124 replies to this topic

[FordPrefect]

Dale Earnhardt was involved in a violent 4th corner crash on the final lap of the Daytona 500 today. He was removed unconcious from the vehicle and is listed in 'serious condition'.

I certainly hope the worst doesn't happen, I have followed his career for many. many years. No matter how much he wins the desire to excel is still with him.

Dale, get better.

FP
[p][Edited by FordPrefect on 02-18-2001]

[Ricardo F1]

Not that you'll ever hear me defend Nascar but I hope the guy's alright. I didn't at first think it was THAT big of an impact - compared with the one that stopped the race in the first place. Apparantly I was very wrong.

One more reason to stop the stupidity of ovals if you ask me.

[Mr. Salty]

Just saw the news on CNN and immediatley logged in here. The crash looked mild, Tony Stewart went upside down and airborn and came out better than Dale Sr. Hope he recovers well, I'm stunned...

[Joe Fan]

It looked like they were giving him CPR as they pulled him out of ambulance at the hospital. I hope my worst fears are wrong. The crash didn't appear to be any different than most at Daytona with someone getting turned into the wall.

[Psychoman]

It is official: Dale Earnhardt is dead
http://www.nascar.co...wart/index.html

[Ross Stonefeld]

Think about the physics for a moment. A car spinning through the air is using up a lot of energy. A car slamming the wall and flying apart (think Indycar) is shedding a lot of energy. A car goes into the wall and there's very little damage to the bodywork? Count on that energy transferring to the most easily moveable object. Like a person...




Watching the aftermath, the way they wree talking, the replays; i got the feeling i was watching something that ill remember the details of the rest of my life. God I hope not

[Williams]

This is too much

[Ricardo F1]

Ross you're quite right with the physics.

An immensely sad day, but will anyone actually demand that monotonous and dangerous oval racing now be banned? Why do I doubt it?

RIP

[bigblue]

[Psychoman]

They woulda banned it after Petty, Irwin, and the truck guy (what was his name?) last year

[FordPrefect]

damn

RIP Dale

[Nikolas Garth]

RIP Dale Earnhardt.

[Makarias]

Shocking and sad news indeed. RIP Dale

[Ross Stonefeld]

I blame NASCAR and in some ways Earnhardt himself

[Brent]

What crappy news that is.

[LB]

nothing else i can say really

[SlateGray]

RIP Dale

[gerry nassar]

Ive never even watched a full Nascar race but this has really saddened me. I was on this BB and somehow missed this thread. Then i went to Autosports site and found out what happend.

May he R.I.P

[karlth]

Where did you see this confirmed?

Every web site I've visited only lists him as in a "critical condition".

[Pascal]

Tragic news.

[FordPrefect]

go to http://www.nascar.com/

same site Psychoman posted.

[Mr. Salty]

Damn...

RIP, Ironhead...

[RiverRunner]

This is just tragic,I'm so sorry.love him r hate and there were a lot of both types,all would admit was he was a helluva driver.
As to the ovals are dangerous argument,take a good look at Ross' post,I hate to say it but from the angle I saw,it was once again a perfect argument for the HANS device.As I watch the drag meet in Phoenix,I see that even there the drivers are wearing them now.

[Pit Babe]

I did not like the guy but I didn't want him to die either. RIP Intimidator...

[Cosworth]

It's sad that the team he owns finished 1st and 2nd but he never got to see it.

[BuzzingHornet]

Very sad, another great driver is gone. RIP Dale

[Keith Steele]

I never liked Dale Earnhardt. He was a tough old buzzard who'd wreck you as soon as look at you so I have always thought. Yet in a race where he could have easily pushed his son past Michael Waltrip, he instead played the role of blocker. A kind act he paid for with his life. Perhaps I misjudged you Dale. North American auto racing will never be quite the same. The man who dedicated his race win to Ayrton Senna on that tragic weekend has gone on to join the many legends before him who have paid the ultimate price for speed. God bless you Dale.

[karlth]

You have lived a life most of us would need lifetimes to live.

I wish you all the best on your journey.

[Reg]

Very sad news to hear. I am not much for NASCAR but this is a huge blow to that series and a tragic end to one of the greatest stock car racers ever.

RIP Dale Sr.

[EddieJF1]

Wow, this is just awful. I was floored when my wife called with the news. This hit me just as hard as Senna. Someone you think is indestructable and will go on forever, is suddenly gone. Just terrible.

[Pete Stanley]

RiverRunner: You're skipping a safety level. D.E. Sr. didn't even wear an full-faced helmet!

Last year, when Jeff Burton and others spoke up about safety, Dale Earnhardt criticized their group. Earnhardt said they should be "tying kerosene rags around their ankles so the pissants don't crawl up their legs and eat their candy asses."

I'm sorry that he died. But there is nothing heroic about his death.

[Option1]

I may never be a fan of NASCAR, but I was always a fan of Earnhardt, a great driver whatever the form of motorsport. RIP Dale.

