| Feb 16, 2007 @ 4:44 PM |
2/18/2001...A sad day in history
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ncnative4sure
Posts: 778
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R.I.P. Intimidator  You will never be forgotten 
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| Feb 16, 2007 @ 5:01 PM |
2/18/2001...A sad day in history |
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PullMyFinger
Posts: 957
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Who is that if you don't mind me asking? A horse or a wrestler? 
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| Feb 16, 2007 @ 5:15 PM |
2/18/2001...A sad day in history
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ToucherinSparks
Posts: 6,701
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NASCAR driver. His name was Dale Earnhardt.
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| Feb 16, 2007 @ 8:31 PM |
2/18/2001...A sad day in history |
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PullMyFinger
Posts: 957
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Ooops.....sorry, I don't follow the NASCAR thing, but I do remember a bunch of drivers dying...hurdling around a course at 200mph has got to be a tad dangerous.
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| Feb 17, 2007 @ 4:08 AM |
2/18/2001...A sad day in history
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kewlkajn
Posts: 529
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Can't believe it's been that long already. What a tragedy. 
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| Feb 17, 2007 @ 4:16 AM |
2/18/2001...A sad day in history |
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SpiritEnergy
Posts: 16,828
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| Feb 17, 2007 @ 2:10 PM |
2/18/2001...A sad day in history
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IceDog
Posts: 153
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You could always count on Senior for a exciting race no matter where it was. He's still sadly missed.
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| Feb 17, 2007 @ 3:12 PM |
2/18/2001...A sad day in history |
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blueyes101
Posts: 8,306
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Everytime I see him in an old clip........I still can't believe he is gone.......but the one thing that gives me comfort is something I heard him say.......If I die in a racecar, that is not a tragety, but I die in a car going to get a hair cut.......now ....that...would be a tragety.  Long live Dale.!!!!  If he had been severly injured,,,,,,,,,unable to drive again, I can't help but think it would have crushed him.........Going out doing what he loved,,,,,,,,there is something to be said by that. 
[Edited on 2/17/2007 3:34 PM]
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| Feb 17, 2007 @ 3:12 PM |
2/18/2001...A sad day in history
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ncnative4sure
Posts: 778
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Can't believe it's been that long already "kewl"...You are right...It seems like yesterday
always count on Senior for a exciting race "ice"...NASCAR hasn't been the same since we lost Dale Sr...So much has changed within NASCAR cause of his death...I myself wish it was still Winston & not Nextel..."ice"...I'm always telling people if there's a race-track in Heaven...You can betcha Dale Sr is still leading the pack his way...People who hated him... Loved him in the end...
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| Feb 17, 2007 @ 3:16 PM |
2/18/2001...A sad day in history |
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ncnative4sure
Posts: 778
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Going out doing what he loved,
"blue"...Yep...Even leaving this world...He did it the way he wanted...No driver will ever come close to being like ole # 3
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| Feb 17, 2007 @ 4:26 PM |
2/18/2001...A sad day in history
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ToucherinSparks
Posts: 6,701
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July 2, 1964 that's the date that will live in infamy for NASCAR. Earnhardt was a good driver, but comparing him to some of the real greats, and he'd be just another face in the pack. If you want to talk NASCAR, you've got to talk about the giants that built the sport, not these big money latter day saints. You need to talk Petty, Jarret, Johnson, Roberts, Lund, and well the list is too long. Guys that built their own cars all week and raced on the weekend, not showed up on a private jet the day before the race to get into a million dollar car built by specialists using sponsor money.
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| Feb 17, 2007 @ 4:29 PM |
2/18/2001...A sad day in history |
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wiccked
Posts: 4,403
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hey, Sparks...who is going to win the race tomorrow???? 
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| Feb 17, 2007 @ 4:35 PM |
2/18/2001...A sad day in history
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blueyes101
Posts: 8,306
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Hey, touch, mostly agree. The old timers are truly legends.....Dale started out that way. His divorce of his first wife, was in a large part of "buying tires" for a chance at first place at the local track,instead of paying the gas bill..The original Nascar drivers created a incredible sport. King- Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt took the sport where it is today.which is where the private jets come from. And a good deal of the changes of the cars of today where safety oriented, and because of that we will never go back.
