OF A GREAT MAN DALE EARNHARDT
THE BEST OF THE BEST
Birth Place: Kannapolis, N.C.
Car Number: 3
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Sponsor: GM Goodwrench Service Plus
Manufacturer: Chevrolet
I can never thankyou enough for this Pam
the DRacers team memorial page
A fine Daytona afternoon,
the season just begun.
but something held me back.
I was busy watching Dale and Mike --
and holding off the pack.
I was looking toward the front
and not really to the rear.
Something tapped me on my bumper,
but still I had no fear.
I thought it might be Sterling -
I knew he was nearby.
When Sterling smells the checkered flag,
I'll tell you, he ain't shy.
I slipped a bit.
I turned the wheel.
I sensed something very odd.
It wasn't Sterling's tap I'd felt.
It was the tap of God.
"Not now," I said. "I'm racing hard.
There's work still here to do."
"You're time is up," He whispered low,
"So say a quick adieu."
I wasn't really ready,
but I didn't have a choice.
He'd tapped me on the bumper
and I'd heard His hallowed voice. So I did as He instructed.
I just packed it in and left.
I guess it can't be helped that
I left some of you bereft. Did you see those birds upon
the wall as they scattered in the breeze?
Will it make it any easier to
know that one of them was me?
There was also Davey, Dad and Neil
and some other guys I've known.
And they all came to Daytona just
to escort me on home.
Hey - congratulations, Mikey!
You made a worthy run.
I wish you many, many more.
You're wins have just begun.
All that fun you had in Victory Lane,
I was proud as proud can be.
Did you see a seagull flying low?
Yeah, Mikey, that was me.
So, friends and fans and family,
don't mourn me for too long.
Get on with life -
take care of things -
be brave and proud and strong
I'll surely miss you every one.
About that I will not lie.
But as long as you remember me -
I didn't really die
in honor of a great man
who loved everything about what he did and
he lost his life doing the 1 thing
he loved most RACING in the Daytona 500
a Great Man
- The last picture of him at Daytona right before the race that took is life. We miss you, you were the greatest
it was always my husband,
and one summer afternoon I sat down and
watched a race with my husband.
I saw this car #3
and the man that drove it.
I watched in amazement
as this man drove around the track.
He reminded me of someone
that I had grown up with and
I had an instant love for this man.
That is when I became
a Nascar fan and a huge fan of Dale Earnhardt.
I watched everyweek and
I began to see the strategy of racing
and how the team work together
to make a champion.
That is what he was a
HUGE,larger than life, champion.
I began to learn all about him
and his wonderful family and
the Childress family.
I saw how they all,
the racers,the owners,the pit crew and
families all came together and made
Nascar Racing what it is today.
When he won the Daytona 500
in 1999 I never saw
anything like it
all the different
pit crews lined up
to shake his hand
as he went down pit lane,
everyone was so happy for him.
To me Dale helped to make it
a very competitive sport and
that the drivers had good protection and
they were safe within their cars.
I know that he was a great
family man and
he had a few close friends that
meant the world to him.
He was a very special man
on and off the field.
He had great interigty
and a winning personality.
I didn't know him personally
but I loved him anyway.
My prayers are with the
Earnhardt family always.
I sincerely hope that his sons
can be like him and make the sport
even better and keep the
Earnhardt name the best it can be.
Carry on the way thier
father would expect.
He was so proud of his children and
when his son Dale jr. had his first won
in Winston Cup race he was so
very proud of him.
I don't think it ever occurred to
any of his fans that he would die,
he was the undestructable intimadiator.
Little did we know that
we would all see him die.
His name and memory will live in
our hearts and our memories forever.
I take consolation in the fact
that if he had to choose a way to die it
would have been just the way it happened.
Right on the track on the
last lap so that HIS fans got the best show ever.
GOD BLESS YOU DALE,
we will always love you and
what you have done for the sport that
you loved so much.
GOD SPEED!!!!<
A thrill was in the air that day
As the number three flashed past
Shouts and cheers rose on the wind
As his car sped by so fast.
The race had been so thrilling The finish line just ahead
The thought did not occur to us
We'd see tragedy instead.
The final lap came all to soon
For a hero we held dear
Little did we know that day
That the end for him was near.
Our hearts are filled with sadness
Our hero had to leave
To race across the Heavens now
While we are left to grieve.
The gates of Heaven opened
His final trophy gleaming bright
He slowly gunned his engine
As he drove into the light.
(charlotte anselmo)
