Remembering Dale Earnhardt:

Fan Reaction To The Tragedy

The most TERRIBLE event in NASCAR history took place on February 18, 2001, in the last lap of the Daytona 500.  :...(  Dale Earnhardt, the greatest driver in the history of NASCAR, was killed in a crash on the last lap of the Daytona 500.  Dale is gone!  :...(  He will never be forgotten!!!  Rest in peace Dale!  You will FOREVER be my hero and my favorite driver and will be greatly missed by myself, as well as your family, friends, and all the fans!!!  You are the GREATEST driver this sport has ever seen!  Without you, NASCAR would not be what it is today.  NASCAR will never be the same without you!!!  Life will never be the same without you.  My condolences go out to Dale's legion of fans, friends, and especially to his family!!!  He was a great man and his legacy will live on!!!

Eric's reaction to
the worst day ever...

 It is February 20th.  I'm not not a very happy person right now...  The 2001 Daytona 500 was two days ago.  I'm sure many of you feel the same way.  I'd like to offer my condolences to you all.  The entire NASCAR family is in mourning.  Last night I sat down to read the e-mail that I've received from a lot of people since Dale Earnhardt's death.  I'd like to thank any of you who wrote to offer your
  sympathy.  I return it to you, and I send all I have to the Earnhardt family, and to all who knew this truly remarkable man.  If it's this hard for us to cope, can you imagine how it must feel to them?  I've never experienced the death of a spouse or a father, but it must be terrible!  The closest I've come is a grandfather, and that was bad enough.  In the case of Dale Earnhardt though, it feels kind of the same as when my grandpa died.  It feels like I have lost a very close family member.  That's what it feels like to me.  Dale Earnhardt may not have been a family member or close friend of mine, and I've never even met him (though it always USED TO BE a dream of mine) but I feel so empty inside.

    Why do I feel like a piece of me is missing?  Why do I feel like I have just lost a member of my family?...  Because Dale Earnhardt was my hero, he was my idol, I wanted to be just like him...  A dream that will probably never come true since I'll probably never even get to drive a race car.  If I could do anything I wanted with my life, I sure wouldn't want to be here in college, I'd be a race car driver!!!  I know, I should be reconsidering that after what happened at Daytona last weekend, but I'm not...  In fact, I want to race now more than ever before.  I want to race in honor of Dale Earnhardt.  I want to race just like Dale Earnhardt.

 For about a month before the 2001 Daytona 500, I was doing a count down on the dry erase board on the outside of my dorm room door...  With each day that the race got closer, I grew more and more excited with anticipation.  It seemed like so long since the last season got over, and I was looking forward to some excitement.  In particular, I was hoping to see Dale Earnhardt do something that no
  other driver had done before...  Win a record eighth Winston Cup Championship!  Of course, I had other goals in mind for Dale as well...  I was looking forward to him beating Terry Labonte's record for most consecutive races started in a row...  He only needed a few more starts to get that one.  I also wanted him to win at least eight races this year...  Weather it was possible or not...  That way he would pass up Darrell Waltrip and have the most wins of any driver in the modern era of NASCAR!  But little did I know...  All the counting down, excitement, and anticipation was NOT leading up to the start of a joyful, victorious season...  It was leading up to a terrible event...  The death of the greatest driver in the history of NASCAR.

  Oh sure...  The Daytona 500 WAS going very well...  It was a very exciting race all day long!  For a while, the three DEI (Dale Earnhardt Inc.) cars, and Dale Earnhardt, were the top four!  It would have been the most excellent finish of a race that I had ever seen!  It would have been a dream come true for me and a lot of other people as well.  Close to the end of the race, a huge crash took out a whole bunch of the  guys who are normally Earnhardt's biggest competition...  Several of last year's top ten drivers!  That crash also claimed the  car of Steve Park, but the other two DEI cars, and Earnhardt himself, continued to lead when the race went back to green!  I have rarely ever been as excited as I was at the end of this race...  I though I was going to see a DEI 1-2-3 finish.  Things were getting a little pushy back in the pack, but Dale, running in third place, was blocking for his drivers in the top two spots.  Most people would have expected him do team up with Dale Jr. and pass Waltrip, or team up with Marlin and pass both the top two cars...  Dale LOVED to win...  But Dale was being very unselfish.  He could have almost certainly won the race, but he held back...  He was guarantying a win
  for either his son, or his long time friend Michael Waltrip, who had never before won a Winston Cup race in his entire 15 year Winston Cup career.

    As Waltrip took the checkered flag with Dale Jr. right on his back bumper, I became extremely excited!!!  I though ok, Dale is leading that next group, he'll get third place!  But then I heard something about a crash in turn three involving Dale Earnhardt.  I thought "NOOO!  Now he lost his top five finish!"  Then they said that Earnhardt wasn't getting out of his car...  I thought "He's ok, he's
  invincible, he's Dale Earnhardt!!!"  Then they weren't saying much about it.  They went on with the coverage without updating the situation.  They said they would update the situation when they knew anything.  They didn't even at least say that he was alive, which scared me.  They interviewed Schrader, who was involved in the crash, and he wouldn't say anything either.  That worried me a lot.
   My friend Josh was watching the race with me.  I had recently found out that his uncle personally knew Dale Earnhardt!  His uncle had actually flown the the race that day on Dale's plane!  I said "Call him and see what's happening!"  Through him, we heard that Dale was apparently ok...  They said he just got knocked out, and that he'd be back to racing again in no time.  I talked to Tracey, an on-line
   friend of mine, on my MSN Messenger and she heard that he was awake, but that he didn't know what day it was when they
asked him.

