Dale Earnhardt

I thought Id share with you guys a scary incident i had before Dale Earhardt died in the crash.

I was watching the pre race show on tv, and Dale Earnhardt was giving someone a ride in his car around the track ( I forget who). Anyways I thought to myself wouldn't that be scary if he died today after being spotlighted before the race. Well i saw the race and what appeared to be the small accident he was involved in before I left for a school event and I thought there gos any predictions i can make. Later that night I learned he did die and i've thought about it ever since!

I watched the race also.......
Joe Nemecheck, before the show/race went off air was shaking his head after he had climbed out his car and ran to Dale's car......
I didn't pay much mind to it...I figured that Dale had given him a few choice words.
2 and half hours later, watching the news, news was released that Dale had died from the accident/crash.

I went to his Open house the year prior to this....went to Dale Jarretts also......

He is missed and will always be remembered!


regards
seekerof

But isn't that Weird!

Originally posted by gfrankwick
I thought Id share with you guys a scary incident i had before Dale Earhardt died in the crash.

I was watching the pre race show on tv, and Dale Earnhardt was giving someone a ride in his car around the track ( I forget who). Anyways I thought to myself wouldn't that be scary if he died today after being spotlighted before the race. Well i saw the race and what appeared to be the small accident he was involved in before I left for a school event and I thought there gos any predictions i can make. Later that night I learned he did die and i've thought about it ever since!

Yeah. I had my own story about that incident.

I totaled my Monte Carlo one month before Daytona 500 2001 in a head-on collision. The hood of my car crumpled up, just like you saw from the in-car camera footage of Dale's wreck. I walked away without a scratch luckily. Knowing that race cars are engineered for safety more than my car was, I was freaked out by seeing that same view at first, but I expected Dale to be okay. I didn't like the feeling I got from seeing Junior running down the pit road, but I reassured myself that Dale would be okay. I went to bed before work (I work nights) and my mother woke me up crying to give me the news.

The day before Daytona, I had bought a black two-door Chevy Celebrity to get me by until I could get another MC. My stepfather, who got us interested in racing to begin with, was choked up when I came back from picking the car up that Monday after the race. He'd always teased me about needing roof flaps, a five-way harness, and a restrictor plate. When I got out of that car that day, he said he was just happy to see another Man in Black driving a black Chevy. Then he quietly turned and went inside.

Maybe that wasn't as weird as your thoughts on what would happen after they showed Bradshaw's ride-along with Dale in the pace car (yes, it was Terry Bradshaw, who would later hire Dale's son Kerry), but that really hit home for me -- that whole experience. Dale's death shows the impact one person can have on a sport, a community, and yes, a nation. Luckily his impact was mostly positive.

If only every prominent person in the world could have the same said about them.

I guess this posting is pretty well off-topic for ATS though.... sorry about that.

No that is also weird its like a pre-shadowing of events...maybe there is some reason people felt this or coincidences happeed?

I heard that his seatbelt might have been cut and that was a big factor in the fatal injuries he substained.

His seat belt wasnt cut - taking the word from someone who raced with the guy as crew - he would release his belt manually. Attested to by the seat belt manufacturer and others in Pit Lane who worked with him. Its no conspiracy - just bull headed ignorance that killed the guy.

Rules regarding safety in Motor Racing are not there for the Driver alone - they are there to protect fans and Pit Crew alike. Ignore them and you not only endanger yourself but the people who pay money to come and watch you race.

The Pit Wall Mantra

My mother has had these kinds of flashes all her life so I believe it when people say it has happened to them.

I often wonder what the purpose is cause you are rarely in a position to do anything about it though.

I also had a flash of sorts, about Dale Earnhardt, shortly after Tony Stewart took out a good chunk of the field, and it freaked me out when I actually saw the man hit the wall. I was scared #less when I didn't see him get out of the car. This line is off topic, but I think that's one of the more tragic racing incidents I've ever seen, and I haven't been able to watch a Winston Cup race since the 2001 Daytona 500.

Tom Leykis did a couple great show about Dale Earnhart. Check Kazaa or whatever you use for mp3s of him and get the ones called "God had a plan for Dale Earnhart" and "NASCAR fans strike back".

i never had the pleasure of watching dale race, but i have seen his crash, and it is very hard to believe someone could die from that crash. but i guess it did happen

I remember some comments about the seat belt.

It seems it was reported that the belt 'dumped'.

The seat belt normally lays flat inside of a slit type bracket, that keeps the belt positioned properly and flat across the protected area of the body. The forces of collision are then spread out over the flat surface of the belt, reducing the load on any particular area of the belt, making it stronger.

When a belt 'dumps' generally from a force, improper installation, or improper application by the driver, it 'bunches up' into one side of the bracket, that is made of steel. The extreme forces then are not applied evenly across the flat of the belt, but instead are applied to strands, or portions of the belt, and the belt is not designed to accept an uneven application of stretch or force.

It tore.

Additionally, Dale, had a habit of positioning his seat (the driver called the shots here, back then) off center low and if I remember right, slightly skewed to the left. This gave him advantage to view the cars on the inside thru the peripherals of his vision, without much turning of his head.

This may also have applied uneven distribution of force or stretch to the belt, as it 'dumped'.

A side note, many drivers used to twist the submarine belt (the one between the legs, to keep you from submarining under the dash, in a frontal collision), becouse that offered more comfort and less likely of sudden discomfort, in a crash. Again, compromising the integrity of the system designed for safety.

Generally a crash like he experienced, 150+mph into the wall (est 30-50mph scrubbed off when he spun) with lateral forces applied, should not have been life threatening......


But it was.

This whole event, also caused Bill Simpson, to quit his job as head of Simpson Racing Products. Many threats and comments, and lawsuits, were directed his way, undeservedly.


[Edited on 26-11-2003 by smirkley]

Dale Earnhardt was my favorite racer. That is very wierd, gfrankwick.

[Edited on 26-11-2003 by sftprez]