in most forms of racing. Dale never gave any one a kiss and a hug as he put them in the wall, been there, seen it, and heard him on the radio as he told Harry Gant he was going to do it to him...
i also cried when i heard, as did my wife. this is a very sad day.

View Quote

Lighten up Francis.

Posted: 2/19/2001 1:41:20 AM EDT

[#25]

Man, this is a parallel to so many things.

In racing it is similar to what was happening in the CART series back about 3-4 years ago, the cars were getting faster and people were dying more and more, eventually the rules officials in an attempt to make things safer required a new restrictor plate that dropped top speeds about 20MPH compared to the previous year.

In NASCAR, remember in the 80s when the cars would get spun around they actually got airborne? And I mean REALLY airborne where they would leave the track and disappear down the backside of a turn. Even with the addition of the air spoilers to the cab of the car the things still get airborne from time to time but it isn't as common anymore. Seeing the footage today one of the cars got up into the air but it wasn't anything compared to the 40-50ft "wet sock toss" that the cars did during the 80s.

In my town it seems that a certain number of people have to die in known "trouble intersections" before a four way stop is finally put in at the intersection. The city always responds after the fact instead of being proactive and getting potential trouble spots taken care of.

What's NASCAR going to do about known issues? Probably they will start require more kinds of mandatory safety equipment. When will they do it? I don't know, maybe this was the last straw? Is it possible that a new carburator will be used to lower speeds across the board in NASCAR? All cars are already restricted as it is, if the idea is to have uniformity across the board but to make things safer a new restriction on carbs might take effect.

Having seen the footage of the wreck, going from the bottom of the track and straight up into the wall is a very hard thing to make "safe." I'm not sure if anything could have prevented it.

I'm not much of a NASCAR fan but it's not good seeing any of these sorts of things happen. I've watched both drivers and fans die in CART crashes and I wish out of respect for the Earnhardt family and the families of all victims, the news would stop showing footage of the fatal wreck.

Posted: 2/19/2001 2:09:16 AM EDT

[#26]

I was there, in the 4th corner infield stand. I dont know quite what to say.
It didnt look that severe at the time,but his car did hit hard. There was some push'n & shov'n all day long and I dont think it was really any one persons fault.
All the respect to the Earnhardt family.
And as for lonegunman....Shut the "F" up.

Posted: 2/19/2001 5:16:44 AM EDT

[#27]

#3 you will be missed. [V]

Posted: 2/19/2001 5:46:13 AM EDT

[#28]

Gone to the promised land. I hope that the first thing he does in heaven is to go fishing with Neil Bonnett. I think that God is starting an All-Star Racing Division. I'll love to get seats on the front stretch one day!

Rest In Peace Dale.

Posted: 2/19/2001 5:56:52 AM EDT

[#29]

The speedway doctor said a closed faced helmet and the HANS device would not have saved him.

When you have small plastic cars driving in packs at 200 miles per hour, someone will get hurt eventually.

Posted: 2/19/2001 6:05:32 AM EDT

[#30]

Hopefully some good will come from this and Nascab will start taking drivers saftey seriously. I guess 3 deaths last year wasn't enough. A closed helemt and HANS device probably would of saved his life.

View Quote

An interesting parallel. Someone shoots up a workplace, and the soccer mom's are up in arms saying: "When will the government start taking gun safety seriously."

These drivers go out on that track knowing full well that it could be their last race. They do not race because some organization made it safe for them. They race for the love of the sport. To beat their opponents, to push a car beyond it's limits, to challenge death one more time and laugh in it's face when they walk away from their car.

Every sport has it's risks. From skiing to moutain biking to racing to football. Hell, even basketball, which would seem as benign as you could get, people drop dead of heart attacks because for as simple as it looks, it's very demanding.

Plain and simple, life is a risk. Every day you walk out your front door, you are gambling that you may not come home again. Do you really want someone else deciding for you that the outside is too dangerous? You want to know what could have saved Earnhardt? Banning racing. Yep, that sure would have saved many lives. It baffles me that people think there's not a problem in the world that can't be fixed with rules, regulations and laws.

The racing world lost one of it's greatest yesterday. Dale Earnhardt personified all that was good, fun and pure about the sport. He may not have had many more years of racing ahead of him, but he was taken away from us far too soon.

