After the accident in Turn 4 at the end of the Daytona 500, we've lost Dale Earnhardt

[cartman]

10 years ago today.

[Lathum]

While very tragic, it likely led to safety innovations that have saved many more lives.

RIP

[Chubby]

if he had been using the safety devices available at the time he might still be alive

[JonInMiddleGA]

I'll never forget going to AMS for a public memorial of sorts. Very therapeutic, just being with so many people who shared the grief & sense of loss.

[Chief Rum]

I think I told this story before.

I am not a NASCAR fan, but of course, it was everywhere when it happened. It happened in the daytime (the afternoon), and I had to work at my restaurant job that evening. A NASCAR-fan couple was in the bar and when I dropped off the food, the man good-naturedly joked that I shouldn't tell him about the race, because he was recording it at home. Ouch. I didn't know what to say. I had this moment where I thought I should tell them what happened to Earnhardt, but I chickened out. Or maybe made a wise decision.

I always wonder how they reacted once they got home and watched.

[CU Tiger]

if he had been using the safety devices available at the time he might still be alive


or if his harness was buckled and actually on his shoulder....

[Warhammer]

I was watching some footage last night, and they had Daryl Waltrip (I think that's who it was) excited for the win, and then turn adn say that they hoped Earnhardt was ok. Kind of eerie.

[B & B]

I was born and raised in the south, surrounded by nascar fans. Really never been a fan of the sport or watched more than a few laps if it happened to be on. I worked at Outback to put myself through school and spent many Sundays in disagreement of what should be on the 2 TVs above the bar, NFL 4pm games or Nascar. Sometimes I won, many times I lost.

Oddly enough. 10 years ago I spent the Sunday afternoon at my grandparents house with friends and family. Homemade mac-n-cheese, fried okra, cornbread, pork chops, basically the huge southern style spread that makes you want to find a comfy recliner, a newspaper, and some peace and quiet.

The competetion for sports on TV that day was limited, at best. That Daytona 500 was the first race Id even sat down and watched from the beginning. With about 20 laps or so to go I was told to pack up , say my goodbyes and get ready to head home. I explained that Id been watching the whole race and that it would be over in 10 minutes. No way was I gonna commit to watching this thing and not see the end.

A few others joined me to watch the finish to see if this longtime loser Michael Waltrip could hang on and win this race. We all saw Dale E bascially blocking and trying to deter anyone from catching up to his teammate, Waltrip. It was on that last turn that he got clipped doing just that and hit the wall. Now, I dont watch Nascar, but the crash didnt look serious to me.
In fact, I remember being somewhat ticked off at this 'strategy' of blocking and thought about how many times Ive been on a two lane highway caught behind some loser who rides side by side with a semi for 15 minutes. The race was over, Waltrip won, and they were still attending to the crash on the last turn that Dale was involved in. Didnt think much of it, turned off the TV and that was that.

We packed up, said our goodbyes, and headed home. It was only later on the radio in the car ride home that we heard of the severity of the injuries.
It wasnt long after we made it home that they announced his passing. I was shocked.

The first Nascar race Id watched in its entirety ending in the passing of a legend. In the 10 years since my grandfather and uncle who were there that day have passed on as well. Ive seen only 3 or 4 races in that span of time, but tomorrow afternoon I will clear my schedule and be watching Daytona again for the first time since.