Dale Earnhardt

[Liz]

When you think back to the race that killed Greg Moore, remember that Richie Hearn went into the wall almost exactly where Greg did, and was giving an interview when Greg was killed. It was the angle of entry - and that blasted asphalt driveway cutting through the grass (!) that did Greg in. And I think it was probably the same that finished Dale.

I agree with those who have said that there is no way to make racing "safe" without destroying it as racing. Dale Earnhardt loved what he did, he loved racing and he would not want people to waste their time trying to make the sport he loved safe for unsupervised two-year-olds. Mature adults with full information can make decisions about the risks they want to take, and I am sure that is what racers do. The best tribute we can pay to them is to race on.

Farewell, Dale, and put in a good word for the rest of us...

[RT]

No, it cannot be made completely safe, but at least we can try better. Formula 1 did and succeeded to a large degree after 1994.

We need better crumple zones and better crush boxes built into the cars. We need walls that can minimize impacts. We need HANS devices. Yes it will still be dangerous but at the vey least we will have tried. Even if some of these measures fail, we will still learn and make better ones. That is the nature of research and development.

I have a nagging suspicion that all this will boil down to how expensive it will be to do research and development of safety measures and then implement them.

Let's just keep in mind that in the past 2 years NASCAR has lost 4 drivers. Who will be next?.

Last but not least the idea that people watch NASCAR for the benefit of watching spectacular crashes is plain wrong. Some fans, maybe many fans like to watch spectacular but SAFE crashes. From what I read in the newspapers, the average "Joe-Six-Pack" that goes to the ovals is a heck of a lot smarter and more concerned about human life that he's given credit for and he's getting sick and tired of watching his drivers die. Even the drivers (whose income and social status largely depend on keeping a seat)are starting to risk "rocking the boat" and are voicing safety concerns.

Accidents and deaths like Earnhardt's are bound to kill the cash cow unless NASCAR acknowledges that they have a safety problem and takes REAL (and maybe expensive) steps towards fixing it.

[Valve Bounce]

Now we hear his seat belt failed!! How is this possible? Someone mentioned that he may not have fastened it on properly after his last stop.

[scoobyonline2000]

When I was bearly 4 My uncle introduced me to Auto Racing and first mentioned Dale Earnhardt, from then I grew up watching Dale. But as time went on I began to grow out of NASCAR but only watched because of dale. I since then fell in love with F1, but still had a part of me in NASCAR wich was with dale. I was at that race in florida, and as soon as I saw his car hit that wall at that immense speed I was just struck down! I was in one of the last people to leave! i could not belive what I saw, people were just standing there , NASCAR Will never be the same again! and oh, at rockingham, I kinda saw somthing similar, on the first lap
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Crashed but the way he crashed was so scary and familiar. His crash was so similar to his dads, he
went up into the wall at the same angle that his dad did, and almost got hit from the right side, but it showed that his dad was watching, I still cant belive that the Intimidator will never race again....







Dale Earnhardt will forever be missed!

NASCAR HAS LOST A LEGEND, THAT WILL NEVER BE REPLACED

[Nuvolari]

As I saw it, Little "E's" crash was significantly different from his dad's, and that's why the outcome wasn't the same.

The angle of impact was much less severe, coming after after he'd scrubbed off much of his speed.

Thank the Fates for that.

[R]

There's a picture on this thread where you can compare the two crashes. I think it clearly illustrates what Nuvolari says, Dale jr.'s angle of impact was a lot less severe.