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(February 19, 2001)- - I was nine years old the first time I took notice of Dale Earnhardt on
the racetrack. At the time, my affinity for stock car racing was
just beginning. Bobby Allison and Tim Richmond were my favorite drivers
and all seemed right with the world.
In July 1984, CBS broadcasted the Talladega 500. For the first 160 laps I watched
Bobby, Tim, Cale Yarborough, Buddy Baker, Darrell Waltrip, Terry Labonte,
and Dale Earnhardt battle for the lead. Earnhardt moved up to third with twenty laps remaining.
With ten laps to go, Earnhardt
passed Labonte on the backstretch to take over the runner-up position.
Five laps later Labonte went by and took the lead. As the crowd rose to its feet for the final lap,
Labonte led Earnhardt with a pack of cars battling for third. Labonte
protected the bottom groove so Earnhardt couldn't get around him. Dale had other ideas though.
He took a higher line in turn two to get a head of steam for the run down the
backstretch. Labonte weaved back and forth trying desperately to fend off
any challenge from behind. Earnhardt moved to the high side and swept past into the lead
as the cars thundered into turn three. Earnhardt moved further
ahead of Labonte who was battling side by side with Buddy Baker. Right behind
them, Bobby and Cale were battling for fourth. It turned out to be a photo
finish for second, third, fourth, and fifth place. Buddy edged
Terry by inches for the second position and Bobby edged Cale by inches
for fourth place. Dale Earnhardt beat the legends that day.
I got a glimpse of his skill during that race. The following year, I
would get a glimpse of his toughness. His sponsor at the time
was Wrangler Jeans and their marketing slogan "One Tough Customer" fit Earnhardt perfectly. Just past the halfway
point of the 1985 Talladega 500, a piece of a drive shaft came off a car
ahead of Earnhardt. In those days, the windshields were glass and they cracked
easily. The debris came flying into Earnhardt's car as he circled the track at more than
200 miles per hour. It bent the rollbars on the windshield and pushed
the roof about six inches higher. The windshield shattered and the glass came into the car.
Earnhardt brought the #3 Wrangler Chevrolet onto pit road without a windshield.
He had several cuts on his face from the broken glass and his chin was dripping blood.
As the crew tried to fix the rollbars to install a new windshield, The Intimidator
sat in the car using a wet towel to wipe away the blood. CBS pit reporter
Mike Joy stuck a microphone in the car to get Earnhardt's take on what had happened.
"It was a piece of a drive shaft off another car. Damn near hit me," Earnhardt said.
"Woulda cut my damn head off if it woulda hit me. Fragments got on me
and cut me, but it bent the hell out of the rollbar." He lost a few
laps in the pits while repairs were made. But he never went behind the wall
and never got out of the car. That was "One Tough Customer"-- that was Dale Earnhardt.
As my interest in the sport grew, 'Grand National Illustrated'
(which later became 'Winston Cup Illustrated') began arriving in our
mailbox. The March 1986 issue was one that I saved. Longtime motorsports writer Tom Higgins
had spent a day out hunting with Dale Earnhardt and wrote
an engaging piece. The color picture of Earnhardt's den only
heightened the image of an outlaw. He was holding a hunting rifle
sitting next to his fireplace. On the wall were five deer heads.
He was dressed in boots, blue jeans, and a flannel shirt. The other
pictures that accompanied the article show Earnhardt in his element-- the outdoors.
Walking alone in the woods with the rifle, climbing a tree stand which he built
himself, and standing tall atop the stand with a bow and arrow ready and aimed.
In the article, Dale talked about his routine when he goes hunting. He talked
about scouting, pawing marks, and venturing into rough terrain. In a way, it resembled
his strategy on the racetrack. The article embodied Earnhardt's love
of the outdoors with his "outlaw" image. "When it's done right, I can't
imagine any greater recreational pleasure than deer and turkey hunting and fishing,"
he said. "And the pleasure of all this doubles when you can start taking a son out to
the woods and lakes with you, as I'm beginning to do with Dale Jr."
