posted on February 18, 2001 04:13:22 PM new
Kind of ironic for me to be posting this, but Dale Earnhardt, Sr. has died due to injuries sustained in a wreck at the end of the Daytona 500.
posted on February 18, 2001 04:55:54 PM new
I am not a big nascar fan, but my husband and friends of his are. It's a real shame that this man, who you either loved or hated, is gone! I was not a fan of his, but I feel really sorry for his family and friends. It's just unbelievable!
Kaffro
edited to remove my usual blue bounce, cause this is not a happy time
[ edited by Kaffro on Feb 18, 2001 07:18 PM ]
posted on February 18, 2001 07:02:25 PM new
My husband is a NASCAR fan and I've started following it a little, too. We watched the race today and were very sad to hear about Earnhardt's death. The mood at our house has been a somber one today.
posted on February 18, 2001 07:38:22 PM new
Yes today is a very sad day in my home also, Dale was like a part of the family. Every Sunday afternoon same time, different track, Dale would join us. Nascar will never be the same, a great all around guy has been lost. Everyone has something that they look for, root for, or just plain look foreward to, well Dale you belonged to our family! We will miss you on race day, everyday, our prayers are sent to Teresa and her family. Dale Earnhardt has joined the big race track in heaven. You will always be in our thoughts. Fluffy and Family
posted on February 18, 2001 09:56:15 PM new
It took me awhile to digest all of this and make a post......
I have been an avid Earnhardt hater since I started following NASCAR...not because of the man himself, but because I was a Rusty fan.
A few ironic things occured to me in the last few hours....
Dale took the hit because he was trying to defend his Team's (DEI), and his son's positions in the race. (Something he DIDN'T do last season..Jr. was on his own!)..The irony in this for me was seeing Sr. with Jr. in the Pre Race segment, and giving him a big hug, and whispering in his (Jr's) ear.
I was struck by the image of Dale being "tender" even before the race started...unusual for him.
Dale's crash allowed Rusty to take 3rd in the race....the same position Dale would have had if the race had continued without incident...
And in an added irony...Kyle Petty was driving the car designed for his son Adam, who was killed hitting a wall. It was an emotional race for the Petty's, and I am sure that the memory of this race will linger even longer in their family now.
I think the thing I will remember most about this incident is DW in the broadcast booth with tears in his eyes because his little brother had won, and at the same time being the ONLY one who was saying " I hope Dale is alright..Is Dale alright?"...He KNEW this was a bad one as soon as the car hit the wall.
And for all you eBay vultures out there...I hope all your auctions crash and burn...PLEASE don't profit from the misfortune of others!!!
Keith
I assume full responsibility for my actions, except
the ones that are someone else's fault.
posted on February 18, 2001 10:16:30 PM new
It is a very sad day indeed. I was living in the 70's within 5 miles of the Riverside Raceway. Before the explosion in Nascar popularity - It was not unusual to run across drivers - just in a local eatery for example. The races and racers always had a profound effect on me as a kid.
Dale Earnhardt was just getting started with Wrangler at the time.
It is a very sad and somber moment. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family.
posted on February 19, 2001 04:11:00 AM new
My Sunday's will never be the same, because for me, like so many others Dale felt like part of my family. I doublt I will ever watch another race, it'll just be too painful.
I appreciate Keith's post becuase I asked my husband last night what he thought all the Dale Earnhardt haters were doing, jumping for joy possibly? Now I know better, and I feel better about that.
posted on February 19, 2001 06:02:14 AM new
My husband is a Dale Earnhater-hater, too, and I was surprised by how upset he was by his death. He watched almost every race Dale was in, and I always wondered if he disliked him so much, why did he watch?
Yesterday he told me it was because Dale was a character that most people either loved or hated, but emotion toward him always ran high. He was a person who stood out in a crowd, who attracted attention simply because of his personality. I think my husband watched the racing simply to watch Dale drive.
I was surprised at my own reaction -- I was very upset by the news. I saw the wreck and it looked so minor. I feel terrible for his family.
I also feel sorry for the fellow who won the race -- he must feel pretty awful for celebrating while another driver was dying, even though he couldn't have known.
posted on February 19, 2001 10:09:07 AM new
There has never been a American public figure
sports or political who has been mourned by
so many people = world wide. Dale Earnhardt Sr was truly the American Gladiator.
posted on February 19, 2001 10:18:20 AM new
I know that this is not the popular vote here but I have trouble mourning for a guy who has to prove himself by surrounding himself with a couple of tons of metal and race around a track like a maniac to prove that his toy can go faster than the other kids' toys. And FOR WHAT???
posted on February 19, 2001 10:34:41 AM new
I don't think that's fair. He made his living doing something he loved to do. Would you say the same thing if he'd been a fighter pilot? That's an equally dangerous job. So is firefighting. Do people in those professions use them to "prove" themselves?
posted on February 19, 2001 11:23:55 AM new
I am not a big nascar fan but I was sad when I heard the news.
As far as his job goes....race car driving is a sport loved by MANY. Someone has to drive the cars! He died doing something he loved. My brother died in '99--I WISH he had being doing something he loved in his last moments. Death is always sad. My prayers go out to Dale's family, friends, and all his fans.
posted on February 19, 2001 11:36:00 AM new
Fighter pilots & firefighters are not the same thing at all & they are not paid millions either. They are public servants. I am truly sorry about the death of Dale Earnhardt, but have to agree with muriel. I am sorry that their sons follow in their footsteps.
posted on February 19, 2001 11:38:03 AM new
Muriel, I have felt the same way about many athletes -- Troy Aikman pops into mind, who has had 9 or 10 concussions and still wants to go out there and play when he knows he may end up like Ali.
