v Today was a dark day in history. For me it started out as the begining of the 2001 Nascar season. Dale's Year, the year we would watch him get #8. I watched with awe as he and fellow drivers battled at speeds of over 180 MPH inches from eachother. Near the end, it was Dale jr. and Micheal Waltrip fighting for the Daytona 500. I watched as Dale Sr. held back the field to allow his son and his driver to decide the winner. This was not Dale's style. As we all know he wanted to win more than anything, but today he wanted to protect his people. The win was not what he fought for, he fought for those two younger drivers, to give them the chance to win the big one.
I think this showed the real character of a man with names like Intimidator
and Iron head. He was much more that the greatest race car driver ever. He was a role model, a father, a businessman and MY HERO. A man I and most considered to be above mortality. We have seen Dale battle and beat the best.
I remember the 500 a few years back, when he flipped hard end over end and then got back into the car and finished the race. Very few are as tough as Dale.
My friends and I are only a few of the millions who are stunned and sickened by the fate of today's race. I have seen tears in my house and at my friends houses tonight and I wonder if I will be able to watch next weeks event. |
