They adored him… |
| By Joe Macenka, Turner
Sports Interactive CONCORD, N.C. --To get a perfect snapshot of what makes Dale Earnhardt's fans special, go back to Feb. 15, 1998. It was late in the afternoon and the light was fading on what had been an unseasonably cool, damp, cloudy day in Florida; but for the Earnhardt faithful, it was a momentous and joyous occasion that would be etched in their memories forever. After 20 years of trying, their man had just won the Daytona 500 for the first time. Earnhardt celebrated by driving his Monte Carlo onto the infield grass along the fronstretch trioval at Daytona International Speedway and launching into a smoking series of spinning doughnuts. After he was finished with his impromptu display of car-on-grass artistry, he proceeded to Victory Lane, where a long celebration followed. Later, while Earnhardt was up in the press box conducting interviews and practically all of the spectators had left for home, dozens of The Intimidator's devotees decided it was time to make their move. They hopped over the wall on pit road and made their way out to the grassy area that Earnhardt had roughed up. Out on the grass, they got down on their knees and began tearing up chunks of what had once been perfectly manicured sod. They used beer coolers, plastic trash bags--anything they could find --to haul away their makeshift souvenirs from the big day. |
Sitting high above them,
Earnhardt noticed the peculiar spectacle taking place and
went to the windows of the press box for a closer look.
When the guilty parties below realized they had an
audience from their leader, they raised their arms
straight out in front of them and began bowing to the
object of their affection. He acknowledged them with a
wave and a broad smile. The scene was typical of the kind of loyalty and admiration Earnhardt cultivated from his legions and legions of faithful followers. He was the runaway leader in the amount of revenue generated by souvenir sales, and it was not unusual for easily one-third of the fans at all races to be sporting his colors. He was an innovator at creating special paint schemes; tales abound of fans who looked like they couldn't afford many luxuries flocking to the gift shop at Dale Earnhardt, Inc. to buy thousands of dollars of souvenirs without blinking an eye. But on this day, the best souvenir in the eyes of Earnhardt's hardy band of creative followers was a simple hunk of torn-up sod to be tossed into a beer cooler and hauled home, a simple reminder of a job well-done by their conquering hero. |
