Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes blame away from
Sterling Marlin
By Bruce Martin SportsTicker Contributing
Editor
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ROCKINGHAM, North Carolina (Ticker) - Dale Earnhardt Jr. returned to public life Friday and said he thought it was absolutely "ridiculous" that anyone would blame Sterling Marlin for causing the crash that killed his father in the final turn of the final lap of Sunday's Daytona 500.
"Any notion or any idea or any blame placed upon anyone, whether it be Sterling Marlin or anyone else is ridiculous and will not be tolerated," said Earnhardt, who finished second to teammate Michael Waltrip in Sunday's Daytona 500 in a car owned by his father. "I think it is completely incredible some of the things that I've heard or have been told about."
Marlin was the driver whose Dodge made contact with Earnhardt's Chevrolet that resulted in the fatal crash. Some fans have sent death threats to Marlin.
The 24-year-old Earnhardt will attempt to move on without his father and continue the family racing legacy that began his grandfather, Ralph Earnhardt, who died of a heart attack in 1973.
"One of the things this really teaches you most about is how selfish you are about things like this," Earnhardt said. "I miss my father. I've cried for him out of my own selfish pity for those emotions. I just try to maintain a good focus for the future and try to remember that he is in a better place - a place that we all want to be."
After finishing second in last Sunday's race, the younger Earnhardt rushed to Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Florida where his father was pronounced dead on Sunday night. He spoke briefly to the media after that, before grieving with his family.
Earnhardt's only public appearance was at the memorial service at Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina on Thursday before returning to racing on Friday.
He will practice and qualify for Sunday's Dura Lube 400 NASCAR Winston Cup race on Saturday at North Carolina Speedway.
"I want to thank all the fans and the NASCAR family for the respect they have shown over the past few days," Earnhardt said. "It's been quite a difficult time for the family. Everybody has treated this to the best of their ability and have done a real good job letting us get everything into perspective.
"It's been a tough time. I've had a lot of questions running around in my mind. My main focus is to maintain and progress with the vision my father had to the best of my abilities. We will try to carry on with the racing program and try to stick beside Teresa (Earnhardt's widow), the best we can."