   So now, after talking to my two sources, I was relieved enough to not worry about it anymore...  I thought Dale was going to be all right.  I was just hanging out in my dorm room with my friend Josh after that, and I wasn't worried about Dale's life at all...  I thought he was alive, so what I was thinking was that I hoped it didn't affect his 2001 season.  We had the TV on in the room, but weren't paying
  attention to it...  All the sudden I thought I heard the guy on ESPN say "Dale Earnhardt is dead"...  I immediately ran to the TV to turn it up, thinking that I had misunderstood what was just said.  They were talking a little about the race, and about the accident.  THEN, after recapping the race and the crash itself, they said it...  Dale Earnhardt - dead at age 49.

  I couldn't believe what I had just heard...  I was crushed.  For a few seconds I was just shocked and speechless, then I couldn't help but begin to cry.  A couple minutes later, the phone rang.  It was my little sister.  Immediately after the race I had called and told her to call me right away if she found out anything about Dale Earnhardt.  I had since talked to her on MSN Messenger, and told her that I heard, from two different people, that he was ok.  But sadly, my information was incorrect.  Well, I was crying, and she was crying, and neither one of us really knew what to say.  She had also found out from an announcement on TV.  Her and I both started closely following NASCAR at about the same time, 1997.  The first race we can actually remember seeing Dale win is the 1998 Daytona 500.  That was an incredible day, and is probably what turned me into such a huge NASCAR fanatic!  Well we were both saying that we couldn't believe it, and that it was terrible.  She said "We haven't even seen him win that many races, and now we never will again!"  I said "We never even saw him win a pole award!"  She said "We'll never even get to see him race again!"  It was not a very pleasant
 conversation.  I talked to her for quit a while, and then my dad called back and talked to me too.  I was a little more composed by the time I talked to him, but I was still very upset.  At the time It didn't pop into my head, but along with everything else, none of us will ever again be able to even see Dale lead another lap, or talk to the reporters with his funny sense of humor (I was telling him he's number one!), or bond with his family members on race day.

 I thank God that I had the opportunity to go the the first Michigan race in the year 2000!  At least I got to see Dale race in person.  I got to see him do what he did best...  I got to see him at his best...  In that race, Tony Stewart won, and Dale finished second.  Had the last four laps not been rained out, I may have gotten to see him win one in person!  When it rained and they didn't finish the final laps, I was
  really disappointed.  I was positive that I was going to see Dale win!  After the race was called off I was so disappointed...  I thought that this could be my only chance to see him win in person.  Turns out I was right.  The rest of my family wasn't even lucky enough to get a chance to see Dale race in person...  I went to the race last summer with my best friend, a Tony Stewart fan.  My family all really wanted to see Dale race in person too.  We were hoping to go to the race at Chicago this year.  Now I really don't think we'll be doing that.  I don't know if I'll ever feel like going to another NASCAR race ever again.  It will be hard enough just to watch them on TV.  It's not the same without Dale Earnhardt.  It will never be the same again, no matter how much time passes.  It will hurt forevermore.

  Later on Sunday night, I got a phone call from my best friend who had gone to the race at Michigan with me.  He said "I'm sorry, man."  He didn't seem to know quite what else to say, and I didn't either...  We talked for a long time, and all we could really say was that it was terrible, that it sucked, that the sport would never be the same. Even though he is a Tony Stewart fan, and Tony won the race we went to, he said "I wish Dale would have won that race when we were there."  So do I.  That would have been one of the greatest experiences of my life...  Not that just going to the race wasn't an experience as well, but to see Dale win a race in person would have been one of the most amazing, wonderful things I have ever done.

 Dale was the best driver in the entire history of NASCAR.  There is no doubt of that in my mind.  For anyone who says Richard Petty was better, you're wrong.  Dale would have had more than 200 victories, and beat Petty's record if he had raced way back when Petty did...  Back then there were a lot more races, as many as 50 in a year, so there was more opportunity to win.  Also the cars were not
equal at all back then...  All you needed to win was a really good car.

  Dale was only one championship away from proving to the doubters that he truly is, without a doubt, the best there ever was.  He needed one more championship which he almost got last year, and I'm convinced that he would have gotten it in 2001!  I could feel it, I was so sure that he was going to win another Winston Cup before he retired!  The world will never know for sure, but I know in my heart that he would have.  This was truly his year to win.  With about 8 more victories he would have broken Darrell Waltrip's record for most victories in the modern era of NASCAR.  With a few more races, he'd have broken Terry Labonte's record for most consecutive races started in a row.  I know he could have done all these things.  He'd have certainly accomplished these by the time he retired in a few years.  That would have truly proven that Dale was the best!  It would have silenced all the doubters.  Dale Earnhardt is the best there ever was, and probably the best there ever will be!

