[vincesanity82]

Dale Earnhardt Sr. did not compromise a second of his life. Maybe it's because he figured he didn't have much time here on Earth: His dad, also a racer, died of a heart attack at age 45. That family history, coupled with his chosen profession, lent an immediate sense of mortality. Once, he confided to a reporter, a woman asked him to drive her husband's hearse. It was the man's dying wish. Earnhardt declined. "I'll be in one of them things soon enough," he said. Little more than six years after his death at age 49 on Feb. 18, 2001, while crashing into the Turn 4 wall at Daytona, Earnhardt has a mystique that has only increased with time. He was the Intimidator, capable of inspiring fear in competitors when his black Goodwrench Chevy appeared in their rearview mirrors. He could be notoriously gruff, but in other circumstances, warm-hearted and kind. Twenty years ago, he won the first of his two American Driver of the Year awards. The Daytona 500 next February will mark the 10th anniversary of his first and only victory in NASCAR's most celebrated race. -- USA Today

USA WEEKEND Magazine

[PettyBlue]

Originally Posted by vincesanity82

Dale Earnhardt Sr. did not compromise a second of his life. Maybe it's because he figured he didn't have much time here on Earth: His dad, also a racer, died of a heart attack at age 45. That family history, coupled with his chosen profession, lent an immediate sense of mortality. Once, he confided to a reporter, a woman asked him to drive her husband's hearse. It was the man's dying wish. Earnhardt declined. "I'll be in one of them things soon enough," he said. Little more than six years after his death at age 49 on Feb. 18, 2001, while crashing into the Turn 4 wall at Daytona, Earnhardt has a mystique that has only increased with time. He was the Intimidator, capable of inspiring fear in competitors when his black Goodwrench Chevy appeared in their rearview mirrors. He could be notoriously gruff, but in other circumstances, warm-hearted and kind. Twenty years ago, he won the first of his two American Driver of the Year awards. The Daytona 500 next February will mark the 10th anniversary of his first and only victory in NASCAR's most celebrated race. -- USA Today

USA WEEKEND Magazine

Sorry, as this is not to make people mad but all he ever was is bump and run,hit in the as_ and pass.See the air is crap.He was very aggresive but the thing I never understood is why the other drivers did not return the same to him.He was in a era that all the good drivers that raced that way were at their end or they would have put him in the wall.If good drivers need names I will give them.He wanted to go to the front and was good at doing it but his blocking is what got him killed.Let the Sr fans jump in,fights on,lol.

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by PettyBlue

Sorry, as this is not to make people mad but all he ever was is bump and run,hit in the as_ and pass.See the air is crap.He was very aggresive but the thing I never understood is why the other drivers did not return the same to him.He was in a era that all the good drivers that raced that way were at their end or they would have put him in the wall.If good drivers need names I will give them.He wanted to go to the front and was good at doing it but his blocking is what got him killed.Let the Sr fans jump in,fights on,lol.

Well I'll jump right in with a couple of statements. First off I don't totally disagree with you. I never cared for his driving style a lot. The crash and pass style is the same as a few others in todays era. His legacy of today was built partly on emotion over his untimely death. Media and marketing have increased his fame since his death. I will say that he probably did a lot for the sport of racing but just not to the degree that he is now held at.

Secondly there will be NO "fights on." Discussion by all means. Opinions are very welcomed.

[beth]

"all he ever was is bump and run,hit in the as_ and pass."


It saddens me to read this. It comes from a very ill informed or prejudiced place. If it were true Dale Earnhardt wouldn't have gotten very far.





beth

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by PettyBlue

all he ever was is bump and run,hit in the as_ and pass.

Originally Posted by beth

"all he ever was is bump and run,hit in the as_ and pass."


It saddens me to read this. It comes from a very ill informed or prejudiced place. If it were true Dale Earnhardt wouldn't have gotten very far.

beth

From my perspective you're both right and wrong. Dale did do more than crash & pass. He was a driver with tremendous abilities but insisted on using the crash & pass method when he couldn't race his way to the front.

I don't think the statement is totally with prejudice or is ill informed. I have no idea how much of Dale's career you were able to see but while he was a good driver, he was also the king of crash & pass.

[PenelopePitStop]

Originally Posted by PettyBlue

Sorry, as this is not to make people mad but all he ever was is bump and run,hit in the as_ and pass.See the air is crap.He was very aggresive but the thing I never understood is why the other drivers did not return the same to him.He was in a era that all the good drivers that raced that way were at their end or they would have put him in the wall.If good drivers need names I will give them.He wanted to go to the front and was good at doing it but his blocking is what got him killed.Let the Sr fans jump in,fights on,lol.

