Saturday, February 18, 2012

Eleven Years Ago Today...


Eleven years ago today at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR changed forever.  

The moment that changed everything.
On the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt was hurled to his death in a crash that seemed incapable of destroying the front clip of his iconic, black Goodwrench Chevrolet, much less one of the greatest stars the sport has ever known.

Eleven years. It seems like only yesterday, and yet, so much has changed.

In the time since Earnhardt’s passing , head and neck restraints have become status quo in the sport; a mandatory, life-saving part of every driver’s on-track wardrobe.  Open-face helmets are now as common as leather Cromwells, relegated to racing’s scrap heap in favor of more protective, full-face models built of carbon fiber and impact-absorbing foam.  Seat technology has advanced at light speed, enveloping drivers in a protective cocoon undreamt of in Earnhardt’s day and holding them safe against even the most violent impacts. Nylon netting encases drivers from above and all sides, keeping their extremities in place during crashes, while preventing potentially lethal projectiles from entering the cockpit. Merciless concrete walls have been largely replaced by high-tech SAFER barriers that bend and yield to the assault of an out-of-control race car, transferring G-forces through their aluminum and foam-rubber infrastructure, rather than to the driver. NASCAR has mandated changes in car construction as well; enlarging the greenhouse and moving drivers toward the center of the chassis, further from harm.

So much has changed.
Perhaps all those advances would have occurred without the wake-up call Earnhardt’s death provided. It seems clear, though --at the very least -- that the events of February 18, 2001 accelerated the pace of safety exponentially. 

Was it worth it? Certainly not. 

This sport mourns the passing of Dale Earnhardt with the same deep ache in the chest it did on that dark day in 2001. NASCAR has not been the same without The Man in Black, and it will never be. He was our leader, our spokesman; a man who could crystallize complex, emotional  arguments into a monosyllabic kernel of indisputable truth that settled most issues instantly, once and for all.

We are worse without him in so many ways. But in other, extremely important areas, we are better for his passing. 

Thank you, Dale.
Michael McDowell rode out a horrifying qualifying crash at Texas Motor Speedway in 2008, hammering the wall head-on before barrel-rolling at least eight times in a maelstrom of flame and flying steel. That same month, Jeff Gordon attempted to tear down the inside retaining wall at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, turning the nose of his DuPont Chevrolet into a grotesque work of vehicular pop art. Two years ago, Elliott Sadler sailed face-first into the wall at Pocono Raceway at 170 mph, tearing the engine from his Ford and depositing it 30 yards away in the infield grass. After riding out a pair of 190-mph Talladega fliers earlier in his career, Sadler lost nothing but his breath in a Pocono crash he called “definitely the hardest hit I’ve ever taken in a race car. 

“If I can walk away from that,“ he said, “the car did its job.”

A lot has changed since February 18, 2001. 

For the better.

Thank you, Dale.

17 comments:

  1. Amen Brother Dave, I feel lucky as a fan to have put my hand in Dale's and tell him what he meant to me. He just smiled, patted me on the back and said thanks. He was and still is THE GREATEST!

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  2. I did not watch racing after this crash till 2007. I started listening to Sirius Nascar radio in 2006 and it brought me back to racing again. I now hardly miss a race. Thanks to Nascar for working so hard at making the races safer for the drivers, crews and fans. Thanks Mr. Moody for your views, I listen everyday.

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  3. chickenman9:59 AM

    Watching him made me want to give it a try he made it look so easy. Missed every day and forever grateful for what he has done for the sport yesterday today and tomorrow. RIP Dale.

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  4. RIP...Dale your still the man...

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  5. Part of me died that day too. Dale was my hero he loved to race for the blue collar guys like us and I miss him every race

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  6. Anonymous11:09 AM

    R.I.P. Legends live for ever,you will always be remembered.

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  7. Thanks Moody, great story and reminder of the reality this sport faces.

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  8. Anonymous11:58 AM

    Nice piece Dave. #3

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  9. Dale will forever be missed! RIP Dale!

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  10. I miss him every race. He was my hero. The world has not been right ever since that day. He raced for blue collar guys like me and the sport hasn't been the same since. I keep hoping I will wake up and this will be a bad dream

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  11. Dennis Fehr Saskatchewan1:03 PM

    Moody, you also have the ability to crystallize complex, emotional arguments while finding your kernel of indisputable truth, which makes you #1 in your profession!
    My wife and I still tear up talking about Dale, we probably always will.

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  12. Again, the Godfather speaks the truth. Very well written, Dave. As we look forward to Daytona once again, we never forget "The Intimidator".

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  13. Anonymous3:43 PM

    There are days that go by and I think, if Sr. had made it, would he own a team now and be retired or would he still be driving. We'll never know. But his sacrifice changed NASCAR, and I think even he would have appreciated that. As much as I miss him, I understand.


    Doug from NJ

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  14. Dave..... your knowledge of this (OUR) sport amazes me daily. You words chosen to write this piece simply said moved me. Thank you as well.

    I big piece of me died that day as well..... forever an Earnhardt fan #3

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  15. Anonymous5:54 PM

    Forever the Man, Forever the Fan

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  16. A true legend...always THE MAN, never forgotten!

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  17. Anonymous9:44 AM

    thank you godfather for remembering my hero

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