Remembering a legend: #3 Dale Sr.

knightmare1015 · #1 03-23-2011, 03:24 PM

I just been doing a little research about Dale Sr's crash 10 years ago at Daytona just recently. It's hard to believe that we lost a racing legend in what seemed to be a minor crash (it looked minor compaired to others he had) 10 years ago. Nascar claimed that the seatbelt failed which is complete bullshit. I talked to an emt who worked that accident on the track 10 years ago. I gave my word that I wouldn't mention his name, but he stated and I quote: Nascar is full of shit about the seatbelt failing because we had to cut him out of it. Basicly what he told me was the actual belt didn't fail, but the brackets on the left side did fail. All of Dale Sr's injuries were on the left side which included the following: 8 broken left ribs, broken left ankle, broken left clavicle and several bruises on the left side of his face. The fatal wound was to the left backside of his skull where blount force trama crushed his spinal cord killing him instantly. He was dead the moment he hit the wall. that was what I was told by my emt friend. the footage of Kenny Schrader walking calmly to Dale Sr's car and peering inside then going to pieces afterward confirms what my friend told me. but anyway, wether you hated him or liked him you had to respect him. And deep inside we all miss that black #3 on the track. His death is still being felt around the racing world to this day. people who witnessed the crash, racers, and anouncers still get choked up about 10 years later. the fatal injury was the same as Neil Bonnette's who died in 1994 in the same turn on the same track. It's also the same fatal injury that killed Adam Petty, Richard Petty's grandson in loudon, NH years later after Neil Bonnette. Basicly nascar's safer barriers at all of their tracks as well as other safety features is what keeps drivers alive today. It's a shame it took the loss of a legend like Dale Earnhardt Sr. to make the cars safer than what they were 10 yeras ago. We miss Dale Sr.

DiabloBlanco · #2 03-23-2011, 03:29 PM

Wanna know whats weird, I crashed the same day and month. Ten years after his accident.

knightmare1015 · #3 03-23-2011, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiabloBlanco

Wanna know whats weird, I crashed the same day and month. Ten years after his accident.

Now that is scary weird there. I had a close call that same day myself. Thank god that stupid broad heard my horn or she would've hit me head on after she veered over the yellow lines while she was texting her bff (ah sarcassim). I drove past her on the way home after she did hit someone head on 15 minutes later, after buying me a soda. After eaves dropping on her conversation with the state cop, and listening a little closer than normal she had just got her liscense 3 weeks earlier.

jacobxstanley · #4 03-23-2011, 03:38 PM

This crash made people take the HANS device seriously, had he been using one he'd still be alive today

knightmare1015 · #5 03-23-2011, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacobxstanley

This crash made people take the HANS device seriously, had he been using one he'd still be alive today

Not quite. It would've probably kept him alive for approx. 1 or 2 days at the most. But it did make the hans device mandatory though. My EMT friend compaired it to a freight train hitting a soda can. The main brackets is what failed. Plus Nascar changed it safety equipment COMPLETELY. I wonder what really happened to his car that he crashed, and why Nascar's report didn't jive at all with the medical examiner's report. they weren't even close. And Bill Simpson resigned from his company 2 days after the crash.

jacobxstanley · #6 03-23-2011, 03:48 PM

theres crashes that mimic his almost exactly though, where people climb out on there own and walk away. must've been just the wrong variables all put together i guess that caused his to be so devastating

DiabloBlanco · #7 03-23-2011, 03:50 PM

in all reality his crash doesnt look extreme at all, it was just his time to go.

schultzkenneth · #8 03-23-2011, 03:54 PM

Sr's the reason i'm a motorsports fan to this very day. He was and always will be a hero of mine. A true legend, taken to soon. His life being taken; however, may have saved the lives of countless other drivers do to the safety changes made after his death. (Car of Tomarrow, requirement of closed faced helmets, updates to the restraint systems, SAFER Barrier)

Gone, but not Forgotten..

TurdFX4 · #9 03-23-2011, 04:37 PM

Man... I have a joke here but I think I'll keep it to myself

DiabloBlanco · #10 03-23-2011, 04:55 PM

That would be for the best...

knightmare1015 · #11 03-24-2011, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schultzkenneth

Sr's the reason i'm a motorsports fan to this very day. He was and always will be a hero of mine. A true legend, taken to soon. His life being taken; however, may have saved the lives of countless other drivers do to the safety changes made after his death. (Car of Tomarrow, requirement of closed faced helmets, updates to the restraint systems, SAFER Barrier)

Gone, but not Forgotten..

Yep. Dale Earnhardt Sr. was a "working Man's" champion and was for the working class of society. he was one of us and it's a damn shame it took his death to change the safety features of today's race cars. After seeing David Ruterman's crash at Texas Motor Speedway last season, If it didn't have all of the safety features it did he would have died from that crash. THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT. The scary part is they used that same frame 2 weeks later. How many cars do you know that can flip over a dozen times and roll over 1/2 way down the back strait away and still remain somewhat intact and the driver WALKED AWAY. That's what I call a safe race car. He never even suffered a scratch (physically that is).

Quote:

Originally Posted by TurdFX4

Man... I have a joke here but I think I'll keep it to myself

Bad idea on joking about this man's death. Alot of people thought the world about Dale Earnhardt Sr. including myself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiabloBlanco

That would be for the best...

ditto. Not a good idea at all to joke about something like this. especially considering the crash didn't even look that bad considering some of the others he went through made that look like a picnic.