[bigblue]

Eddie, I was thinking the same exact thing. I am not comparing them in any way but Ironhead was to Nascar what Senna was to F1. I am very saddened. my fried Colleen must be a wreck right now but I am afraid to call her. Just don't know what to say. Godspeed Dale

[ChessNH]

To give some non-Nascar type europeans the concept of what has just happened is the Senna of Nascar just died

RIP Dale

[RiverRunner]

CNN is reporting that DE died of an injury to the base of the skull,there were no injuries visible and upon arrival at the car by the safety crew DE was not breathing and had no pulse.

I hope this has the same effect on safety in NASCAR that Sennas had in F-1.

[JayWay]

A total shock.

RIP

[Mario]

From the Orlando Sentinel:

NASCAR slow to learn from racing tragedies
http://orlandosentin.....rts-headlines

Violent head motions often kill in crashes
http://orlandosentin.....nes-motorrace

A terrible tragedy! Perhaps this could have been avoided but racing is never safe. Although it appears NASCAR is simply not doing enough to make racing "safer"!

Does anybody here think the practice of blocking in NASCAR is terribly unsafe? Ken Schrader & Sterling Marlin had fast race cars & for the Earnhardt's to be blocking the pair as they did...seemed to be an accident in the making!

[LB]

jayway I don't think your signature is very apt at the moment

[bs]

Not a true NASCAR fan, but it was on the tube and real racing is still a couple of weeks away. Watched most of the race on tape. While Stewart's crash was more dramatic, Dale's looked worse, getting loose and then heading straight into the wall.

NASCAR needs to stop patting itself on the back for building 'the safest racecars in the world'. There is a compelling need for deformable structures in the front of the cars and the walls themselves. I also wonder if the HANS device would have made a difference.

This is a tragic loss for all of motorsports.

RIP Intimidator.

[Manson]

I was first stunned and saddened by the news. I feel sick to my stomach. It's awful when this happens and I always feel the same sickness. The fact that the technology exists to prevent this type of injury and death pisses me off to no end. NASCAR is too arrogant to implement the HANS device and will cover up the extent of the injuries to support their lack of action. I have no use for their total lack of regard for driver safety.

[desmo]

I watched the entire race, saw the incident at the end with Schroeder and thought nothing of it, turned off the TV and went out to walk my dog. I am stunned. I guess I've gotten used to the idea of those tanks crashing and everyone getting out more or less OK. It looked like nothing compared to the 18 car melee earlier in th race. Wow.

"I hope this has the same effect on safety in NASCAR that Sennas had in F-1." The main effect I've seen from Senna's tragic death is a lot of idiotic and dangerous chicanes ruining the classic racetracks of the world. I can just see Earnhardt chicanes on those ovals. I'm not sure what you could do to the cars themselves in NASCAR to make them safer without abandoning the whole roll cage concept. 99% of the time it works great, although the energy dissapation that you can get from controlled deformation is largely absent in NASCAR. This is incredibly sad but short of abandoning the superspeedways or a massive cut in bhp, I can't see any way to prevent this in the future.

[Mario]

Desmo,

Read the posted articles for an illustration of how NASCAR has fallen terribly in motorsports safety. NASCAR appears to not even make the attempt at making the racing "safer". It is tragic and pathetic and a racing legend has died because of it!

[CeCe]

I usually don't watch NASCAR, but I thought I would today just to get into the racing groove, and I'm sorry I did. Earnhardt was one of the greats, it's just shocking that he's gone. My thoughts are with his family and team.

[desmo]

So what do you do? If they embraced the deformable structure concept it would mean TOTALLY new chassis with no guarantee that it would actually be safer in practice. I can't see that happening. Considering the horrific crashes that seem to occur in NASCAR on a regular basis, I doubt if you could make it a whole lot safer without changing the sport beyond recognition. If there were any easy answers we would already have seen them. Those guys aren't dumb.

[The Swerve]

This also is motor-racing.....

[Mario]

Answers are never easy to come by, but if a sport does not dedicate it's full support behind driver safety, then the answers will never come. NASCAR does not have a full time safety crew. I read these articles from the Orlando Sentinel only a few days ago. It is crazy to see the points made in such a fashion.

[JayWay]

I dunno, Ross is kinda right. I don't blame Dale, but he was no help to the saftey issue. I always heard him come out with quotes like "if they think it's to fast, then these pussies should stay away" or something like that.

[Ross Stonefeld]

If this is the wakeup call NASCAR needs, at least there will be a % of positive out of this catastrophe. I hope to God every single racing series in the world looks at their safety. Even if that means 'ruinin the racing' as long as they look at safety thats all that matters

[Brent]

http://espn.go.com/r...17/1090461.html

Quote

That attitude goes hand-in-hand with a sanctioning body reluctant to do more than suggest to its drivers better ways to keep themselves alive.

Dale Earnhardt still competes in an open-face helmet, looking not much different than those who raced decades ago. He's more comfortable that way.

Randy Lajoie can find nothing in the rules even requiring him to wear a helmet, although he wouldn't be foolish enough to race without one.

"It's the drivers' responsibility to look after himself," Kyle Petty said. "We don't want communism."

Kinda says it all [p][Edited by Brent on 02-19-2001]

[The Swerve]

Dale didn't wear a full face helmet??? Wow.