FabSwingers.com forum: 18th february. a time to remember

By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

i was lucky. i was involved with motorsports mostly motorbikes but my cousin was even luckier he was brainy and was working for williams f1 in the early 90's when nigel mansell was starting to dominate.

Nigel was leaving to go to america and the indycar series and my cousin went with him and i came along for a scouting mission to watch some motorsport and take in the circuits.

we didnt know much about american motor racing but one man we had heard of and the stories of him were like legendary.

a man who came from a mill town in Kannapolis and who as a boy worked on his dads cars. he left school early without much of an education, but when he got behind the wheel he drove a car sideways and anyway he could to win.

he passed them on the grass, hanged out of the car to clean the dirty windshield while racing and was famous for bumping others out of his way.

then after the race he would be back working on the family farm.

blue collar workers all wanted to drive like him and he dressed just like them, shirt, hat, boots and trademark sunglasses. if you didnt know who he was youd never think he was just another joe.

this man was the first to win the rookie of the year title in 1979 and the winston cup in 1980 the following season and is still the only driver to do it.

from there he went on to dominate and equal richard petty's 7 winston cup championships.

driving the black number 3 goodwrench chevy Dale Earnhardt was the driver fans and others respected. even those who hated his driving style wanted to know where he was on track, and it was usually out front or giving you a push out of the way.

he won everything, all the big races at talladega, bristol and darlington.

but one race kept on eluding him, nascar's crown jewel the daytona 500.

Earnhardt would always be up front leading but fate always took the win away. a flat tyre on the last turn, running out of gas something always stopped him.

Until 1998 it was nascar's 50 year and after 20 years of trying Earnhardt crossed the finish line in first place and was greeted by every member of every team to shake his hand as they lined up on pit road.

Yet it was only 3 years later the daytona track would claim nascar's greatest driver on the final turn of the final lap.

you can see how someone is loved and missed once they are no longer there.

Nascar has never been the same since Earnhardt's death and it sent shockwaves through the sport, so much in fact that safety measures improved that no other driver in nascar has died since.

Even today Earnhardt merchandise out sells all other drivers by 40% and videos of his wins at talladega and daytona are still viewed by millions 20 years on.

a statue of him is outside daytona and at Kannapolis. RCR have a museum of his cars and visitor centre so fans can pay there own respects.

But what i will always remember is watching that stock car rolling down the pit lane at getting a wink from one of the greatest ever race car drivers.

Dale 'The Intimidator' Earnhardt.

april 29th 1951 - february 18th 2001.