On February 18th, 2001, NASCAR lost its most intimidating member, Dale Earnhardt. This occured in a crash in turn 4 of the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Racing fans and non-fans alike all across the country mourned the passsing of this great individual. There was always something about him that drew you into his world. Whether it was his family values, his racing style or whatever, you could not help but be in awe of him. Whatever car he was driving was always of interest, but it was the black #3 that always screamed "Dale Earnhardt". This car was synonymous with Earnhardt. Now, sadly, that is a thing of the past. All we have left of this great era has ended. Fans throughout the country can always find relief in knowing that Dale always did what he wanted to do.

In 1997 and again in 1998, Dale made a trip to The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky. This opportunity to meet a Nascar legend of this caliber had everyone from miles around in an uproar. People were driving almost unheard of distances to meet this man. Standing in line was well worth it after getting to meet Dale. He seemed genuinely interested in getting to see his fans and being able to be one-on-one with them, even if it was for a very short time. He signed whatever merchandise you had available and that is something that I will treasure for the remainder of my lifetime.

Nascar Interest Start

I can't really remember when I was first introduced to Nascar & Dale. It seems to just always have been a part of my life. My dad was a big Dale fan & I gues I got it from there. There was just something about him that personified Nascar racing. He will be missed.

I heard tale of several people who were introduced to Nascar "through" Dale. His fan-base had grown quite considerably and for good reason. He was on top of the ladder in this sport. Even with younger driver's coming up all the time, there was always room for Big "E" in the mix.

Many people who did not particularly like Dale were deeply impacted by his death. Dale had a way or reaching out to those who "needed" something special in their lives. Even now, the racing just isn't the same, nor will it ever be. There is a whole that is there that can never be filled.

Remembering the legend

We must all accept the fact that Dale is no longer with us, but we must remember that he did what he wanted to do. His fans need to keep him in their memories and keep all of his family in their thoughts.

Anything that you do to remember Dale is greatly appreciated by all of his fans from everywhere. Whether it is writing a poem, sharing a story, sending a note to someone, sending or drawing a picture or just talking, you can remember the greatest there was in many ways.

Web pages from all over the place have sprung up honoring Dale. They use music, pictures, current happenings and sorts of things to keep the fans interested. I, for one, have made this site because I wanted to do something and didn't really know what to do. I just felt that I wanted to do something to keep this man alive in memories. I know that he is gone and life goes on, but he was such an important part of the sport of racing, he needs to be revered and treated with respect. As fans, that's the least that we can do.

Investigation Update

The latest investigation update has left some more questions. They are speculating that the belt might have been installed not meeting manufacturers specs and that this may have contributed to the failure of the belt and subsequently, to the death of Dale. Is doesn't really matter what caused it. It happened and it cannot be undone. I know that people are wanting an end to the story, but I don't think taht it will happen. There are still some unaswered questions that may be best left unanswered. I mean, how far do we as fans want this to go? Do we want it to go so far that we are actually in the car as he wrecks, seeing what he seen, etc.? I think not. I know this stuff is harder and harder on the family. We do not need to know everything about the wreck. Only that it happened, it was an accident and it took our friend from us forever.

This is Dale in Bowling Green in '97
Dale appeared at Bowling Green in 1997. Many fans showed up to meet him and to maybe spend a moment or two with the Intimidator. There were so many people that showed up that had to be turned away, Dale graciously agreed to return to the Corvette Museum the following year. What a treat to get to meet The Man twice in two years. It was a dream come true for any NASCAR fan or even just an occasional "wanderer" to Nascar.

On April 18th, 2001, a special friend of Dale will be coming to the National Corvette Museum to honor Dale. This man's name is Darrel Waltrip. He will be sharing personal insights into the Intimidator and will most probably be answering some questions (maybe). I'm not really sure how this will be set up, but I'm sure that it will be good. Many of Dale's fans will be in attendance to help honor this great NASCAR legend in their own way. I have made plans to attend this event so that I can honor Dale's memory.

Even with the weather not wanting to cooperate, several Earnhardt fans made their way to Bowling Green on the 18th to pay tribute to Dale. The speakers that were there were excellent. It was a very emotional tribute to Dale. Everyone seemed to really get something out of being there.

Update on Dale merchandise

Dale and Dale, Jr. merchandise has really hit the big market. People are buying whatever they can at almost any price just to own a piece of history or history in the making. It is a tribute to this man and the whole family to know that they mean this much to so many people.

Sometimes it seems that the want for any of the items associated with a name becomes more important than the name itself (in this case, Dale Earnhardt). Anybody is able to have a piece of merchandise, but only a true fan realizes that is not a mere object. It is more than that. I don't really have an explanation or a name for what it is, but fans know what I mean.