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| Feb 17, 2007 @ 4:43 PM |
2/18/2001...A sad day in history |
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wiccked
Posts: 4,403
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 hi, Blue
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| Feb 17, 2007 @ 4:50 PM |
2/18/2001...A sad day in history
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blueyes101
Posts: 8,306
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 Wiccked
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| Feb 17, 2007 @ 5:01 PM |
2/18/2001...A sad day in history |
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ncnative4sure
Posts: 778
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"Ole # 3"...R.I.P. Dale
A fine Daytona afternoon, the season just begun. My boys were running one and two, and I was having fun. I probably could have won the thing, but something held me back. I was busy watching Dale and Mike and holding off the pack. I was looking toward the front and not really to the rear. Something tapped me on the bumper, but still I had no fear. I thought it might be Sterling, I knew he was near by. When Sterling smells the checkered flag, I'll tell you, he ain't shy. I slipped a bit, I turned the wheel, I sensed something very odd. It wasn't Sterling's tap I felt, It was the tap of God. "Not Now," I said. "I'm racing very hard. There's work still here to do." "Your time is up," He said low, "so say a quick adieu." I wasn't really ready, but I didn't have a choice. He'd tapped me on the bumper and I'd heard His hallowed voice. So I did as He'd instructed. I just packed it in and left. I guess it can't be helped, that I left some of you bereft. Did you see those birds upon the wall as they scattered in the breeze? Will it make it any easier to know that one of them was me? There was also Davey, Dad and Neil and some other guys I've known. And they all came to Daytona just to escort me on home. Hey-Congratulations Mikey, You made a worthy run. I wish you many, many more, You're wins have just begun. All that fun you had in Victory Lane, I was proud as I can be. Did you see that seagull, flying low? Yeah, Mikey, that was me. So, friends, fans and family, don't mourn me for too long. Get on with life, take care of things, be brave, proud and strong.
I'll surely miss you every one. About that I will not lie. But as long as you remember me, I didn't really die!
(author unknown)
Pass this on to all the Earnhardt fans out there.
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| Feb 17, 2007 @ 5:04 PM |
2/18/2001...A sad day in history
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ToucherinSparks
Posts: 6,701
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Earnhardt made number 11 on the list of the 50 greatest NASCAR drivers. If you'd like to see the ranked list, go here:
http://www.fireballroberts.com/Real_Top50.htm
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| Feb 17, 2007 @ 5:40 PM |
2/18/2001...A sad day in history |
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ncnative4sure
Posts: 778
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No driver will ever come close to being like ole # 3
I need to clear up the above statement...Cause I believe a few mis-understood what I was saying...I didn't say...Earnhardt was the best driver of all time...Cause that's not true...I said nobody will ever come close to being like ole # 3...Meaning... Dale was the most aggressive driver in NASCAR...It was his style to be nasty on the track...That's why he was called the "Intimidator"...And yes the many changes were for safety reasons...I also feel NASCAR is to commercalized now a days & all about the money...Many moons ago...It was all about fun & who had the fastest car...
Some of the top drivers in my book are: R. Wallace..R. Petty..M. Martin..Sterling .. M. Waltrip..D. Waltrip..B.Allison & D. Jarrett
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| Feb 17, 2007 @ 5:43 PM |
2/18/2001...A sad day in history
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luvmycats
Posts: 9,707
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Just a few memories...
Best Quotes: Dale Earnhardt
By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
Behind the reflective sunglasses, under the GM Goodwrench black and beyond the Intimidator nickname, Dale Earnhardt certainly had personality.
It never glowed brighter than when he spoke to the media, providing the tell-it-like-it-is responses, whether it was about restrictor-plate racing, his ability behind the wheel or celebrating a career milestone.
Not only will many of Earnhardt's words be forever remembered, but certain words spoken about him will be cemented on NASCAR's timeline. And if Earnhardt had it his way, we'd only remember the high points.
"I started racing full time, and that's when I started starving to death."