  This is the biggest tragedy that has ever occurred in NASCAR, and pretty close to the biggest tragedy that has ever occurred in my entire life.  We have lost the best driver in the history of the sport! NASCAR racing will never be the same for me again.  It will never be the same for anyone again.  I don't know how I can stand to watch the races without him in them.  I've never seen a Winston Cup race without Dale Earnhardt!  It would have been different if he'd retired in a few years.  It would still be hard to see that car without him in it, but at least he'd still be around as an owner!  There will never be another Dale Earnhardt.  I know that Richard Childress will still run two Winston Cup teams, but I sure hope that the number 3 is retired, and the paint scheme on the Goodwrench Chevy is changed from the familiar old black and silver.  I will not be able to stand seeing the black and silver number 3 out on the track ever again.  Not without Dale Earnhardt behind the wheel.  The one and only person that I could ever MAYBE accept to see driving the number three car is Dale Earnhardt Jr.  I know that will never happen because he will stay with DEI, so I hope the number 3 is retired for good.

  I feel so bad for the entire Earnhardt family.  Teresa and all the kids, but especially Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Being a driver himself, this must absolutely terrify him.  I hope he has the strength and courage to finish the rest of the 2001 season, unlike Kyle Petty in 2000.  I hope he keeps on racing.  He's the only person I could ever hope would beat any of his dad's records.  I hope he's just as successful as his dad was.  That would be about the best he could ever be.  Now that Dale can no longer win that eighth championship this year, my dream would be for Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win it in his sophomore year and dedicate it to his dad.  After all that has happened, that would be a dream come true for me.

 All I can say in condolence to the family, friends, and fans of this legendary man, is that he died doing what he loved.  He died at a track he loved.  He died at the top of his game, while he still had reasonable hopes of winning a race week in and week out.  There will be no winless, winding down seasons for the legendary Dale Earnhardt.  He also died instantly, so he didn't suffer any pain.

  It's just too bad that Dale, like his own father who died in his forties, will never be around to see his own son win a Winston Cup Championship.  He never got to see any car he owned win a Winston Cup Championship.  He didn't even get to see his good friend Michael Waltrip, upon who he had bestowed such great faith by hiring him to drive the number 15 NAPA car, win the race that day.  He must have seen something in Michael that no one else did.  I myself, as well as many others, doubted Dale's decision to hire a driver who hadn't won a Winston Cup race in his 15 year career.  Michael has proven us all wrong, but Dale isn't around to see that he has been proven right.

A lot of fans reacted with great grief over this sad situation.  My entire family, and many other fans that I know are in terrible grieving right now.  One fan, and actually a friend of Dale Earnhardt, took it too far though...  My friend Josh's uncle did not take the horrific tragedy very well at all.  Josh's mom called him on his cell phone on Sunday night while he was still here in my room with some terrible
  news.  Since his uncle had flown down to Daytona on Dale's plane, the plane flew him back home to Kentucky after the race was over.  When he got home, he apparently drank a lot of alcohol in a very short period of time.  He then put a gun in his mouth and tried to pull the trigger.  His best friend stopped him, but he then shot his best friend in the foot and took off in his sport utility vehicle.  The
 cops found him a few miles down the road, his vehicle wrapped around a tree.  He was in a coma that night, and had a very small chance of living through the night.  The next morning though, he was still alive.  By the end of the day he had come out of his coma, but was still in very serious condition.  He continues to be in serious condition to this day, but he is now getting slightly better, and is in serious, but stable condition.  my prayers are with him and his family.  The irony here is that just when I found out that my friend's uncle knew Dale Earnhardt and I may have actually had a chance to meet him, Dale has passed away, and the man who could have been my connection to meet him is near death.

   On Monday I planned to go to the Mall of America and buy some more memorabilia before there was none left to buy anymore.  What I was really after is a Dale Earnhardt jacket, because I have always wanted one.  My friend Josh came with me.  By the time we got there, however, there was not a single piece of Dale Earnhardt memorabilia to be found at the Pro Motorsports store.  It had all sold early in the morning.  We checked a store downstairs in the mall that has NASCAR merchandise as well.  They had a whole bunch of big #3 signs, but there was a sign hanging in the store which said "All #3 signs are already sold."  Next we went to Silicon Motor Speedway, the simulated NASCAR game on the third floor.  The only Earnhardt memorabilia they had left were key chains and pins.  I bought a pin.  The other half of the store has a replica of Dale's car in it.  We went over there, and the hood was covered in flowers.  There were a lot of people there to see the car.  The car was probably always an attention getter in the doorway of the store, but that half of the store was filled with grieving fans on this day.  When I walked up to the car and looked inside, and touched the window ledge, I couldn't help but cry.

   When we went in the back of the store, by the simulated cars that people sit in to race against each other, we saw that Earnhardt's car was not running...  The store had shut the car down and no one was allowed to use it.  There were some flowers on the trunk lid, and a black ribbon on the sign above the car.  There was also a black ribbon on the pop machine in the store that has Dale's picture on it, and one on the lighted picture of Dale Earnhardt that hangs on the wall of the store.  All the employees there are wearing black arm bands for the rest of the month.  I'd say that all of that stuff is the least they could do to pay tribute to the seven time Winston Cup Champion, and it was really nice to see.

