*** Official thread *** Dale Earnhardt dead.....

[NFS4]

<< The odd part was that he owned the cars that took first and second and his son took 2nd place. >>


It's not odd...he was holding everyone else back so that THEY could win

 

[Tripleshot]

It appears he died on impact from severe head trauma at the base of the skull.This from the doctor/paramedic who was on the scene immediately after the car stopped off the track. He never had a palpable pulse at the scene of the accident. Doctors at the hospital have said he suffered massive chest injuries as well. The autopsy will probably begin tomorrow.

The family can never compensate the loss with all the winnings and fortune he garnered from his career. He was that special a human being for all that knew and loved him.

Our prayers go out to him and his family.



This is a sad Sunday.

 

[John]

I am still in awe. This is a terrible loss.

 

[geno]

That's too bad, he was a legend...

 

[A5]

 

[PG]

This is a real tradgedy. I don't know what to say. He was the greatest driver in stock car history.

But his wreck didn't look too bad. I've seen much worse.

They just said this was the 3rd death in 9 months. They need to make some changes.

 

[Slap]

John,

I can't find the article now, but I earlier read where Marlin himself stated that they bumped. During the race, DW stated that there was slight contact. It doesn't matter anyway. That was all part of NASCAR and why Earnhardt loved it so much.

 

[Scrapster]

Anyone know about this &quot;Hans&quot; device people keep talking about. How does it protect the body?

 

[Francodman]

I am in shock. Now another favorite driver of mine is lost. May god be with him and his family

 

[Azraele]

Oh no
That's sad news indeed.
My thoughts go out to his friends/family.

 

[John]

from nascar.com



<< &quot;We were three deep and he hit me,&quot; Marlin said. &quot;Then he turned around.&quot; >>



from espn.com



<< Earnhardt, running fourth, grazed Sterling Marlin's car, crashed into the wall at the high-banked fourth turn going about 180 mph, and was smacked hard by Ken Schrader. >>



However the replay I have seen several times on CNN indicates they never touched.

 

[Midnight Rambler]

<< WTF !?!?! The crash on the last lap wasn't even that bad. >>

As already noted, the driver in this case experienced/absorbed the brunt of the energy caused by the collision with the wall. No doubt &quot;E&quot; was killed in a similar fashion to what happened to both Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin last year. It is time for NASCAR to get off its high horse and mandate the HANS device. While it cannot be proved 100% that it would have saved &quot;E&quot; in this case, I'd say it would have given him a much better chance of surviving. With such sudden and brutal deceleration, the neck of the driver is essentially snapped. This is what the HANS is designed to prevent. CART has mandated it for ovals, and F1 is adopting it as well. Even several NASCAR drivers wore the HANS today, for example Dale Jarrett.

Like others, though I am a diehard racing fan (F1, CART) and not really a major NASCAR fan, the Daytona 500 had special significance to me. I was likely conceived during Daytona SpeedWeek of 1957, my dad was there as a fabricator for his friend, a local (Ohio) driver named Johnny Wolford, and mom had come along with him. And &quot;E&quot; was my favorite, not only because of his skill and legend, but also because of his personality, and also that he drove for my employer, so it was natural for me to root for him.

I've followed auto racing for as long as I can remember, probably 35+ years, and I've seen a lot of tragedies. This one hurts a lot, it ranks right there with when one of my other driving heroes died, that being the great Ayrton Senna.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Earnhardts ...

 

[Leezell1]

Scrapster

The HANS (Head And Neck Support) device is basically a support system for the helmet to help control deceleration of the head in the event of an accident. It's hard to explain, but it works. It probably would have saved the lives of Gonzalo Rodriquez back in 1999, Adam Petty in 2000, and (based on what I saw in the wreck and the announced cause of death) Dale Sr. today. It is mandatory on all CART ovals this year, and Christian Fittipaldi must always wear one to race. F1 was to make a version of it mandatory for 2001, but may move it up as a result of this. It should be mandatory in every form of racing, as it is the best way to prevent these types of deaths from massive frontal impacts. And yeah, I wear one too.

Jim Downing is a genius.

Lee

 

[Bryan]

:frown:

 

[Celstar]

May the almighty god bless him and his family from everlasting sorrow

 

[CFster]

What a shame. He will be missed.

Maybe now NASCAR will wake up and implement some safety changes and get with the program. Their cars are based on 60's technology and so is their safety equipment. They could learn a little from watching the F1 and CART guys. :|

Interesting article on the above:

LA Times Article Feb 12

 

[dcpsoguy]

I am speechless....

 

[element]

I cannot believe this...I just heard.
I was such a big fan for years. Earnhardt was always my favorite driver, followed by Jeff Gordon as a close second. I even have an Intimidator t-shirt.
He will be missed. This is a sad day indeed.

 

[perry]

I was watching Fox when this was announced, and hollared out &quot;OH MY GOD!&quot; I couldn't believe it, I was in shell shock for a few seconds. Had to read the announcement a few times to make sure I was reading it right.

That impact didn't appear to be that bad when I first saw it, but looking at replays it was pretty terrible. Hitting the wall head on at 180mph is a rough. I wonder if the outcome of the accident would be different if he had been wearing a full face helmet instead of the open faced one that he insisted on wearing.

He was a great driver and a true champion. He will be missed by all racers throughout the world. My condolences to his family and friends.

 

[gittyup]

This is a shocker. I can't belive this has happened again.I had been under the impression that those cars were pretty safe. :Q

 

[AU Tiger]

There goes my only reason for watching...

Long live The Intimidator!!!

 

[Dean]

It makes me wonder that if all the so called safety advances Nascar has made in the past 15 years, with restricter plate racing...making the cars run inches apart, has really made the sport safer. Aerodynamics with cars so close behind him made dale go out of control. He got caught up in dirty air and it made him lose control. its such a shame and a very sad day.

 

[spencer]

One of the best Daytona 500's I have ever seen just turned into the worst. My living room is practically a shrine to Earnhardt. Heck, even my cat was named after him. This is definitely one of the saddest days in my life

You will be missed Dale!

 

[perry]

Here is an interesting article that talks about safety in racing. A long read, but very interesting.

 

[Sundog]

OMG, I can't believe this