-- Earnhardt, on the beginning of his racing career
Working full time in garages and a textile mill during the day and tinkering with his car at night, Earnhardt shifted his priorities in the mid-1970s and placed racing at the top of his list. It's been said that he borrowed money to race with the hopes of paying back his loans after cashing his race earnings.
"I ran that sucker as hard as I could. I ran it until its tongue was wagging."[/B]
-- Earnhardt, on finishing second to Harry Gant in a 1982 Busch Series race
Racing in a 300-miler at Charlotte on May 29, 1982, Earnhardt finished 2.75 seconds behind Gant.
"I was waving at the crowd."
-- Earnhardt, on crossing the finish line to win the Talladega 500 on July 29, 1984
Earnhardt was cruising around the final turn in his No. 3 Wrangler Chevy, well ahead of second-place driver Buddy Baker, and he was so comfortable with his lead that he began saluting his fans in the grandstands. It was Earnhardt's 10th career win and first of the season.
"If you're not a race driver, stay the hell home. Don't come out here and grumble about going too fast."
-- Earnhardt, on drivers complaining about the speeds of race cars
Earnhardt wasn't the biggest fan of restrictor-plate racing at Talladega and Daytona, but considering his 13 Cup victories at the two monsters, it didn't bother him, either.
"The years of disappointment, the close calls -- all the chapters have been written. Now the 20th chapter is in. To win this race is something you can't, I mean, you really can't put into words. You can talk about it all day, but you can't put into words the feelings you have inside. It's everything you've ever worked hard to do, and you've finally accomplished it. It's just pretty damn impressive, especially with everything we've done here in the past and all the shortcomings we've had in this race."
-- Earnhardt, following his 1998 victory in the Daytona 500
When Earnhardt pulled into Victory Lane on Feb. 15, 1988, he conquered the final mountain of his career. Five times he could smell victory at the prestigious race only to come up short because of various ailments. But after beating Bobby Labonte to the caution flag with one lap to go, Earnhardt sealed the win and got the monkey off his back -- he literally tossed away a stuffed monkey that he carried in his car during the race.
"We were lucky, but a lot of times you make your own luck."
-- Earnhardt, on his 1980 Cup championship
In just his second season -- the first in which he ran the entire schedule -- Earnhardt was crowned champion. He had five victories, 19 top-fives and 24 top-10s on the year. Just three times did he finish outside the top 20.
"Dale Earnhardt was the greatest race car driver that ever lived. He could do things with a race car that no one else could. He had a tremendous impact on NASCAR racing. He's done so much to help the sport get where it is today. He took the sport to new places. It's going to be hard for anyone else to take it there. He leaves a big, big void here that will be very hard to fill."
-- Former driver and broadcaster Ned Jarrett, following Earnhardt's death
Earnhardt was the one modern name anyone associated with NASCAR during the 1990s and into the new millennium. His stamp became apparent in regards to sponsorship and owner relationships, merchandise sales and fan identity within the sport.
"I'm a big fan of Richard Petty. If I win seven, it wouldn't matter because he's still the king. He's way up there on a throne by himself, but it does put us in an elite class, right there with the king."
-- Earnhardt, following his fourth Cup championship in 1990
Earnhardt went on to win seven championships, joining Petty on the throne. Earnhardt's fifth title came the following season, and he won consecutive trophies for the third time in his career in 1993-94.
"Undoubtedly this is one of the toughest announcements I've personally had to make. After the accident in Turn 4 at the end of the Daytona 500, we've lost Dale Earnhardt."
-- NASCAR president Mike Helton, following the 2001 Daytona 500
Helton addressed media at approximately 7 p.m. ET after the Daytona 500, confirming that Earnhardt had died from injuries suffered in a final-turn accident.
"You can't let one bad moment spoil a bunch of good ones."
-- Earnhardt, on bad times
Earnhardt had plenty of good ones, with 76 victories (sixth-most), including one every year from 1982 to 1996. And no bad moment would have brought him down from the high of his Daytona 500 victory.
[img]http://i.cnn.net/
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| Feb 17, 2007 @ 6:29 PM |
2/18/2001...A sad day in history |
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NeverB4Alone
Posts: 9,011
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