In Memory of

An Unofficial Site ....dedicated in the memory of the greatest NASCAR driver.

It was Sunday February 18th, 2001 when Dale raced his last. It was the last turn in the last lap that changed NASCAR forever. While blocking the cars behind him so that his driver, Michael Waltrip and his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr were in the safe to get to the finish line, Dale Sr. lost control of his infamous #3 car after nudging Sterling Marlin's car and sending it into the path of Schraders car and slamming head first into the wall. Schraders car pushed Dale's car to the field where they then came to a full stop. Schrader jumped out of his car and ran over to see if Dale was alright. Ambulance and medics were there almost immediatly. Waltrip came in first, his first Daytona 500 win and his son, Dale Jr., came second. Dale Jr., ran to his dad. Meanwhile, Waltrip didn't even know that his boss and friend was even injured. His excitement immidiatly came to an end when he heard the news that Dale was injured. The ambulance took him to Halifax hospital just about a mile from the track. Two hours later, the whole world found out that the worlds greatest NASCAR driver and their hero, was gone.

Like many of you, I was in total shock. I couldn't believe that the Man in Black was gone. Never, ever, in my mind, have I ever thought that this could happen to him, my hero. At first, I didn't think that the accident even looked all that bad, not compared to the accident 25 laps earlier. But when they showed the ambulance there and no site of Dale coming out of his car, I knew then something seriously was wrong, but I never thought that he could be gone.

I still can't believe it. I am still crying over this horrible tragedy. And as soon as I was accepting what happened, the news about a broken seatbelt just made me feel worse. If the belt wasn't broken, there could have been a chance for Dale to survive. But, sadly, he is gone. And i will miss him.

Now, with the new driver, Kevin Harvick, taking over Dale's spot in the new white 29 car, watching NASCAR will feel different. Not seeing the black #3 on the track is going to be hard. But I think it would be harder seeing someone else driving it.

I hope that all Dale's fans will continue on watching and supporting NASCAR. Like Dale once said, " If this ever happens to me, you guys better be out on the streets dancing and partyin'. Because I had a good life, and I will challenge you to keep carrying on." And I will carry on, Dale will always be in my heart and in my memories, but now, I will cheer for his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr. So, I hope that all of Dale's fans are able to take his advice and carry on, Dale would want it that way.

Thank you Dale for everything you have done for your fans. You were the best and no one is ever going to be able to fit in your shoes. You were my hero. You will never be forgotton. You will always be #3, the Intimidator, our Man in Black, our Hero. May you rest in peace.

In the words of Dale Earnhardt, "That's Racin.".

Letter From Teresa Earnhardt
Second Letter from Teresa Earnhardt

August 21, 2001

The Earnhardt Investigation

Well, with a heavy heart, I sat through the conferance and watched it. Tho it upset me to see the photo's of the seatbelt and the inside of his car and even the diagrams they provided, I thought they explained everything thoroughly and did a good job at explaining everything.

I just hope now that this will bring closure to everyone, his family, his friends and his fans. And that the media will leave Teresa, Dale Jr, Kerry, Kelley and Taylor Nicole alone so they
can go on. The Earnhardt family are in my prayers.

To access the Investigation report, please click here.
To read Richard Childress' statement, please click here

Biography

PARENTS: Ralph and Martha Earnhardt SPOUSE: Teresa Earnhardt CHILDREN: Kelley, Kerry, Dale Jr and Taylor Nicole BIRTHDATE: April 29, 1951 DATE OF DEATH: February 18th, 2001 PLACE: Daytona Int'l Speedway, Florida. CAREER STATS: 7 Time Winston Cup Champion DRIVER FOR: Richard Childress Racing. CAR NUMBER: Three SPONSER(S): Goodwrench, Chevrolet. OWNS: Dale Earnhardt Inc. DRIVERS: Dale Earnhard Jr.(#8), Steve Park (#1), and Michael Waltrip (#15) HOBBIES: Fishing, boating, hunting. NICKNAME(S): The Intimidator, The Man in Black.

(NOTE: THE FOLLOWING BIO IS DIRECTLY FROM NASCAR.COM. I WILL BE POSTING MY OWN BIO ON DALE AS SOON AS I HAVE MORE TIME)

Dale Earnhardt, written off as washed up by many observers of Winston Cup racing, proved in 2000 that he might have an eighth series championship in him yet. Driving for car owner Richard Childress in an unprecedented 17th season, Earnhardt chased champion Bobby Labonte right down to the wire last season, only faltering in the last 10 races of the season. Earnhardt ended up second in the championship for the third time in his 26-year career by piling up two wins, 13 top-5 and 24 top-10 finishes. The latter number equaled Labonte's, but the champion beat Earnhardt on consistency, nailing six more top-5 finishes. The Kannapolis, N.C., native ran in the top-4 of the Winston Cup point standings in the second half of the season in pursuit of a record eighth championship. He finished every race in 2000 and returns with his crew, including chief mechanic Kevin Hamlin, intact.

He scored a thrilling last-lap win by inches over Labonte in the spring race at Atlanta, then charged from 18th place over the last five laps to win the fall Winston 500 at Talladega, in the process collecting the Winston "No Bull Five" $1 million bonus. Earnhardt proved his mettle with a string of eight straight top-10 finishes in the middle of the season. At season's end he had won nearly $5 million ($4,918,886), launching his motorsports leading career total over $41 million.

While he still struggled in qualifying, Earnhardt returned to his competitive fire in race trim, leading 17 races a total of 38 times. After revitalizing his career in 1999, Earnhardt went one step beyond it in 2000. He proved the fire still burns for the man who has diversified his business interests beyond even the ownership of three Winston Cup teams for son Dale Earnhardt Jr., Steve Park and Michael Waltrip as well as a part-time operation for oldest son Kerry Earnhardt. "The Intimidator's" seven NASCAR Winston Cup Series titles offer all the proof needed to those who question his place in history. His aggressive style has helped define a generation of drivers, those who run hard on Sunday then shake hands and exchange congratulations when all is said and done.

Earnhardt was the first driver in the history of the sport to win the rookie-of-the-year award and the series title at the Winston Cup level. He diversified one step further in 2001 when he competed in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, driving a factory-prepared Chevrolet Corvette with Earnhardt Jr. He was the first three-time winner of the Winston Select (1987, 1990 and 1993) and won three IROC championships (1990, 1995 and 2000). Earnhardt credited Rod Osterlund with giving him his biggest break, in 1978. He won the championship for Osterlund, his first, in 1980 before moving on to drive for Childress, for whom he has won six titles. The 2001 season looked to be another stellar year for the legend, but he was tragically killed in the last lap of the season opener--the Daytona 500. For all who loved him, he died in a manner befitting a champion. His team, Dale Earnhardt, Inc. took the top two spots in the race, and his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second. Earnhardt himself was holding back the pack and seemed to be in for a third-place finish, before the tragedy struck.

Made on: February, 2001 Reformatted on:January 2002

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Copyright 200, 2002 @ TDF

Discalimer:This site is unofficial and is not intended to infringe on anyones copyright. In no way am I affiliated with any members of the Earnhardt family, Team DEI, Richard Childress Racing or NASCAR nor am profiting off this site. This is for entertainment purposes only. The page design and graphics are copyrighted by the webmaster. The content within are information from other sites and magazines which i had purchased. Please do not use the pictures without my permission unless otherwise stated. Thank you