They seemed like complete opposites, yet they were so much alike.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. listens to alternative music, plays the drums for kicks,
relaxes at Club E (a well stocked bar and dance floor in the basement of his house),
and stays up most nights playing NASCAR computer games. His father
listened to country music (including an appearance in a 'Brooks and Dunn'
video), maintained a working farm, and was an avid outdoorsman
who was up at the crack of dawn most mornings. But that's just
the surface stuff. He would pass his love for the outdoors to his
son. He would also pass his love for motorsports to his son.
But above all else, he would pass a sense of honesty, integrity, and
humility to his son.
There are so many indelible memories of Dale Earnhardt on the racetrack.
The time at Bristol Motor Speedway in the early 90's when he saw Brett
Bodine and Kyle Petty running side by side down the frontstretch heading into turn one. Bristol is a difficult
track to run side by side on. Three wide is almost impossible. Heading
into the turn, Earnhardt put his GM Goodwrench Chevrolet in the middle
of the two cars and found the seam. He left them in the dust.
A few years later he came to Bristol with one thing in mind-- victory. An upstart
driver named Jeff Gordon was leading the Winston Cup points standings in August 1995
and the defending Winston Cup champion was determined to gain some ground. Early in the race he spun out
Rusty Wallace. On a mid-race restart he hit Derrike Cope. The front of Earnhardt's
car was smashed in but aerodynamics were not a major factor at Bristol.
As the laps wound down he closed in on race leader Terry Labonte.
Coming off the fourth turn of the final lap, Labonte was held
up for an instant by the lapped car of Ward Burton. Earnhardt dove low
on the track. When Labonte moved lower, Earnhardt clipped the left rear
of Labonte's Chevrolet. Labonte jerked the steering wheel to the right and
smashed the accelerator. He crossed the finish line sideways and slammed
into the frontstretch wall. The Intimidator had come up short only
in the final standings that night.
Bristol was again the scene for a memorable moment in 1999. Labonte
had the lead of the race in the final laps and was spun out by Darrell Waltrip.
Under the caution flag Earnhardt moved into the lead as Labonte pitted
for fresh tires. On the restart, Labonte charged through race traffic.
He pulled alongside Earnhardt on the backstretch of the 498th of 500 laps.
Labonte nudged him in turn three to take the lead and drove
onto the frontstretch to take the white flag. Heading into turn one
of the final lap, Earnhardt pulled up and hit Labonte's back bumper.
Labonte lost control and spun out. Earnhardt drove on to win the race.
It was The Intimidator at his finest.
Another classic moment came at The Winston in 1987 at Charlotte Motor
Speedway. Dale Earnhardt was in his element--
a short sprint race with a ton of money to the winner. In the closing
stages he was fighting to hold off Bill Elliott in a spirited battle
for the lead. On the frontstretch he dove low
to block an attempted pass. Elliott's Ford clipped the rear of Earnhardt's
car sending the Wrangler Chevrolet sideways into the grass. Earnhardt
swung the car back to the right, stayed in the throttle, and held
the top spot. He would go on to win the race-- and thoroughly enrage his
competitors.
His charge from 18th to the top spot in the final five laps at Talladega
in 2000 was the stuff of legend. Nobody had a better sense of air movement
on a racetrack than Dale Earnhardt. And I doubt anybody ever will again.
The open face helmet he wore allowed him to have maximum peripheral vision.
He could feel the air in the car. The draft was an art form and Dale Earnhardt
was Picasso.
The 1991 Diehard 500 at Talladega was another triumphant performance.
He led most of the day but a late race caution flag bunched the field.
The final restart came with six laps remaining. Heading into turn one
with three laps remaining, Davey Allison got drafting help and pulled to the low side
of the track. He exited turn two about a car length ahead of Earnhardt who had
climbed the hill in the corner. While the broadcasters screamed that Davey was
heading into the lead, Earnhardt was simply reloading his gun. Just as I had watched
him do in 1984, he took the high line in turn two to get a run down the backstretch.
Davey never had a chance to block him. Earnhardt roared past the Texaco Ford
and held off Bill Elliott for the victory.