I am so damn tired of these Earnhardt nay-sayers who have no enlightened knowledge of his career and choose to wallow and focus on the "bump-and-run" legacy to define his career and contribution to NASCAR. BS! Sounds as though there has never been another driver in the history of NASCAR to push someone out of the way for the win. Again, BS!

Oh, wait? Wasn't it just a few weeks ago when people were debating whether or not Gordon should have wrecked Johnson for the win. Pardon me, but was that any different?

Then there's the old "pass-in-the-grass". Take a good look, my friends. He was forced into the grass and held on to that car like a mad man!

See the air "crap"? I beg to differ! No, I don't think he could "see" the air, but ask any driver on the circuit, yesterday and today, and they will tell you that there was just something about Dale's drafting ability.

Look. Those who never liked him have their own reasons, warranted or not. Overblown or not. But belittling what Dale has contributed to NASCAR is just plain ... I'll leave it at that. And by the way, my opinions have nothing to do with the fact that Dale is gone.

You know, I'm not a Gordon fan to say the least, but he's probably going to fall into the same category as someone who was hated as much as loved. I think Gordon would be pleased with that. I also think that Dale would be very pleased to know that he is still the heat of NASCAR discussions 6 years after his death.

[Nevadastars]

I also tire of reading posts that state Dale's entire career was pushing, shoving and wrecking everyone on his way to the front. I followed him for nearly 20 years. Yes, he could get rough, but only when he needed to. You nay-sayers act like it was every lap of every race. He was a winner, pure and simple who had epic battles with Richmond, Bodine, Rudd, Elliott, Wallace, Gordon, Martin and many others........WITHOUT wrecking them. If he was faster than you and you didnt take the hint to get out of the way, he would help you get the hint.
The man was like no other, and their will never be anyone to replace him.

[PenelopePitStop]

Originally Posted by Nevadastars

I also tire of reading posts that state Dale's entire career was pushing, shoving and wrecking everyone on his way to the front. I followed him for nearly 20 years. Yes, he could get rough, but only when he needed to. You nay-sayers act like it was every lap of every race. He was a winner, pure and simple who had epic battles with Richmond, Bodine, Rudd, Elliott, Wallace, Gordon, Martin and many others........WITHOUT wrecking them. If he was faster than you and you didnt take the hint to get out of the way, he would help you get the hint.
The man was like no other, and their will never be anyone to replace him.

Finally, some evidence of reason.




http://www.smileycentral.com/sig.jsp?pc=ZSzeb095&pp=ZN

[vincesanity82]

You mention Dales name and then you hear oh well he wrecked people, he was mr. bump and run, this isnt rocket science people, If he was faster and you didnt move, he would move you, plain and simple, thats racing, what was he supposed to use his blinker and say hey id like to pass you pretty please, gimme a break, Dale is the man and everyone knows it and whoever thinks differently is jealous of the legend he is..

[PenelopePitStop]

Originally Posted by vincesanity82

You mention Dales name and then you hear oh well he wrecked people, he was mr. bump and run, this isnt rocket science people, If he was faster and you didnt move, he would move you, plain and simple, thats racing, what was he supposed to use his blinker and say hey id like to pass you pretty please, gimme a break, Dale is the man and everyone knows it and whoever thinks differently is jealous of the legend he is..

"Blinker"!


Yup! Dale IS The Man. Period! Petty IS The King, and I respect that, but Dale will always be The Man. Can't wait to see "Dale" Tuesday night!

I like other drivers, I just get so very annoyed with this stereo-type created by non-fans or casual fans. They all need to do some research into NASCAR history!

http://www.smileycentral.com/sig.jsp?pc=ZSzeb095&pp=ZN

[Phils20]

I do think he was a talented driver, I'll never take that from him.

But, like some others, I didin't care for the bump and run BS. Not from him, or anyone else.


I just think that he was a better driver when he used his talent instead of his bumper. He would stilll have won his 7 cups, just a few less races, had he been just a touch less agressvie. And in reality, he did back off a lot from that, and just had the rep at the end. The last real Bump win I thought he had was that hack job he did on Terry Labonte at Bristol. No one will ev er convince me that style is a talent. Granted, you have to be in second to do it, but I would rather have my driver get his door up beside the leader and bang a bit with em. If ya can't pull it off that way, then tough.

He is a legend, and one of the best ever, but I really don't think that many drivers were truly that scared of him. If they were, they needed to find another way to make a living!

[clutch]

Of course I liked the guy. He wanted to win. But the fact is he wrecked alot of other racers to get to the front. I dont like that style myself.

