It was 12 years ago, today ...

[Edisto_Tiger]

 

[Edisto_Tiger]

 

[JohnRandle]

I still have our Dale carseats the kids had when they were little. They're 18 and 16 now. lol

 

[Smoke]

Damn time flies by. That was my first full race I actually sat down and watched from start to finish.

 

[Edisto_Tiger]

 

[Edisto_Tiger]

I remember Clemson beat UNC in basketball that day right after the race and I was all jacked up, then Mike Helton called that news conference to make the announcement.

 

[Edisto_Tiger]

 

[JohnRandle]

 

[Edisto_Tiger]

 

[Edisto_Tiger]

Lol. Sweet!

 

[JohnRandle]

Lol. Sweet!

Yeah, we got 2 of them.
Hung on to them just because, ya know..

 

[Edisto_Tiger]

 

[Upstater]

I actually remembering cheering a little when the accident happened because I didn't want him to win. You either liked Sr. or you didn't. I felt terrible when I found out that he died.

The sport really has never been the same after.

 

[Edisto_Tiger]

[YOUTUBE]29O2j-L1Tt8[/YOUTUBE]

 

[IndyAndy]

...You either liked Sr. or you didn't....

Yep.

While I respected what he did behind the wheel of a car, I usually didn't care much for what happened when someone stuck a mircophone in his face. The guy seemed like a hypocrite to me: If someone else was complaing about something, he would call their bravery into question - But let something that HE didn't like happen and well, that was another matter alltogeather!

Sure didn't look like much of an accident. I can't remember: Did they finally decide that it was the belt system itself, or the way that he had it installed/was using it that was to blame?

 

[Edisto_Tiger]

I don't think they ever came out and said specifically, but I'm going to go with the way it was installed or the way he was using it on top of no head and neck restraint system (hans device) then.

 

[ida one]

Dale Sr. didn't have the Hans device installed in his car. Then they didn't have to have it and only a few were using it. After the accident, it became mandatory .

 

[Edisto_Tiger]

Dale Sr. didn't have the Hans device installed in his car. Then they didn't have to have it and only a few were using it. After the accident, it became mandatory .

yup. He didn't even like the face shield on his helmet. They say he would loosen the belts after the race got started or towards the end, but that's just a rumor.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

It was severe head trauma. With accidents like that where it doesn't look spectacular, force has no chance to dissipate. It was a right turn straight into the wall. His brain smashed into the front of his skull at speed and the base of his skull literally broke with such for e that it broke the tip off of one of the veterbral bones in his neck. The HANS device would have of prevented a death like that because it dissipates that forward jolt of the skull at impact.

If you remember, tony Stewart had a horrific crash earlier in that race where he flipped over a bunch of times but walked away. That was because their was time for the car to dissipate energy in all of those flips and it was t one big hit.

The right turn into the wall or the stuck throttle (Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin) are the most dangerous wrecks in auto racing yet neither is particularly spectacular. Remember all the flipping and spinning is also slowing the car down.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

I am an open wheel fan but there are certain NASCAR events that I watch:

Daytona 500
Both Richmond races
Darlington
Indy
Sonoma
Watkins Glen

I wasn't an Earnhardt fan as I pull for the open wheel guys but it was a really reay sad day.