I always knew that the day would come when Dale Earnhardt would retire from being an active NASCAR driver. I thought it would come amidst happiness, cheers and honors as he passed the racing torch to the young lions of the sport. I never once thought that he would be taken suddenly and violently from the world of racing. Dale was the Intimidator�he was invincible.
February 18, 2001 is a day that no fan of the sport will ever forget. Dale Earnhardt was a driver that you either loved or hated�there were no feelings of ambivalence where �The Man in Black� was concerned. I loved Dale Earnhardt. Maybe love seems like a very strong emotion to express for someone you have never met. Maybe it is. But strong emotion was something that Dale inspired. No matter whether you loved him or loved to hate him, I don�t think there is a racing fan who can honestly say that they don�t miss him intensely.
I still watch NASCAR racing and I guess I always will, but never with the same passion and emotion. Sundays are kind of quiet now�no more yelling and cheering. A very big part of NASCAR is gone and there is no one who can ever replace that missing piece of it. Somehow a race just isn�t complete without the black #3 bumpin� and rubbin� with the best of them. |