I've said this before but I remember a race from the 90's where they were interviewing Schrader after a bump and run incident with Snr. and the interviewer told Kenny that Earnhardt wanted to apolgize for the incident and Kenny S responded......."thats what he said the last time he wrecked me".......remember it as clear as a bell and I believe it tells the story

[PenelopePitStop]

Originally Posted by clutch

Of course I liked the guy. He wanted to win. But the fact is he wrecked alot of other racers to get to the front. I dont like that style myself.

I've said this before but I remember a race from the 90's where they were interviewing Schrader after a bump and run incident with Snr. and the interviewer told Kenny that Earnhardt wanted to apolgize for the incident and Kenny S responded......."thats what he said the last time he wrecked me".......remember it as clear as a bell and I believe it tells the story

I remember that as well. I also remember the race someone mentioned previously when Dale wrecked someone else for the win (Bristol?) and was boo'd when he jumped on the car in Victory Lane. No. I wasn't too happy with Dale that night. But unlike others, that's not all I remember.

There have been many drivers over the years who have won due to a last lap wreck.

Beyond Cup, Earnhardt was one of the best IROC racers in history. I believe Mark Martin holds the record, but Dale was always a contender. Let's look at his entire career. Not just the bump-and-run legacy that some seem to want to hold on to for whatever reason.

Once again, let me mention Lee Petty. Probably the all-time biggest bump-and-run driver in history. Not even for the win. Just to get passed another car. Is he black-balled for this style of driving? No.

There's only been one driver who caused me to stand up and say, "WOW! Did you see that move?!" Dale. Only Dale.

[LSC9901]

There is middle ground here and I find that there are many who stand on it. Dale was a great driver .. no question from me about that. I just did not care for the crash & pass style of driving. Did he do it every race ??? NO !! There are those who think that style of driving is "just racing". Being behind someone and hitting the rear quarter panel has nothing to do with the term of racing, in my book at least. Anybody can advance their position by doing that. If the car is good, the driver is good and the rest of the team has done what they need to do, then you can race for the win. Wrecking 42 cars or one car for the win doesn't make anyone a great driver.

Again I will add that I'm quite aware that he didn't do it every race but .... I don't like it at all from any driver.

[SpaceCadet]

Originally Posted by PenelopePitStop

I remember that as well. I also remember the race someone mentioned previously when Dale wrecked someone else for the win (Bristol?) and was boo'd when he jumped on the car in Victory Lane. No. I wasn't too happy with Dale that night. But unlike others, that's not all I remember.

There have been many drivers over the years who have won due to a last lap wreck.

Beyond Cup, Earnhardt was one of the best IROC racers in history. I believe Mark Martin holds the record, but Dale was always a contender. Let's look at his entire career. Not just the bump-and-run legacy that some seem to want to hold on to for whatever reason.

Once again, let me mention Lee Petty. Probably the all-time biggest bump-and-run driver in history. Not even for the win. Just to get passed another car. Is he black-balled for this style of driving? No.

There's only been one driver who caused me to stand up and say, "WOW! Did you see that move?!" Dale. Only Dale.

No one is "black balling" Sr., for sure. And I've seen lots of moves by lots of driver's that have been mighty impressive, including Sr. But I find that Sr. fans are just as guilty if not more so as Gordon fans as seeing "their driver" as the end all and be all. Not all of us like his style, it's that simple. It's great to defend your driver, but then it's kind of "talking out of both sides of your face" when you hop all over others for defending theirs. It's just a difference of opinion, no more, no less. Sr., to me, is like Stewart. Undeniably great talents who seemingly more often than others, for reasons I have never understood, plow through instead of going around. If you have the talent to go around, and they do, why not do it? It's a question that has yet to be answered for me. "If the car in front is slower" is the answer I get. That's a cop out. If you have the talent, go around. If you can't pass clean, don't pass. This goes for everyone. Fair is fair. That includes Sr., Jr., Gordo, Stewart, Burton, R. Gordon, Montoya, Joe Blow at the local track. If they are that good, why do they choose to wreck instead of go around? Or are we all pretending they, including Sr., are just such great drivers, when in fact, they could not get around the guy in front and simply chose to wreck them? That, I believe, is where it's at. Last time I new, the guy in front wanted to stay there, and it was the job of the guy behind to figure out a way to get by. This "his car was slower and he should have let me by but he didn't so I moved him" crap for me translates to "my car wasn't quite fast enough or I didn't have what it took to pass him clean to I wrecked him". Cop out. No matter who you are. Dale Sr., left his legacy by the way he drove, and that is both a great thing and a not so great thing. I am one of the fans who miss his excitement, but he's gone. Remembering is good if it's realistic and not made bigger than life because he's gone.