Another dramatic finish at Talladega came in 1993. Earnhardt and
Ernie Irvan raced side by side to the checkered flag. On the outside,
Earnhardt brought his car lower on the track-- almost into Irvan's Chevrolet.
The cars never touched, but Earnhardt inched ahead and won by about a foot.
When asked after the race how he did it, Earnhardt gave away one secret of the draft.
By pulling in close he upset the air between the cars. The air got into the
wheelwell of Irvan's car, thereby slowing him and propelling Earnhardt ahead.
It was often said that Dale Earnhardt could see the air. What he
saw was a checkered flag. And nobody was going to beat him to that flag.
The memories will last forever. The scene at the end of the 1998 Daytona 500-- a race
he won after 20 tries. His short track battles with Tim Richmond. The sheer joy in his eyes after Dale Earnhardt Jr. pulled
into victory lane at Texas Motor Speedway in 2000. His antics in the garage
area with the other drivers showed his lighter side. One of his most
difficult moments on the racetrack came at Pocono Raceway in July 1993.
Rising star Davey Allison had been killed the week before in a helicopter crash.
The NASCAR world was in a state of shock after losing its second
driver in less than four months. The 1992 champion Alan Kulwicki had
been killed in a plane crash in April. Earnhardt would win that
afternoon in Pocono. He stopped his car at the start-finish line
and his raceteam came across the wall and knelt next to his car
for a short prayer. With tears in his eyes, he made a polish victory
lap around the track carrying the "7" and "28" flags.
His spirit was battered that afternoon, but in the summer of 1996 it would
be physical pain he would have to fight through. A savage crash at Talladega
in July 1996 resulted in a broken sternum and collarbone. He started
the car at Indianapolis but gave way to relief driver Mike Skinner
during the first caution period. After getting out of the car, with
his voice quivering, he told broadcaster Jerry Punch, "This was tough. Racing's my life."
The following week the series went to the Watkins Glen road course.
A demanding right and left turn course which tested a driver's ability
more so than the car. Turning the car was painful with his injuries.
So how did he do? He went out and set a track record in qualifying.
A t-shirt with the slogan "Hurts So Good" was quickly printed by his
Sports Image company in North Carolina and shipped to Watkins Glen.
He led most of the race but faded toward the end and finished sixth.
Nobody remembers who won that race. It was Dale Earnhardt's
determination and desire that fans remember from that race. That's
what everyone will always remember.
I stopped by Dale Earnhardt's souvenir trailer at Pocono in 1999. My dad's birthday
was coming up and he was an Earnhardt fan -- though my dad's interest in the
sport does not rival mine. He became interested in racing simply because
I was interested in it. After Bobby Allison retired in 1988 and Tim
Richmond passed away shortly thereafter, he followed Earnhardt. On that July
afternoon at Pocono, I emerged from the garage area after a brief
chat with my favorite driver. Wearing a DuPont Racing shirt and hat I headed
over to the GM Goodwrench merchandise hauler. I picked out the black logo
shirt with a small "3" and Dale's signature on the upper left corner.
When the woman in the trailer saw my attire, she commented,
"You're changing you're allegiance?"
I smiled and replied, "It's for my dad." I didn't have the heart to tell
her that I was a fan of The Intimidator as well.
He had not lost any of his driving skill as the years progressed.
Just two days before his tragic crash, he participated in the International
Race of Champions race at Daytona. In the closing stages, he made a move
to take the lead from Eddie Cheever heading into turn one. Cheever forced
Earnhardt's car onto the grass. He slid sideways. Any other driver would
have either spun out or slammed the wall. Earnhardt regained control, brought
the car back onto the track, and finished the race. In typical Intimidator fashion, he spun Cheever
out on the backstretch on the cool down lap after the race. When he exited the car on pit road, he went
over to Cheever and put an arm around him. Cheever apologized profusely, but Earnhardt
laughed the incident off and said he enjoyed racing against him. A day earlier
he was leading the 125-mile qualifying race with Jeff Gordon in second. On the restart
with one lap to go Sterling Marlin blew past both of them. In the garage area after the race,
Gordon put an arm around Earnhardt and they talked about the final lap. It
was the first time I can remember seeing Gordon put an arm around
Earnhardt- it was always the other way around.