[:(] LL [:(]

Posted: 2/19/2001 6:47:28 AM EDT

[#31]

Dale Earnhardt, Sr. died doing something that he loved doing.[:)] He did not earn the nickname "Intimidator" by driving like my granny. Dale had great respect from everyone and was a true role model. You never know when your time is up! Tell the people you care about everyday that you do care about them![:)]
Dale Earnhardt, Sr. #3 Black Chevy you will be missed. I am going to raise a toast to you![beer] INTIMIDATOR...This Coke is for you!!!
And yes it is OK for you to cry! [>(]
Lynn

Posted: 2/19/2001 8:19:07 AM EDT

[#32]

The doctor, who is employed by nascab, is covering their ass. The HANS was desighned to prevent this exact injury.

Nascab has done zero to improve driver safty in the last 20 years a now the drivers are starting to pay the price.

If nascar had mandated full helmets, HANS, and a deformable crush zone in the front of the car, Dale would be alive today.

It's strange thet Tony Stewart hit the wall the same way yesterday with much more force. Yet he survived.

I blame NASCAR for not being proactive in driver safety like the other major series. They seem more obsessed with the almighty $.

[V]

Posted: 2/19/2001 8:24:08 AM EDT

[#33]

I do not follow NASCAR racing very closely, but I get a feeling that driving on the race track is probably safer than driving on a street or freeway. I don’t hear of that many people getting killed in at car race tracks. Sometimes accidents do happen. Sounds like the safer gun debate to me. Would making the car safer helped? People still die from safer guns.

Posted: 2/19/2001 9:05:02 AM EDT

[#34]

For those who are interested in driver safety developments, here's a good overview:

[url]www.chicagotribune.com/sports/printedition/article/0,2669,SAV-0102130324,FF.html[/url]

[url]www.chicagotribune.com/sports/printedition/article/0,2669,SAV-0102130326,FF.html[/url]

Posted: 2/19/2001 9:06:54 AM EDT

[#35]

Dale rests in peace now. the one race he always had trouble winning or even finishing was finally won in 1998. The Daytona 500 has been one of his hardest races to overcome. It seems ironic that he died at the race that gave him lots of bad luck in the past and so close to the end of the race too. He finally beat the Daytona 500 in 98 but Daytona got even with him on the last lap again in 2001. after all the other crashs flying thru the air for thousands of feet with nothing left of the car and he lived, I watched yesterday and knew he hit hard but did not think it was enough to kill him. I found out later that he did die and I have been disturbed ever since. Dale will be missed and my heart goes out to his family and fans. #3

Posted: 2/19/2001 10:19:00 AM EDT

[#36]

Janus,those articles are interesting, NASCAR should heed their warning. A half dozen drivers did use the HANS device during the race, Earnhardt chose not to.

I you look closely Earnhardt had been blocking Marlin. Why ? Because he new that Marlin had the faster machine. He was just protecting his team...unfortnately it was a fatal move.

I'm a Mopar fan through and through, but I admire Earnhardt's hard charging racing ethic.
Dale you'll be missed and it's a end of a era. I wonder who'll be the next rising star in NASCAR ?

If NASCAR wants an aerodynamic package that will liven up the race. Then they should allow the Daytona Chargers and Superbirds with unrestricted 426 Hemis to run.....

Enough said....
Good bye Dale you always put on a great race and I enjoyed your hunting show cameo appearances.

Posted: 2/19/2001 12:17:00 PM EDT

[#37]

[>(] Although I have always disliked Earnhardt and have said many awful things in regards to him, I am deeply saddened at this departing. I have always been a fan of Tony Stewart. However I feel even worse about Earnhardts passing due to the fact that I have always been an Earnhardt basher. Many times I have told friends and acquaintances that I "stay up late at night figuring out new ways to hate E." This just makes me feel worse at this moment.

Posted: 2/19/2001 12:36:00 PM EDT

[#38]

After watching the race and seeing the crash I was disappointed to see Dale and Kenny in a crash. When I heard the news that he had passed, my jaw dropped. I could not believe that he died. He brought the sport to new levels, and it will never be the same because of him. May all of out thoughts go out to the family and others effected greatly by his loss. RIP

Posted: 2/19/2001 2:24:51 PM EDT

[#39]

Sniperm88, I have the same sentiments. I watched the crash about 20 times and still cannot believe what happened. Stewart's crash looked a 10 times worse and he walked away (he did get a concussion from the crash), yet dale's looked like a normal crash into the wall.....

