Written by: Ashley McCubbin
In honor of Dale Earnhardt day on April 29th, I thought I�d type a little thing for you. You will see the meaning as you read it all the way to the end...
Dale Earnhardt, known as one of the great drivers in the history of NASCAR, didn't just mean something to us on the Track but off the track as well. Off the track, we all have reasons to respect him and admire him. All of us have our own reasons, but one of mine is that he gave credit where credit was due.
Some fans liked him because of his talent on the track and others liked him because of his aggressive driving. Some fans liked him because of the way he drives on the track.. The talent that most of the drivers of today have but don't use to their full extent while some use it fully.
The fans that liked him because of his on track performance had their reason. I mean, gosh, he had the talent. The talent that all these drivers today dream of. And part of that talent came from his aggressiveness because he�d do whatever it would take to win **cough** Richmond 1999 **cough**. Now that aggressiveness is what extended this talent to where it is now.
We all know that he was respected. One thing that sticks out in my mind in the 1998 Daytona 500. When he finally won it, I remember every man from every team coming out to shake his hand. Now has that happened to anybody else? In my memory, no!
Well that�s all I can think of to write as of right now but remember this: he did mean something to us all no matter what. So as Dale Earnhardt Day comes on April 29th, wear black and white in memory of him with pride knowing that he made a difference in us all.
~~~#3 forever!~~~
This was written originally on: April 29th 2005
Written by: Ashley M.
To this day when I look at a picture, a poem or even read a article it brings tears to my eyes. I don't cry or ball, a tear just falls.
The 1998 Daytona 500 for example. I think of that win and my eyes get watery. 19 years of trying and the 20th year it's his. The struggles he went through to win 1 race, a piece of history, were beyond unbelieveable. One year, he's leading near the end and the tire blows. Other years he finishes 2nd place. And even flip another. When I think of that, you get teary eyes. Words can't explain the feelings that day. Through that was the day we all realized how much he was respected on pit road. To recieve a handshake from every person on pit road shows respect. Respect that only he could recieve.
When the news hit in 2001, I ran upstairs to the bathroom crying. Sadness filled my heart for many reasons. First being I being a huge Earnhardt fan, it was a nightmare come true. Second for his family espically for his youngest daughter Taylor who was 13 at the time. Now she'd have no father to talk to when she needed someone to talk to. And lastly for the NASCAR family as a whole. Their hero was now gone and he'd never come back. It hit everyone hard since no one was expecting it. It was a surprise for many.
The weekends after were hard on everyone espically Dale Earnhardt Inc. But victory brought smiles curtain times. Rockingham was the first and the one full of pride. The week after Steve Park won at Rockingham and he gave us all a reason to smile. 2 weeks later at Atlanta, Kevin won for RCR. 2 emotional smiling wins but he best was yet to come.
The return to Daytona for the Pepsi 400 was huge. If Jr was to win, we'd have an emotional time and sure enough, he won. Everyone was happy and that was a tear jocker. But I'll save that story for another time.
(R)The NASCAR Palace