 We went back to Josh's apartment to get his camera, and on the way back to the mall we stopped so I could buy a flower to put on the car.  I bought a yellow rose for Dale.  When we got back, Josh took a picture of me standing by the car with the flower, putting it on the hood with the other flowers, and then just standing by the car.  He also took some pictures of all the flowers on it.  Once he gets them
 developed and scanned for me, they should be put up here on my site (Josh and I don't talk anymore, and I never got those pictures that he promised to give me!).  I also plan to go back there on Saturday to take more pictures after the flowers have accumulated for an entire week.  I think that the car will just be covered with them!  I plan on getting a card to put on the car since I just put a flower on it last time.

  While we were there by the car, a lady came over to talk to me.  She told me that she was from the Star Tribune, a Minneapolis newspaper.  She had taken a picture of me putting the flower on the car, and said she was going to use it in the paper the next day.  She asked me some questions, and then I took one more look back at the car and we left.  The next day, there I was on the bottom of the
 FRONT page of the Star Tribune, putting my yellow rose on the hood of Dale's car!  I'm real glad that I got my picture on the front of the paper while paying tribute to my hero.  I was quoted underneath the picture as saying "It's not going to be the same anymore."  I thought it was really cool, and a really neat way to pay tribute to the best NASCAR driver in history, Dale Earnhardt.

It is now May 22, 2001.  It's been three months and four days since the event that changed the face of NASCAR racing forever.  The shock wore off completely and gave way to just plain grief.  I am still sad when I think of Dale's death.  This death is unlike most because there are the constant reminders.  With others in my life who have passed away, I can usually put it behind me after awhile, but every time I watch a NASCAR race I can not help but think of Dale.  Every time I go to NASCAR sights on the internet I can't help but run into some sort of reminder.  Also, I'm getting a little better about this, but whenever I would see the qualifying results for the longest time afterward, I would be constantly looking for Dale's name and number on the charts!  Then I would realize that it wasn't there, and I would just be sad again.  It's so hard to get used to, I will never get used to it!  I thought about the possibility of not watching any more NASCAR races for a while.  Then I realized something...  Dale would WANT us to keep following the sport which he did so much for!  He would want us to follow the career of his son and the other DEI and RCR team mates!  That's what Dale would want!

My family is still going to a NASCAR race this summer.  We are not going as much to see our new favorite driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., as we are going to pay respects to Dale.  We decided not to go to Chicago, but opted to go to Michigan instead.  Dale never got the opportunity to race at Chicago, and we figured that Michigan would do a nice tribute.  We all have T-shirts to wear to the race that say "Winners come and go, but legends live forever," and the hats that everyone was wearing in memory of Dale at Rockingham.  We also plan to make signs.  We want to show our true Earnhardt pride even though he is no longer there to see it.  It will be so hard to actually be there in person and see first hand that Dale is really not there.  I'm sure it will be emotional.  Maybe Dale Jr. will win, that will make it even better.  Nothing compared to if Dale Earnhardt was there and won, but still great none-the-less.

I want to update the situation on my friend Josh's uncle as well.  Several weeks later he got out of the hospital.  I haven't talked to Josh for awhile to see how his uncle is, but last I heard he would be needing a lot of physical therapy.  I guess that's much better than if he were not alive at all!

As far as my memorabilia hunt goes, I have ordered a leather Dale Earnhardt jacket from the Pro Motor Sports Store in Deluth Minnesota, but it is on back order and has not come in yet.  I can't wait to get it!  Too bad it's too hot to wear it now!  I have wanted one for so long and I will be glad when i get it.  It cost $380.00, but it is worth every penny!  I will keep it FOREVER!  Other things I've recently been able to find include banners and pennants at Shopko, and a lot of items at Pro Motor Sports in the Mall of America.  Things I've bought at Pro Motor Sports include a woven tapestry to hang on the wall, a 1:64 scale die cast of his 2000 No Bull victory car, a window cling, a shot glass, a beer mug, a memorial T-shirt, and the hats that everyone was wearing to remember Dale at Rockingham.  Items I've bought elsewhere include a memorial decal and bumper sticker for the back window of my car, several framed pictures, a 1:64 scale die cast of Dale's 1999 Wrangler Winston Select car, a 1:64 scale die cast of Dale's 2001 Oreo car, and a larger die cast of Dale's 2000 Peter Max Winston Select car...  There was more stuff I have found, but i just can't afford it all...  Someday when I'm rich I'll just have to get the rest of the stuff I want on E-bay!  The things I am still looking for at a reasonable price are the silver Goodwrench car from 1995, the Olympic car from 1996, and the Wheaties car from 1997.  Once I find those three, I will have all his paint schemes from 1986-2001!

Well that's about it for now...  I've got to save some room on this page for the other fan's reactions!  I hope all the rest of you fans are recovering from the loss!

