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18 Feb 2016, 20:38 (Ref:3615815) | #1 | ||
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Dale Earnhardt
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19 Feb 2016, 00:05 (Ref:3615860) | #2 | ||
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Didn't see this earlier today As much as I didn't care for his on track "actions", the sport hasn't been the same since.... My fondest memory was when he and Jr finished 2nd in class at Daytona 24. He said something like "the backstretch at Daytona, at night, in the driving rain was the most fun he ever had in a racecar." Edit, here's a link: http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/shak...olex-24-012314 Last edited by fieldodreams79; 19 Feb 2016 at 00:11. |
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"Knowing that it's in you and you never let it out Is worse than blowing any engine or any wreck you'll ever have." -Mike Cooley |
19 Feb 2016, 01:16 (Ref:3615869) | #3 | ||
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Good stuff Field. As I grew up a Bodine/Rudd fan, when I think of Dale, I think of North Wilkesboro in 1989: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSi3gQ3_sZo
EDIT - I found this recap of the race, which is pretty cool. I love that era of stock car racing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_Ii2cfcRFg Interestingly, Larry Mac was Rudd's crew chief and won the same race with the 26 the following year with Brett Bodine behind the wheel. Although they didn't really win, but that's a story for another day. The most "Dale Earnhardt" thing I remember him doing was at Daytona in '97: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjId3jHZ3wI Last edited by JHamilton; 19 Feb 2016 at 01:28. |
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19 Feb 2016, 02:11 (Ref:3615875) | #4 | ||
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Those were the days! I got into a YouTube BlackHole earlier on old Daytona 500 videos.
Almost forgot about him climbing back in the car seeing that "all the tires were on it." The best quote from the N. Wilkesboro finish was from Childress: "Just racin' hard....got together....hell, I don't know. Y'all seen it, too." Dale being "Dale" after getting turned and that's the Dale I'll always remember most. Ok when he does it, but someone gets him, they should be parked. Come to think of it, I'd probably be the same! Exhibit A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m99LLWzyuZo Need a pic of "Corvette Earnhardts" |
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"Knowing that it's in you and you never let it out Is worse than blowing any engine or any wreck you'll ever have." -Mike Cooley |
19 Feb 2016, 18:56 (Ref:3616094) | #5 | |||
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19 Feb 2016, 19:28 (Ref:3616099) | #6 | ||
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"Knowing that it's in you and you never let it out Is worse than blowing any engine or any wreck you'll ever have." -Mike Cooley |
21 Feb 2016, 17:13 (Ref:3616508) | #7 | ||
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I didn't see this thread the other day. I can't believe it has been 15 years. I was not a fan for a while, but over time you just had to be impressed with Earnhardt's amazing skills on all sorts of tracks. Loved the father/son run in Daytona 24, and sad his loss took away a possible run at LeMans.
I guess I will watch the 500, the only Nascar race I even bother with anymore. So much has changed over time, and not always for the good, although the safety improvements in cars, tracks, driver equipment are appreciated. I grew up in the era of Petty and Pearson and so many others, and the loss of Earnhardt was really a sort of period for me to those good ole days. |
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21 Feb 2016, 17:30 (Ref:3616509) | #8 | ||
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Good stuff, skycafe. He certainly was a link to those days and guys like Awesome Bill, Dave Marcus, the Labontes, Ricky Rudd, the Bodines, etc. all linked to them as well. The Wood Brothers are still involved and I'm sure there's a bunch I haven't mentioned, but Dale was certainly a character that not only brought his talents to the track, he helped many others make it as well.
However, the biggest thing he did for the sport was stick up for the heritage and was never afraid to tell NASCAR they were doing the wrong thing, something the sport is severely lacking today. |
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"Knowing that it's in you and you never let it out Is worse than blowing any engine or any wreck you'll ever have." -Mike Cooley |
18 Feb 2019, 21:32 (Ref:3885106) | #9 | ||
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"Knowing that it's in you and you never let it out Is worse than blowing any engine or any wreck you'll ever have." -Mike Cooley |
19 Feb 2019, 00:16 (Ref:3885118) | #10 | |
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Certainly his death has made NASCAR safer and that we should be thankful for
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19 Feb 2019, 02:54 (Ref:3885128) | #11 | ||
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So many years and yet I still remember vividly watching the broadcast. The crash did not look so bad, but there wasn't someone climbing out...the way the posture of the rescue workers changed and the broadcast cut away. It started to feel so much like the experience of watching the scenes of the Senna crash years before.
It can be such a cruel sport. |
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19 Feb 2019, 12:12 (Ref:3885213) | #12 | |||
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"Knowing that it's in you and you never let it out Is worse than blowing any engine or any wreck you'll ever have." -Mike Cooley |
19 Feb 2019, 14:52 (Ref:3885262) | #13 | |
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The fact is the mid race pile up looked even more serious, yet everyone walked away. Dale though was not so lucky
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19 Feb 2019, 16:06 (Ref:3885295) | #14 | ||
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As I was in the Orlando market, the race broadcast ended and switched to the news, which was giving updates at the hospital: the family arriving, Mike Helton (Nascar President) arriving, but no condition updates. Went back to regular news, then interrupted by live news conference of Helton announcing " we have lost our hero." I was standing, watching all this on the tv, and it was as if a dark cloud had arrived. It flowed in, nothing you could do to stop it.
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23 Feb 2019, 19:23 (Ref:3886177) | #15 | ||
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It was one of those things that you remember where you were when it happened, I was scuba diving in Cuba and heard about it on the Radio. At first I though that I'd misheard it !!
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18 Feb 2021, 14:35 (Ref:4035719) | #16 | ||
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We lost Dale Earnhardt 20 years ago today. That's hard to believe.
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18 Feb 2021, 19:06 (Ref:4035781) | #17 | |
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Damn, 20 years have flown by. Can remember watching it and seeing that ambulance slowly roll out of the track, knowing slow is not good.
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18 Feb 2021, 22:54 (Ref:4035810) | #18 | ||
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"Knowing that it's in you and you never let it out Is worse than blowing any engine or any wreck you'll ever have." -Mike Cooley |
19 Feb 2021, 00:01 (Ref:4035812) | #19 | ||
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I can remember watching the news on the TV sitting in bed on holiday in Cuba. A real freak accident at the time, but lessons were learnt that made racing that bit more safe.
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Balls of steel (knob of butter) They're Asking For Larkins. ( Proper beer) not you're Eurofizz crap. Hace más calor en España. Me han conocido a hablar un montón cojones! Send any cheques and cash to PO box 1 Lagos Nigeria Africa ! |
19 Feb 2021, 16:58 (Ref:4035903) | #20 | |
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NASCAR wasn’t massive world wide at the time, but it was cr*p what happened to Dale and his popularity showed when news of his death went around the world. We’d already lost three drivers the year before, but Dale’s death was something else. The accident didn’t actually look that bad and certainly not the worst looking accident that day, having already had Tony Stewart’s big roll that day, which he walked around from. Sadly Dale just ran out of luck.
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