These folks have a compulsion I just don't have. It's in their personality -- they can't help it. I don't understand it, but I respect that they are different than me and choose to live their lives in a way I don't choose -- but that doesn't mean that they deserve to die, or do not deserve the grief and sympathy that they receive when something bad happens.
What DOES tick me off is that Dale Earnhardt, had he chosen to use the device meant to protect drivers from neck injuries, could have set the standard for others and perhaps saved his own life. After his death, maybe the device will be looked at in a different light by the drivers.
posted on February 19, 2001 11:49:32 AM newMuriel: Taking that attitude, I guess you disapprove of anybody doing anything remotely dangerous--unless it is to save lives. But...just living is dangerous. You could die crossing the street. You could choke on a bite of food. You could slip in the bathtub & break your neck.
I, personally, scuba dive. So you would say that *I* am heartlessly leaving family friends open to needless heartbreak? That I "deserve" any accident that may befall me while diving? IMO, living with such a philosophy is not living at all. A person should do what they love to do while they can. BTW, just recently a marine biologist with over 2000 dives to her credit died in a diving accident...but that death shouldn't be mourned, right, because she was doing something "dangerous" which doesn't save lives...
edited for typos.
<sigh> *more* typoes...
[ edited by bunnicula on Feb 19, 2001 11:50 AM ]
[ edited by bunnicula on Feb 19, 2001 11:52 AM ]
posted on February 19, 2001 12:03:18 PM new
Bunnicula: I guess I just feel that life is short enough without tempting fate. If you're a single person, with no dependents, and no one who loves you, or cares for you, then you can do whatever you want with your life. But we have to remember that no man is an island, and we have to use some common sense. I would not compare your scuba diving with race car driving. Sure, anything you do in life could end in death. But there are varying degrees of risk, and I don't put race car driving in the same category as scuba diving.
All I'm saying is that Dale knew the risks, and then chose to live dangerously, and I can't feel sorry for someone who lives that way and then dies in a stupid, senseless accident. Now his family, friends, and fans are all left bearing the sorrow and pain because he never grew up and he didn't give a damn about anyone but himself.
That's just my opinion, Bunnicula, and I don't want to argue with you. Just my opinion.
posted on February 19, 2001 12:25:01 PM new
I just have a hard time with this life philosophy I guess. Under such a guideline only single people without any family at all should go skiing, fly airplanes, fight fires, be on the police force or in the military, sky or scubadive or any of the myriad of things that could prove fatal. Being responsible kith and kin should not mean that people should wrap themselves in cotton wool & confine themselves to a risk-free existence.
posted on February 19, 2001 02:13:52 PM new
I don't think the new helmet would really have done Dale much good. Sure, he probably would have survived, but I'm sure that the brain damage he would have sustained would've resulted in a coma and being on life support for however long he lived. You can't stop your brain from moving inside your head just because your head has been immoblized (sp?).
I know Sundays in our home will never be the same. We were (are!) Dale Earnhardt fans and enjoyed every race we watched, except this last one. I don't think any other driver was so full of personality as Dale was. I will truly miss watching him.
posted on February 19, 2001 02:19:19 PM new
Have they even had a chance to do an autopsy yet? It *is* possible that he suffered a heart attack that led to the accident in the first place--and would explain why such a minor accident was "fatal."
posted on February 19, 2001 02:42:39 PM new
The accident happened because he got tapped by Sterling Marlin. Going head on into a wall at 180mph isn't minor, it only looked that way because Kenny Schrader carried him down the wall.
[ edited by xlhgrl on Feb 19, 2001 02:44 PM ]
posted on February 19, 2001 03:43:39 PM new
From CNN
Dr. Steve Bohannon, a doctor at the scene immediately after the crash, said the HANS device most likely wouldn't have helped when Earnhardt's car hit the wall going 180 mph.
"The brain is injured, bruised, torn," he said. "And with an impact of Dale's nature, even if he had the device on, hitting the wall that fast may have resulted in the same injury."
Now can we please stop arguing....
Keith
I assume full responsibility for my actions, except
the ones that are someone else's fault.
posted on February 21, 2001 06:48:25 AM new
Thank You Keith for posting that info. I agree Dale did not have a chance in that kind of accident. He was doing what he loved, and no one can criticize him for doing what he loves. We all take risks every day doing things that we love. Only the big guy upstairs knows when our number will be up. Dale was doing what he loved. That's all that matters now.
posted on February 21, 2001 07:42:54 AM new
Dale Earnhardt was a lucky man...He was able to use his driving talent to support himself, his family & I'm sure, many many many others.....He also used that talent to draw thousands (perhaps millions) of people to the sport of NASCAR racing, and provide them with raw excitement almost every weekend....He was smart enough to create a persona for himself & to market that persona into a million dollar business....He knew the risks, as well as he knew his sport. He paid the ulimate price doing what he loved, at a track on which he held the record for the most victories, racing in a position following his son & a fellow driver who ultimately won the race in one of his cars.
Thanx Dale for the thrills....you will be missed....
[ edited by Kaffro on Feb 18, 2001 07:18 PM ]