Other fan's reactions...
These are e-mails I received from other fans in the months following the 2001 Daytona 500.  Some of these may also be guest book entries from my guest book that I particularly liked and therefore I used them on this page.  The people who wrote these e-mails have given me permission to use them.  The names, as well as e-mail and web site addresses (If I know them) are listed with each e-mail or guest book entry.  The names in some have been taken out in areas where I just used the words "my daughter" or "my husband," etc.  This is done so because the people who wrote them requested that I do so.  Some of them may have been slightly edited as far as spelling and other mistakes that I noticed too.  If you see your e-mail or guest book entry here and would like it removed, feel free to e-mail and let me know.  If you see your e-mail here and have a web site or e-mail address you would like added to it, or would like yours removed from it, please let me know.  If you have any thoughts you would like to see added to this page, please send them to me as well.  Thanks.

February 19, 2001.
Dale Earnhardt was the best driver there ever was and will always be in my book.
Daniel Crouch
Kentucky

February 19, 2001
To all of our friends in the racing community:  As with all of you, we here at Motorsport Marketing and GoMotorsports.com were stunned and deeply saddened at the loss of our most popular stock car driver and spokesman, Dale Earnhardt, at yesterday's Daytona 500. Our staff sends our prayers and heartfelt condolences to the Earnhardt family, and to all of his fans around the world.

We were speechless as the press conference was held and the announcement made that Dale had died after his last lap crash. He leaves behind a legacy of breathtaking wins, controversial passes, and a level of fan loyalty that may never again be equaled. Love him or not, all NASCAR fans will agree that the absence of the #3 Goodwrench Chevy in the starting grid will leave a void in our hearts for years to come. It won't be the same without you, Dale.

In honor of his memory, and out of respect for the family, we have temporarily suspended the Earnhardt giveaway on our web site, as well as the sales of all Earnhardt merchandise for a period of 48 hours. Many of you placed orders for Earnhardt items last night, and those orders will be filled in the order they were received once the suspension is lifted. The prices will all remain the same, and a portion of all Earnhardt sales taken on or after February 18th, 2001 will be donated to charities involved with the rehabilitation of head trauma victims. Please remember that all of the items we carry are limited edition collectibles, and some may have been sold out prior to your internet order being placed. We will do everything humanly possible to fill everyone's order.

In this, one of NASCAR's darkest hours, we know that Dale died doing something he loved to do. Even as it pains us to know that we will never again get to see his wry smile during an interview, or his shining eyes in Victory Lane, we take consolation in the fact that a more fitting end could not have been met by such a Champion than during a last-lap charge for the lead at the Daytona 500. The impact that Dale Earnhardt had on our sport and our hobby has forever changed us. The memories of his hard-charging determination and his dedication to his fans will far out-live the pain we feel today. Dale Earnhardt will forever live on in our hearts and his presence  always be felt on race day.

Sincerely,
Russ Dickey and all the staff at Motorsport Marketing

Web Site

February 20, 2001
You know, I can't imagine NASCAR without Dale. I'm not sure if I want to even watch it anymore without him. He made the whole race in my opinion. I read somewhere on the web last night that they were thinking of retiring his #3. They took his site off the web and put a memorial up in its place, so I printed it out for a keepsake. I'm planning on framing it. You know, when I look at my collection of
Dale's stuff I have hanging on my wall and on shelves in my living room I just want to cry. I feel as though I lost a dear friend. He brought a lot of fun to my life. He has been a part of NASCAR ever since I started watching too. And I have rooted for him from the beginning. I'll miss him always.

Majic3

February 20, 2001
Hi Eric, This is Critter here. I hope your holding up OK after our great loss. I have pulled my Dale Earnhardt links page for awhile. I still have one page up ,but the rest is down until I can accept all that has happened. I am waiting to see what Dale Jr. is going to do and, I have to wait and see if the 3 is retired. If I was NASCAR I think the right thing to do is retire the number. Childress Racing leases the number from NASCAR, so we have to wait and see what they are all going to do. I just want you to know I cried too, so don't feel ashamed. I'm 52 years old. I was saying to a friend, First John Wayne and now Dale. My hero's are all gone, but I still have my Dad. I can't want more. I hope we all don't try and put Dale Jr. in a position that he has to take over for his Dad. Nobody will be able to do that. Dale Jr. will have enough to do without that. He will have to race for himself, but we can be sure he will dedicate his first Winston Championship to his Dad. I'm glad you're keeping your site up, and I hope the pain won't be long. As for me, at my age, I find its easier to hold up awhile and reflect a little bit. That's why I'm not running a full site till I figure out what the Earnhardt family and Childress Racing is going to do. Good luck to you, and hang in there.

