So Dale Earnhardt's death crash...

[u n v kenny]

RIP...that was one of th few races i have seen...but i think his death changed a lot of safety equipment in NASCAR for the better....

this.

I know they added the neck braces to the driver and to the seats as well.

 

[AAG]

Is there no footage/pics of him being removed from the car?

 

[raustin0017]

First time ever I cried watching a sporting event. # 3 was my sports HERO!

 

[CobraBob]

What's nuts is that the crash didnt look all that bad. Uglier wrecks have occurred where no one was hurt.

You are totally right. I remember seeing it and expecting to see Dale lower the window net and crawl out. When that didn't happen and you could sense an eerie heaviness in the air, I knew it wasn't good. But yeah, looking at the damage done to the car you'd never expect that he could have been killed. I guess a lot of things happened in a bad way at the same time.

 

[03Sssnake]

I was never a fan of Dale, in fact I hated him, but knew he was the best driver there ever was. I was so sad the day that happened; NASCAR racing was much better when he was running. I also think that's why Junior ended up being such a lame duck; if his father was still alive he'd be much more successful IMO.

I don't think Jr is so much a lame duck, just facing some incredibly talented drivers in the field...but yeah I think he would be doing better if the old man was still around.

 

[megameGT500]

Here is an in car video. The audio and video are pretty bad. Sorry if it's a repost:

[youtube_browser]SRxpz9eQI6s[/youtube_browser]

One of the reasons why Sr was against the HANS and wore an open face was so that he could "feel" the air (draft). Other's said he could see the air but the open face helmet gave him the opportunity to feel the air on his face. He undestood the draft better than most.

He still wore an open faced helmet and referred to the hans as a "noose."

Bad things have to happen before things change. If you havent yet, watch SENNA.

 

[VegasMichael]

Dale was the reason I started watching NASCAR. I was intrigued by the "bad man in the black car." It was somehow comic-bookish to me. Yet once I started following his career I saw the man behind that. His death bothered me for several days. I started watching less and less of NASCAR after his passing. I pretty much walked away from viewership after Rusty Wallace retired. Mostly watch drag racing and the Rolex series now.

 

[7.62x51]

 

[Monkeygrits]

I couldve seen Earnhardt win an 8th championship too. He showed no signs of slowing down. I stuck with NASCAR and instantly became a Harvick fan. It took a lot for him to climb in that car and when he took it and won Atlanta, it was one of the most awesome things Ive seen in the sport. A great day.

 

[ssssnake]

you are totally right. I remember seeing it and expecting to see dale lower the window net and crawl out. When that didn't happen and you could sense an eerie heaviness in the air, i knew it wasn't good. But yeah, looking at the damage done to the car you'd never expect that he could have been killed. I guess a lot of things happened in a bad way at the same time.

+2

 

[cobrakidz]

I was never a big Sr fan but he did a lot for the sport.

 

[WutApex]

I hate to admit it, but i cheered when he hit the wall. I never did like his driving style and was glad he was out of the race. I felt really bad after I found out it was serious. Like others said, i didn't think it was that big of hit.

I stopped watching NASCAR soon after that (not because of that incident). Loved watching Martin and Elliott.

 

[Kiohtee]

You should NEVER cheer when a driver hits the wall man, I don't care what you think about him or her. :nonono:

 

[99cobrablack]

I hate to admit it, but i cheered when he hit the wall. I never did like his driving style and was glad he was out of the race. I felt really bad after I found out it was serious. Like others said, i didn't think it was that big of hit.

I stopped watching NASCAR soon after that (not because of that incident). Loved watching Martin and Elliott.

You should NEVER cheer when a driver hits the wall man, I don't care what you think about him or her. :nonono:

I didn't cheer, but I am 100% with you on his driving style.. He seemed to be a better spokesman for the sport off the track than he was on.. I haven't been watching hardly any nascar since Elliott quit, but when "Smoke" was riding for home depot was just about as a reckless of a d-bag as there was. Made Dale look like a grandmother. I guess he has shaped up some since he is in his own ride now by the looks of it.

 

[WutApex]

You should NEVER cheer when a driver hits the wall man, I don't care what you think about him or her. :nonono:

Well, I did.

After years of watching him bump and wreck others....he was a master of getting up under the rear bumper and causing lead car to lose traction which often lead to a wreck. obviously I'd never want anyone to get hurt, but wrecks are a part of NASCAR - you cant deny that a large segment of fans watch the race for the spectacular crashes. It's one aspect you rarely see in other forms of racing.

 

[Tifosi2003GT]

wonder what happened to that car?

 

[VegasMichael]

I remember that crash at Daytona that Dale had. I did not think it was much. Yet Waltrip, the commentator, knew better. He kept saying, "Boy, I hope Dale is all right." I didn't understand his concern until later when I found out what happened.

 

[Kiohtee]

Well, I did.

After years of watching him bump and wreck others....he was a master of getting up under the rear bumper and causing lead car to lose traction which often lead to a wreck. obviously I'd never want anyone to get hurt, but wrecks are a part of NASCAR - you cant deny that a large segment of fans watch the race for the spectacular crashes. It's one aspect you rarely see in other forms of racing.

A bump and run is completely different than what happened to Earnhardt that day. I certainly don't blame Wallace, Marlin, or Schrader for their racing that day, and I'm sure he wouldn't either, but it's still a completely different incident. I totally understand what you're saying though. I'm sure a lot of Earnhardt haters (for lack of a better word) cheered when he wrecked just to ultimately regret it.

I still get happy to see Johnson slap the wall, cut a tire, etc. just because it means less real competition lol.

 

[HEMI LOL]

Yeah, my wife and I were watching it live as well. I remember the look on Darrell Waltrip's face and the eerie sense that something very bad happened to Dale. Sad day.

i agree. the last NASCAR race i ever watched.

 

[1wild-horse]

Yeah you could really see the concern in Darrell's face, and he kept saying I hope Dale's alright, I hope Dale's alright. Kinda knew then this was no run of the mill wreck. Never liked the guy but still felt a great man was lost that day.