Safer, richer and better is Dale Earnhardt's legacy

ESPN ^ | Feb 16, 2006 | Rupen Fofaria

[commish]

"He was the type that would intimidate and push you around on the track," Michael Waltrip recalled shortly after Earnhardt's death, "but was always willing to help afterward. … He was great at taking the young drivers aside, and even older guys like me, and explaining things and talking to you."

[commish]

It is almost unbelievable that it has been 5 years since we in the NASCAR family lost Dale. Not a day goes buy for the drivers, the sponsors or us fans that we are not reminded of what Dale Earnhardt meant and still means to NASCAR.

RIP Dale, we still miss you.

[digger48]

He ignored the technology that coulda kept him from breaking his red neck.

[conservativebabe]

NASCAR ping!

[conservativebabe]

Cheers to #3

[commish]

How fitting that it only took 3 posts for the anti-Nascar asses to climb out of the woodwork

[digger48]

just anti-Earnhardt

And I thought redneck was a term of endearment

[Alberta's Child]

Interesting story. I may be wrong about this, but at some point last year I read that Earnhardt's fatal accident was the last time a NASCAR driver was even taken away from a Nextel Cup race in an ambulance.

[Alberta's Child]

He's kinda right about that, though.

[HOTTIEBOY]

lol

[commish]

LOL..ok you can be anti-Earnhardt. Sorry I took it the wrong way. Must have woke up on the LEFT side of the bed this morning. :-)

[commish]

He's kinda right about that, though.

Yes, it is ironic. He was and probably still would be one of the loudest opponents to some of the changes that have been made. Wierd how it always seems to work that way.

[digger48]

tis ok.

watching Earnhardt push Labonte over the finish line sideways many moons ago made me a bit of a fan of NASCAR

[HOTTIEBOY]

I was at a local flea market a few months back. I sometimes go just to make fun of the hillbillies but this time I actually needed some shotgun shells.

This place has got to be the cornicopia of worthless #3-trailerpark nascar merchandise anywhere. This little skinny guy that I saw was dirty as hell. He had the standard issue mullet and fishhook on his nascar cap. His bid fat wife was carrying one kid on each hip, both in diapers. Cigarette in her mouth.
(Diapers only, and the diapers were noticably full.)

They were getting into a 1986 Tempo that was six different colors, had bald ties and looked like someone smashed it and tried un-wrinkle it back out. The shitbox had #3 and "no fear" stickers with rebel flag accents all over it. The whole thing was muddy , too.

The little skinny hill scoggin was holding the most Godawful tacky #3 Earnhardt in-memory-of lamp that I had ever seen. As I looked around, I found those lamps among the other trailer treasures.

The price: $65

Good to see they got their priorities in order.

[digger48]

I know the type. :)

[BigTex5]

In a race yes, but there have been at least three times during practices that I know of. Andy Petty (died), Steve Park, and the name escapes me, the guy who drove the Army car before Nemecheck, also another head injury.

[T.Smith]

I saw a similar looking individual at the last rate I attended with a big 'ol Earnhardt tattoo on his arm. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

[HOTTIEBOY]

Wasn't this guy was it??

[The Right Stuff]

We live near Daytona. It was a horrible and huge shock the day he died. I felt so sorry for his little daughter.

[Tallguy]

'Course the article doesn't go into what Tony Stewart was really complaining about -- all the Bump-Drafting that's going on at Daytona. Earnhardt was a pastmaster of the bump-draft. So in essence, Earnhardt is on both sides of the NASCAR equation. He was a tremendous figurehead for the sport, but he was also not afraid to grab every edge he could on the track -- even if it bordered on rough driving.