Your Race Friend,
Critter
Copake, NY

Web Site

February 20
I too am numb from this all...  My web sites are getting phenomenal hits right now, but I don't care, I didn't want it this way...  I have spent most of the night on the computer and the phone watching TV and crying, walking around in a daze...  My heart is so heavy, and I can't stop crying, the hardest thing I had to do today was send out updates on Dale for my Lists, I didn't do it till quite a while later, because that would be confirming this awful untruth that just can't be.  Not MY Dale, NOT OUR Dale, this can't be happening.  Hubby and I have been crying non-stop.  My trips to the TEC board have helped me tremendously to know that others feel the shock and numbness that I do.  E-mails are pouring in on my server from people sending their condolences, and that makes it hard too.  Poor Dale Jr. and Teresa and all of them what they must be going through, my thoughts and prayers are with them.  After that accident I sat and said the rosary and prayed and prayed and prayed that everything would be ok.  But God has a plan and his plan was for Dale to come to him.  Part of me is furious that he backed off to be so nice and give them the glory, if only he had hard charged and tried to win the race none of this would happen...  But it did...  It feels empty inside.  Even as I type this now it is surreal, I feel like I'm not here and this is just a dream...  A bad dream...  Sorry for going on, I am trying to do something but I'm not sure what that is...  Find peace.....  I don't know...  I just know Nascar has lost it's BEST DRIVER...  THE BEST DRIVER EVER...  Racing will never be the same and neither will I.  Thank You all for letting me vent and I know you too all feel as I do...  God Bless Dale and God Bless you all, and be sure to give an extra hug to hubby, the kids, your family, your friends, and I send a hug to all of you cause I'm sure we all need it...  I know I am numb, just numb.  I plan on printing all these individual e-mails that I have received and mail them all to DEI, I can't let these beautiful words of sympathy and encouragement just end  on my web site...  Again Dale's fans are the the best...  God speed Dale and fade to black...

#3 FOREVER!
Francine

February 21, 2001
Although I have not been a NASCAR fan for very long (only about three years), the tragedy of losing the greatest driver in the sport has caught me completely by surprise. I keep thinking that I will wake up any second now, and it will be Sunday morning all over again, the Daytona 500 will start up, and all of this will have been a complete nightmare. As a memorial to Dale, I have made my own web page that I will keep up as long as my server is running. All of my fellow Earnhardt friends have told me what an awesome page it is, and I only feel that others should be able to experience it as well. I was wondering if it would be possible for you to put a link on your page to my site for all Earnhardt fans to see. See it for yourself, and let me know what you think. The address is: (Site no longer online).

God Bless Dale Earnhardt, and my sympathies to the entire Earnhardt Family.

Sincerely,
Renee' Toutant
Raleigh, NC

February 21, 2001
Hi Eric, Sorry it has taken such a tragedy to finally get us to meet one another. The loss of our HERO has taken such a toll on me and my wife, we are just devastated. Words can't even begin to describe the pain. Also....  I would be honored to exchange site banners with you. If you will send me your banner and site URL, I would love to add it to my site.

{\0/} God's Speed Dale Earnhardt {\0/}

Miles (Smiley)

Web Site

February 22, 2001
Hello, I got your letter. We are all very sad and still in shock but it will really kick in when the next race is on, God it will be so weird. My daughter, only 6, was crying all night that night. My husband tries to hide it but I can see the pain. Hey did you see the funeral, my husband didn't get it recorded. If you got it recorded could you somehow send me a copy or just send it to let us watch it and we'll send it back? I'm so sad I missed it. I've been on your web site, makes me even more sad to see these pics... Good pics though. Well hang in there ok, talk with you later, bye!

Karra Andrews
Minneapolis, MN

February 22, 2001
A Tribute To Dale Earnhardt
In Loving Memory
April 29, 1951 – February 18, 2001

This goes out to his family
Each friend and every fan
I'm sure you all agree
Dale Earnhardt was “The Man”

They called him The Intimidator
No other earned that name
He would come from out of nowhere
The master of his game

If you share a love for racing
And it's Nascar that's your bag
You've seen your share of  # 3
Underneath that checkered flag

Over the past couple of days
With all the sadness and the anger
Its not hard to spot a fan
I've hugged more than just one stranger

So as we light our candles
While wiping away a tear
May we honor Earnhardt's spirit
Let us tribute his career

For his legend lives on
In the hearts of all his fans
To his family and friends
He will always be “The Man”

By, Erika Dawn Manos

Erika Dawn Manos

February 23, 2001
Silent words of remembrance
Echo across the land
Victory flags flying half mast
Grieving over the empty stands
So many tears shall fall this evening
While condolences are passed along the way
As so many grieve for this moment
That took their hero away
Never shall this day be forgotten
Haunting images forever within our minds
Now only a name and a legacy
Shall the Intimidator leave behind

David
Ft. Pierce, Florida

February 26, 2001
Thanks for having the web page.  This has truly been a difficult time for a lot of people, and those who don't follow NASCAR don't understand it.  I'm glad there are people like you who do.  I've got your page marked on my favorites.  I'll be sure to stop by again.

Dawn

February 27, 2001
Hi Eric, I'm sorry it has taken me so long to respond to your e-mail.  I have been just as broken hearted as your e-mail shows that you have been.  I was at the Daytona 500 last Sunday.  I can still see Dale going by on the last lap and me sitting in turn 2 and saying to him come on Dale you can still win it.  The next thing I know I see him going into Turn 4 and I see him go up into the wall.  I saw Mikey win the race and was excited for him.  I tried to get a picture of him on his victory lap but to many people were standing up either looking down at Dale or watching Mike go by so I wasn't able to get one.  I said to my friend Nick who was with me well Dale is fine so I picked up my cooler and walked out of the stands to meet my mom and step dad who were sitting in different seats then the four of us were.

