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zays >>> lando scarlata | Illustration
by: Herbie Martin
Dale
Earnhardt dies on the last lap of the Daytona
500
The
Man, The Driver & The Legend
 24
hours after the news on the death of Dale Earnhardt, I was walking through
the isles of my local Walmart Superstore. As I was approaching the beverage
area, Ii saw a young girl and her father as they were walking in front of me.
The
reason I really noticed was the fact that they totally stopped. As I scanned onto
what they are looking at, I realized that there was a giant life size cutout in
the shape of a man. At
closer look, I noticed that it was Dale Earnhardt. I stopped for a second
or two and remembered what I had seen on my local Sunday night news. It was then,
when the young girl said to her father: "Dad, isn't he the man from
the TV?" The
father looked down at her daughter and without really saying a word, he placed
his hands over his eyes. After a deep breath, he proceeded with his business. I
noticed, the man to be a simple man. He was wearing brown boots, Wrangler
jeans with a large buckled belt. a black T-shirt with racing motif's. a baseball
cap rounded up his wardrobe. Oh yeah, it was a #3 Dale Earnhardt lid. The
actions which I had just witnessed left me very interested into find out more
about this man, Dale
Earnhardt. Why was the father of the
young girl so touched when he was reminded about him at the store? Well,
in the last 25 years, Dale
Earnhardt had raced on the nascar circuit very successfully.
He had won a total 7 Winston cup championships. The Intimidator,
as he was referred, had won 68 times in 668 races. Arguably, the best driver of
our time. He had even won the Great American Race, The Daytona
500 in 1998. He
was on track to break Richard Petty's record of 7 Winston Cup Championships.
He had won more races at that same, Daytona track, than any other driver, ever.
He had taken the baton of the sport of nascar's humble past into the glitzy multi-million
dollar business that it is today. Millions
of fans have paid tribute to The
Intimidator through flowers, memorial posters and emails in the last couple
of days. Internet traffic is at an all time high
among websites dealing with either Earnhardt
himself or NASCAR. Tribute sites have sprung in the same
kind of fashion as when Princess Diana's tragic death in 1998. Americans,
especially in the south, are in a deep sense of mourning. Perhaps,
a great way to show what Earnhardt
really meant to the
American people, is to see how popular he still is. a good example of this can
be found on e-bay. In contrast to Elvis's 9,036 items, Earnhardt
has a little over
80,000. Another
poll of popularity was taken Tuesday on Wall Street. The current weak market took
yet another hit with the news of Earnhardt's
death. Stocks of many of the companies which Earnhardt
displayed either on car or suit took considerable hits.
What is so intriguing about the man who drove nascar's most recognized commodity?
perhaps, it was his sense of being one of the boys. a man that had many fans that
believe, he was one of them. Earnhardt's
legacy is of a family
man, a simple man, a father of four and a husband. a shrewd business man and a
hard working man. An innovator, originator and a master of draft racing. Earnhardt
was trully the hero of the heart of America. Today that heart
is sadden by the passing of #3, but not forgotten. Good
bye, Dale Earnhardt
and thank you for the memories!
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