Posted: 2/19/2001 3:03:34 PM EDT

[#40]

I am not into racing at all. I am only into guns. With that said I felt the need to see what killed this NASCAR legend. Again this is from a total novice when it comes to racing, but... It looked as though Dale was trying to block the dude behind him thus preventing him from gaining ground on his team mates. I would say that NO ONE is really responsible for this guys death, but rather it appears to be the risk associated with doing it WELL. I think the guy died with honor and dignity. To me he appeared to play the game hard and fast, and I am sure he was fully aware of the potential for disaster. I guess it comes down to no matter what you do in life, go big or go home.

hipwr223

Posted: 2/19/2001 4:12:00 PM EDT

[#41]

I am still stunned. I'm an 88 fan, but really feel the loss with Dale Earnhardt's passing.

Richard Petty said it best. "Don't put a question mark where God put a period".

God bless you, Dale.

Posted: 2/20/2001 4:41:49 PM EDT

[#42]

Can someone here tell me exactly what this guy did to earn all of this teary eyed sorrow at his demise? I never heard of Earnhardt doing anything other than driving a stock car around in circles and making a lot of money doing it.
What did he ever do to help anyone (other than himself or his family) or improve life here on Earth? Did he ever fight for a (non NASCAR related) cause or help a stranger?

You guys are something else. Some career car driver bites the dust doing what he loved, and he choose this career, and the risks, and choose not to wear additional safe devices, and now he's dead. And you're talking about crying.
SO WHAT?

You want something to cry about? Look at your government. Look at the Klintons getting away with murder.

What a crew.

Posted: 2/20/2001 4:58:50 PM EDT

[#43]

The intimidator will be missed.

Sad Sad Sad day in racing.

Posted: 2/20/2001 5:00:25 PM EDT

[#44]

"What did he ever do to help anyone (other than himself or his family) or improve life here on Earth? Did he ever fight for a (non NASCAR related) cause or help a stranger?"...Werd

"It's strange thet Tony Stewart hit the wall the same way yesterday with much more force. Yet he survived."...Janus

Werd...You should know more of what you speak before saying such things. Dale Earnhardt was an avid sportsman and deer hunter. He did ads for Remington, endorsing the new 522 autoloader. He also appearred on Realtree outdoors MANY times, with both rifle and bow. He was extreamly generous with his money, to many charitable causes, as well as to his friends.Please get your facts straight before making such comments.
Janus...Although Stewarts crash looked much worse, it wasn't for one simple reason. When a car flips and tumbles as Stewarts did, it disapates energy away from the driver. Basically, the car takes the brunt of the impact, not the driver. In Dale's case, he took all the impact, as it was straight into a wall.

Posted: 2/20/2001 5:03:12 PM EDT

[#45]

Quoted:

And yes it is OK for you to cry! [>(]
Lynn

View Quote

[sniff][puke][sniff]

Posted: 2/20/2001 5:05:11 PM EDT

[#46]

Quoted:
Can someone here tell me exactly what this guy did to earn all of this teary eyed sorrow at his demise? I never heard of Earnhardt doing anything other than driving a stock car around in circles and making a lot of money doing it.
What did he ever do to help anyone (other than himself or his family) or improve life here on Earth? Did he ever fight for a (non NASCAR related) cause or help a stranger?

You guys are something else. Some career car driver bites the dust doing what he loved, and he choose this career, and the risks, and choose not to wear additional safe devices, and now he's dead. And you're talking about crying.
SO WHAT?

You want something to cry about? Look at your government. Look at the Klintons getting away with murder.

What a crew.

View Quote

Welcome back Drew. I see you haven't lost your touch.

Posted: 2/21/2001 10:43:00 AM EDT

[#47]

Live by the sword, die by the sword. The tactics that made him 7 time champion, killed him as well. I didn't like him, but he's one of those guys you love to hate. The only thing else I can say is he lived his life like a real man and he died like a real man. America needs more people like him.

MG

Posted: 2/21/2001 12:09:56 PM EDT

[#48]

He was one of the reasons I wached NASCAR....now who the hell am I going to cheer for. I have always been a GM fan....I also vote to retire the number 3. I will drink a duval ale every daytona 500 for a tost to his greatness in the racing world.

to the best dam driver ever! #3 Chevy :)

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Earnhardt dead at 49

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