Remembering a Legend – 12 Years Later
The high banks of Daytona showed no mercy to a legend on that fateful day, 12 years ago, when Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was taken from this world. Dale was more than a driver to fans around the world; he was “The Intimidator”, an icon of all that was right with NASCAR and stock car racing, and a hero to many. To drivers, he was the one guy you did not want in your mirror, ever. He has been long remembered as one of NASCAR’s most aggressive drivers for good reason; he wanted to win above all else.
In NASCAR, drivers come and go; but few are missed as much as Dale Earnhardt, Sr has been. From that hard, cold stare when he got in the car, to the soft, southern smile and demeanor when he was not, he lives on in the stories and memories of so many. Ask anyone connected to NASCAR – whether driver, official, or fan – and they will very likely have a story or memory of Dale Sr. on the track or off.
Mentions of the man and his talent, personality, and that legendary ability to “see the air” coming off other cars are still heard around the sport. This past weekend, during the Sprint Unlimited, the discussion of side drafting by Brad Keselowski and Michael Waltrip turned into a “Dale Sr. understood it better than anyone..” discussion.
Everywhere you look, that famous No. 3 and Dale Sr. are still there.
It has been 12 years since many of us watched him crash into the wall at Daytona. Like many, I watched and expected to see him climb from the car like so many crashes before that. Unfortunately, that was not to be.
If you are in North Carolina and want to remember Dale, stop by the DEI shop in Moorseville today, February 18, 2013. They are hosting a memorial and you can sign the guest book, leaving your memories of Dale Sr. for all to read.
I expect that 12 more years may pass and still, “The Intimidator” will be alive and well in the hearts of fans the world over. I know this NASCAR fan will always remember the man, the legend, and the black No.3 speeding down the backstretch, looking for the front of the pack, for many years to come.
Gordon reveals he ‘didn’t expect to be that close’ in Daytona 500 qualifying
For Jeff Gordon it all came down to what a difference a day will make.
This time yesterday Gordon never let his mind wonder to the possibly of sitting on the front row for the Daytona 500. His Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet just didn’t have it in it. Something Gordon felt during winter testing and qualifying practice.
Then Sunday morning his car fell off the jack stand, tearing off the rocker panel just as the team was prepared to bring it from the garage to its place in line for qualifying. Instead they had to quickly get to work in order to make qualifying at all. Gordon did make it qualifying and was the only driver who came close to knocking Danica Patrick off the pole.
“When it’s Daytona qualifying, I should never question Alan Gustafson [crew chief] and his team,” said Gordon upon locking up his spot for next Sunday’s Daytona 500. He starts on the front row of the race for the fourth time in his career.
“With the way testing went, we were so-so. The way yesterday went, I didn’t feel like we had a shot at the pole. So my expectations were kind of low. When I started the lap, the car definitely carried good momentum and RPMs. I thought this is going to be certainly better than where we were yesterday.
“So, yeah, I’m surprised. I didn’t expect to be that close. I told Alan, if I had known we might have been that close, I might have driven across the apron to win the pole. I’m thrilled. This team is thrilled. It’s a great accomplishment just being on the front row.”
Gordon and Patrick have locked up their starting spots for the big race next weekend. Gordon’s looking to win his fourth 500 and has started from the pole before. Still, after qualifying he understood the significance of what had taken place, as well as the position it puts his team in as the start a new season.
“This is big, to be on the front row at Daytona. It’s an accomplishment in itself just because of how many people put so much hard work into it, not just from our team but all the teams that are out here,” stated Gordon.
“When you have all winter long to prepare, you have the biggest race of the year as your first race, there’s a lot of effort that goes into those two laps. I’m very proud of my team. Very proud of Hendrick engines, to see how well the new Chevy SS and Hendrick engines performed today was fantastic.
“We’re here to win the Daytona 500. Sitting on the front row is a great step towards accomplishing that goal. It’s great to be part of history with Danica being on the pole. I think we all know how popular she is, what this will do for our sport. Congratulations to her. Proud to be on there with her.”
Gordon’s time of 45.85 with a speed of 196.292 was the only one to top the 196 barrier besides Patrick’s. It surprised Gordon, who didn’t think neither himself of anyone else was going to come close to Patrick’s time. Especially after seeing how fast Patrick’s team ran yesterday compared to everyone else, including Gordon. And while he would have loved to have won the pole, Gordon joked he’s glad that he didn’t, which would have ruined the big story Patrick has created.
Instead, he’s happy to sit and watch history unfold over the next few days. To see what will be written about it and how it will show up on the front pages in the news arena. It’s a big moment in NASCAR history, he acknowledged, a great headline for the sport. Awesome, is how Gordon summed it up.
And it will be for the next few days. But when the cars hit the track again on Wednesday for more practice and then Thursday for the Budweiser Duels, Gordon will be thinking about what he needs to do to for his team and his car. He and his team have a lot of decisions to make about how they want to approach the rest of the week, either by going into protection mode or as Gordon knows, trying to use every available track time to learn what they can for the 500.
“For me, we’re locked into the Daytona 500. I’m not going to be able to breathe until we’re looking at the green flag waving, sitting on the front row,” he said. “The good thing about being on the front row is that you’re locked into the Daytona 500. The downside is you don’t want to put your mind into protection mode that I don’t want to mess this car up because I want this car to be our car for the Daytona 500.
“If you want to win the Daytona 500, you have to practice like you’re going to win the Daytona 500, race in the Duels like you’re going to win the Daytona 500, do everything to prepare yourself and your team to win the Daytona 500. Sometimes being on the front row can be a hindrance to that mindset.