When I got back to our van at 6:00 I said to my mom I'm going to turn on the radio to see how Dale was doing.  I turned it on to 700 AM and they were talking about the race.  At 6:20 PM they said that they were going to have a special car and driver report.  To my shock they came on the radio and said tragedy at Daytona Raceway.  They then said that Dale Earnhardt died from injuries sustained in a wreck on Turn 4 during the 500.  My mom and I jumped out of the van and immediately ran to the van behind us which was Nick, Jackie and their daughter who are our close friends from here in NJ and who I was sitting with during the race.  I went to the driver seat and hollered to Jackie to roll down the window I have something to tell her.  She said what is it what is wrong.  I said to her that Dale Earnhardt was killed.  She couldn't believe it.  Her 7 1/2 year old daughter didn't understand, I taught her to like Dale Earnhardt
since she was 3 years old.  She looked at me and started crying and said to me Ticia why did our favorite driver die?  I said to her that God wanted the best and he decided it was time to call Dale home.  Then she started screaming and saying "No he was my favorite driver since I can remember because you loved him and now he is gone IT ISN'T FAIR."  I said to her that sometimes life isn't fair but we have to except the Lord's will and realize that Dale is in a better place, a place that we all want to be some day.  She then understood but she still cried as did I.  My favorite driver had died and I was there and had seen it.  I have been a Dale Earnhardt fan for 22 years since I was 5 years old and he was my hero as he had become my friend's daughter's hero.  I feel a little guilty now that I made her like Dale because now she is as broken hearted as I am.

I still watched the race yesterday and I cheered Steve Park on as wildly as I would have Dale.  Racing for me will never be the same but I'll still watch the races every weekend like I always have for 22 years.  When I started watching racing I used to sit in my grandfather's lap and watch the races.  Now 22 years later my 4 month on Nephew sits in my lap while I watch races.  Unfortunately though he will never remember perhaps NASCAR's greatest driver and Champion.  I can guarantee you though if my brother and I have anything to say about it though he will know about Dale because we will teach him.  As I said to my mom on the night of the Daytona 500 I still have a favorite driver the name is the same his name just has a Jr. on the end of it.  I wish Junior the best, he's shown in the past week that he is every bit the man his father was and I can't wait to see what he will accomplish in the future.  I just hope that he lives a long life and lives to retire and be an old man.  Seeing one Earnhardt die was more than enough for me.  Well Eric take care and I apologize it has taken me so long to respond I've just been too upset to really respond to everyone.  God Bless you and yours.

Ticia
New Jersey

Web Site

March 12, 2001
I've come to your web site a few times in the last few months. I am still in shock. I have not been able to do the one thing that I love the most, watch the races. Until yesterday I did not think I would ever be screaming at my tv set again but Kevin & Jr. changed that as I was able to see the last 60 laps. I now realize Dale will always be there in spirit.

Brian Ritchie

March 15, 2001
Great site.  Really enjoyed reading it.  I have been a Earnhardt fan for a long time and don't intend to stop now.  He was and is the greatest there ever was.  His star will always be shining bright.

Connie Hall
Kentucky

Mach 25, 2001
Hi Eric,  My name is Rhonda. I was just looking at your site. I love it. I cried when I read your tribute to Earnhardt. And I especially cried when you mentioned the Michigan 2000 race. I too was there. I am a big Stewart fan. I was overjoyed to see him win in person. I also liked Earnhardt too. Now I will continue to root for his son as I started to last year. But now I do wish the race would have been completed that day in Michigan. I have seen Dale win there a couple of years ago so I have seen him win. He will surely be missed. I would like to let you know that your web site is superb. It is really detailed too. I also do not like Jeff Gordon. I thought that part of your site was hilarious. It is hard for me sometimes because I am a big Nascar fan. I have a lot of collectibles including race tires. And there are some guys that I date who are intimidated because I'm so much into My Nascar. I have been a fan since 1993. Well I have a lot of drivers that I root for. I like Rusty Wallace, Tony Stewart and Dale Jr. I have liked Rusty the longest along with Dale Sr. I guess the only dislikes are Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Jeff Burton and the Roush team. Well anyway....  I must be going now. I just wanted to say how much I liked your site. Where are you from? I am from Toledo, Ohio. I go to the Speedway twice a year. Well I am sorry about your loss of Dale. Maybe I will see you at a track sometime.

Sincerely,
Rhonda
Toledo, OH

April 5, 2001
Thanks for your e-mail.  I just got home from a trip and on the way home, we stopped in NC and visited both DEI and RCR shops.  They are pretty awesome, and even though the outside tributes have been removed, there are still a few inside.  I almost made it through without crying....  almost.  I root for the DEI drivers too, and Kevin Harvick has truly impressed me.  But, I don't think I'll ever again have a "favorite" driver.  Dale is the only favorite I've ever had (only followed the sport since about '89), and I just don't know that I could ever feel as strongly about one driver as I do about him.  Still wearing my #3 stuff, and always will...

Take care,
Dawn

April 9, 2001
Good afternoon, I was touched by your account of the tragedy that has befallen all NASCAR fans around the world.  This was one of those events in our lifetime that we will all remember were we were at the time.  This was the first site that I have visited that features a real life account of a fan's emotions as the tragic events unfolded.  So, I thought I would share my experience with you, as I'm sure you will appreciate it.