His relationship with Gordon was an interesting one. They shared a mutual
respect for each other and were partners in a number of business ventures.
Earnhardt came up with the "Wonderboy" moniker that would become Gordon's nickname
in his first few seasons on the circuit. And then Jeff beat Dale for the 1995 Winston
Cup title. At the banquet, Gordon toasted Earnhardt with a champagne glass
filled with milk. Earnhardt smiled broadly, stood up, and toasted the new champion.
It was Jeff Gordon's way of telling Dale Earnhardt that he was still 'The Man.'
Always was, always will be.
Earnhardt's demeanor on the racetrack was almost the antithesis of his
demeanor off the racetrack. After Dale Jarrett won the 1999 Winston Cup title,
he wanted to rent Earnhardt's private plane to fly a group of about 130 family and friends
to the banquet in New York City. He told Earnhardt to send him the bill afterwards.
A few weeks later Dale and Kelley Jarrett received their bill for the use of the plane.
The paper in the envelope said "No charge. Congratulations from
Dale and Teresa Earnhardt."
He once struck up a conversation with the pastor of a local church.
The pastor had said that he was looking to organize some
fund raising efforts to pave the parking lot at the church. Earnhardt
asked how much needed to be raised. The pastor told him it
was about $10,000. Without hesitation Earnhardt took out his checkbook
and wrote a $10,000 check.
Earnhardt wasn't particularly educated-- he dropped out of school in the
eighth grade. But he was a genius. He was a brilliant businessman
who copyrighted and trademarked his name and likeness at a time
when corporate sponsors weren't even in the equation. His vision
and foresight is unparalleled. Along with his wife Teresa,
they built Dale Earnhardt Inc. from the ground up. Their success
is a racing empire which encompasses merchandising, licensing, sponsorships, and
race teams. Earnhardt brought corporate sponsors into the sport which
brought more fans into the sport. Merchandising took on a life of its
own thanks to Dale Earnhardt. When he changed his paint scheme
for an exhibition race in 1995, the demand for the diecast
version of the car was overwhelming. Diecast collectibles and special
paint schemes became a multi-billion dollar industry. At the time
Earnhardt owned his own collectibles company called Sports Image.
He arranged a merger between Sports Image and Action Performance Co., the largest
diecast manufacturer, which resulted in a windfall profit.
He was a millionaire many times over but he also appealed to the
average race fan better than any other driver. Especially the
ones that often couldn't afford to attend
a race. After all, he was a country boy from a small town in North Carolina
with an uncanny talent to drive a race car.
He wasn't a product of marketing hype- he brought marketing into the sport.
The critics laughed when he signed Michael Waltrip to drive for him before the 2001 season. Waltrip had gone nearly
500 Winston Cup starts without posting a points paying victory.
But Earnhardt knew talent. And he knew Waltrip was hungry for a win.
As Dale Earnhardt entered the final turn of the last lap he would
ever race, he saw Michael Waltrip headed to his first victory in the
circuit's biggest race- the Daytona 500. And he saw his son, Dale
Earnhardt Jr, in second place. Could things have been more perfect for
Dale Earnhardt at that exact moment?
If you've ever attended a NASCAR race, you know who the most
popular driver is. Sure, someone else tends to win the award every year, but
you know who the most popular driver is.
Earnhardt's fan base is far and away the largest in motorsports. "The show" continues at racetracks across
the country... but the show lost its greatest competitor it has ever
known. Few of us will ever experience the amount of love that Dale
Earnhardt experienced. He left this world knowing he was loved
the world over. It was a privilege to watch the greatest of all time at the
height of his power.
What is left for NASCAR without Dale Earnhardt? There's still a group of
stars such as Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Jeff Burton,
and Dale Earnhardt Jr. who can run up front. But the sport's biggest personality is gone. The greatest
icon the sport has ever known is no longer there.
Losing the most endearing personality in stock car racing has caused an overwhelming
feeling of sadness and emptiness. Racing has lost
its leader and mentor. And a family has lost its son, husband, father, and
grandfather. The void is immeasurable.
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