“We’re going to put a lot of effort in – Alan, me, the team, Rick – are going to put a lot of effort into how we approach the Duels. Once you get through that, we’ll start thinking about how we’re going to approach the Daytona 500.”
Has the Gen 6 Car Changed Anything?
So far, from a fan’s point of view, not much has changed since the advent of the much ballyhooed Gen 6 car arrived on the scene. At least on the racetrack. Yes, the cars look like showroom cars, but other than that, the same things keep happening. The same drivers are good that were good and the same teams lead the pack. Did you expect anything else?
It may be a rush to judgment, however. We’ve only had one short race and a qualifying session to judge the new Fords, Chevrolets, and Toyotas, but some things are clear. Hendrick Motorsports has built the fastest motors, Earnhardt-Childress motors are not far behind, Matt Kenseth is still a great driver, Ford didn’t gain anything with the change, and a lot of teams have a lot of work to do.
On Saturday night during the Sprint Unlimited exhibition race, many drivers couldn’t keep up with Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, and Kevin Harvick. Drivers trying to help couldn’t get to those three drivers’ bumper to push. They were that fast. Many feel like this is a good thing. It has certainly made the “two car tango,” as Darrell Waltrip said, to rest, but to see cars pull away from the field, as much as they can in restrictor plate racing, was interesting. It was also interesting to note that Joey Logano, former driver on the No. 20 Toyota, finished two positions ahead of his former ride in third place in a Penske Ford. It didn’t get as much publicity as Ricky nearly qualifying on the front row with Danica, but then again, what is?
Was the racing better in the Sprint Unlimited? Not that I could see. As usual, the cars were close and we had a big wreck because of driver error, something we’ve come to expect. Qualifying would have been a surprise had Danica Patrick not telegraphed her strength by running the fastest speed in Saturday’s qualifying practice. As usual, nothing seemed so different. Chevrolet dominated the whole two days of action as they will all season. As usual. Did the new car make a difference on the track?
Truth is, we really won’t know much about this car until we hit some normal tracks. No, Daytona and its sister track, Talladega Superspeedway, are not normal. We will know a lot more after Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Bristol because we will have seen the car on a plate track, a flat one-miler, a mile and a half, and a short track. So, sometime on the late afternoon of March 17th, as we are enjoying our green beer, we might know what to think of this new car. Right now, it looks to be status quo, but late on March 17th, who knows?
My Earliest NASCAR Memories
Memories.
The moments you reflect back on your whole life. The good memories come along with the bad memories but, the good ones are the ones that shine brightest. The thing you enjoy most in life probably has many memories to go along with it. The most special memory of your passion in life? Well, it is always the first memory of that special something in your life. For me, that passion is NASCAR. My earliest memories of NASCAR are some of the most celebrated memories I have. My earliest NASCAR memories are still vivid in my mind and forever will be.
Saturday was my birthday. Every year when February 16th rolls around, I am constantly reminded of my first memories of NASCAR. 2005 was the year that changed my life. NASCAR entered my life that year and it hasn’t left since. February 20, 2005 was the day of the 47th running of the Daytona 500. That day also happened to be my seventh birthday party. While I was with my friends during the party, my dad and some of his friends were watching the Daytona 500.
I took a break from the party action and went in with my dad to see what he was up to. He was watching the NASCAR race, so I decided to sit down with him and watch it for a little while. I loved the sight of the cars going around the track while they were going fast, real fast. At that time, what I didn’t realize was that eight years later, I would be still watching the fast cars go around the track.
I watched that race more intently and deeply than any average seven year-old would have. I don’t remember much about that race other than that was the first taste of NASCAR I would ever get. From that day on, I was hooked on watching fast cars drive in a circle. Eight years later, I would still be doing the same thing every weekend. At that time, I never realized how important that February day would be. What if I didn’t watch the race? Would I still have the same love for racing I do today? That’s a reality, which I hope to never live. NASCAR is such a big part of my life that I can never imagine a life without it.
2005 was a huge year for me. I started watching NASCAR that year and I remember so much about some of those races which are now everlasting memories in my head. Watching those cars drive around in circles changed me for the better. I remember the Aaron’s 499 from 2005 very vividly. That race featured a twenty-five car pile-up and Jeff Gordon went on to win in that Pepsi car with my favorite shades of blue. For some reason, I have never forgotten about that race and to this day, it is still one of my all-time favorites.
That year was also the first time I attended a NASCAR race at Dover in September. Jimmie Johnson went on to win that race and I remember his burn-out from that race, a little too clearly. That day also had placed permanent racing memories in my head like when I first got to the track and I tried to walk over the bridge to the infield. Being seven at the time, I had no idea you couldn’t do that. A nice lady stopped me from crossing the bridge, which I now realize is only for people with special access. That day was when I smelled the Sunoco gasoline and the rubber on the track for the first time and ever since, I crave to smell that smell all the time.
For reasons I will never know, my earliest memories of NASCAR will always have a place in my memory, or rememory as Miss Kay from Duck Dynasty calls it. That day I sat down and watched the cars go fast will always be important to me because that’s the day I first witnessed NASCAR. The best memories I have in my fourteen years are from NASCAR. NASCAR is the relaxation in my life and relaxing every Sunday afternoon while watching a NASCAR race will always be my favorite thing to do. Eight years of NASCAR in my life has only created great memories and I hope a lifetime at the track will only create even more amazing memories.