I must start out by saying that until a couple of years ago, I was not a big NASCAR fan.  I was quite annoyed at Dale for his dominance of the game, as I am right now of Dale Jarrett.  I was a four sport athlete in high school and spent all of my life, until recently, following the greatest sport in my mind, the NFL.  But I became disgruntled with all the recent bad behavior of the NFL's players.  The NFL became the No Fun League, for sure.  My wife of five years was a big race race fan, and Dale Earnhardt was her favorite driver.  She reluctantly brought me to the Dirt tracks around her hometown of Bloomington, IL. and her brother would sometimes enter a street stock at those races.  I, having some mechanical knowledge, ended up helping her brother in his quest to become a late model
driver.  Thus, when my job brought me to Michigan, were I suspect you are from, I wanted to take her to a Real Race.  We signed up for tickets for MIS In 1999, and low and behold, we were there in June and August of 2000.  We may have even crossed your path, as we were also there watching people getting there picture taken in Tony's car.

I have to admit, I was not a fan of Dale Earnhardt, because I normally root for the Underdogs, regardless of sport.  But the more I learned of the man Dale really was, the more I was sorry for thinking he was cocky showoff who would always screw with other people during their interviews.  The year 2000 was the year I became a NASCAR freak.  We were going to a real race, I Had been a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a Chicago Bears fan all of my life, but never went to an NFL game.  I'd been to Comisky Park, Wrigley Field, and was lucky enough to attend a Chicago bulls playoff game in '98.  But they did not have the values and family orientation that NASCAR has, and that was what I was looking for. With my family growing at an alarming rate, I had a room to call my own and turned it into a NASCAR room.  I  have door panels, autographs from the legends, tires, rims, banners, fan club stuff, uniforms, decals, and displays.  I went overboard, because I thought it was so cool that I could get my hands on actual race used stuff so easily.  The real deal.

It just so happened that on the day of the Daytona 500, my wife started to go back to work and had to miss the biggest race of the year, as we had seen every race together the past two years.  So I agreed to tape it for her.  This was the first race I had ever taped, and the first anything I had taped in two years.  I was ecstatic at the action that I was able to preserve for her, This was one of the best races I had ever seen.  Even when Dale had crashed, I thought It would still be exciting to her, I had decided right then and there that I would become a Dale Earnhardt fan.  He did something that I never saw him do before, let someone else win.  I was cheering him on in his efforts all the way.  It only took a few laps before I realized what he was doing.  I was thrilled. And I had it on tape to show my wife.  Then I was fortunate to catch the Iroc race, which aired without official notice and fanfare, and I witness one of Dale's greatest moments of all time.  I had no inclination of the severity of the incident from Daytona, but I was wanting to keep watching and taping for any updates.  My opinion of Dale became stronger.  I always thought he was one of the best, but, like I said, I was always rooting for the underdog.  I used to follow the likes of Neil Bonnet, Morgan Shepherd, Gordon Joncock, Petty, Buddy Baker, and Cale Yorbourough.  I had no Idea at the time of an underdog named Dale Earnhardt.

Then the word came, several hours after the race.  Dale Earnhardt had died.  I couldn't believe it.  Not for the underpinnings that my favorite driver had just died, but because the crash didn't seem all that horrific, and that I would somehow have to tell my wife that her idol had just died, and she did not get to witness the race, which had never happened the year before.  I contemplated not telling her, just letting her watch as the drama unfolded, just as I did.  But the inevitable phone call came.  Nowhere in America was void of at least a rumor that Dale had passed.  She didn't believe the people that had called her up at work and told her the news.  I immediately became ashamed that I hadn't called her immediately after I found out.  She asked, and I confirmed.  Dale was gone.  She came home early, and watched the news reports that aired at that time.  To this day she has never watched the twelve hours of coverage that I taped for her.  She never had to.  But I have watched it time and time again.  The days that ensued have taught me what a true champion Dale really was.  And it has changed me in more ways than I can even count right now.  All of the sudden I was sorry that we never had much memorabilia of Dale.  I was sorry for not being his number one fan.  So in the weeks that followed, I bought newspapers, magazines, posters, whatever I could afford, not to make a profit, but to have more things around of Dale's for my wife's sake.  It was by reading those newspapers, magazines, and watching the world's reaction, and watching the tube that I realized, all too late, the man Dale Earnhardt. All the stories that people told about how dale had helped numerous people, made me cherish the photographs of my daughter in front of one of Dale's show cars.  It made me appreciate the love my wife Has for Dale, and the rest of Dale's fans.  And cherish the memories I had of Neil Bonnett, who I never knew was best friends with Dale, and the weekend he died was the last race I ever watched.  I am forever a Dale Earnhardt fan.  He will continually teach me what it means to be a winner, and to pursue a dream,

thanks for your time,
Rob and Crystal Shipley
Michigan

August 13, 2001
Great web page!! There are so many of us true loyal Dale fans. I still grieve for him, and I will never enjoy NASCAR with the same passion again. The Man in Black WAS NASCAR...  I miss him so much. It feels like I lost a family member. God speed Dale...  Until we meet again.

Anonymous

September 6, 2001
We will always find comfort in knowing that Dale is looking down on us every day. I think of him often and I ask GOD why did you take him from us so soon?  I get a cold chill and a soft whisper comes across my ears and he says I have not taken him from you , he will be with you always in your heart and in your dreams.

Tina Barber
Gonzales, Louisiana

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