I've been following racing since 1955. I never saw anything like this before. The death of Dale Earnhardt in this year's "Daytona 500" is the biggest story I can recall about racing in terms of general national attention. Earnhardt has gone beyond legend or icon status. He's become almost god-like. The attention his death has commanded goes way past what any racing driver or sports hero received in the past, at least that I'm aware of.

As big a star as either Mickey Mantle or Wilt Chamberlain were, both passed from this earth in relative obscurity when compared to Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt has moved into the realm of a folk (or cult) hero like John Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy, Elvis Presley, John Lennon and Princess Diana. 

Newspapers across the U.S. carried front page headlines for days after the "Daytona 500." The only other news story that received anything like the coverage of the Earnhardt death during the same period was the controversy resulting from the final hours of the Clinton administration. As big a story as Bill and Hillary's most recent misadventures have been, the Earnhardt tragedy was a bigger story for several days. The Internet was jammed to capacity with traffic as a result of Earnhardt's fatal crash. Hundreds of thousands (and probably millions) of people expressed their sorrow. I was astonished by the outpouring of sentiment for Earnhardt. I had no idea his death would affect so many people so deeply.

The issue over whether The Orlando Sentinel was allowed access to autopsy photos of Earnhardt was another example of the emotional impact of the Earnhardt story. Teresa Earnhardt's request for support against releasing the photos was met by a strong response against the newspaper. Cheryl Mundy, an Earnhardt fan from North Carolina, warned Florida governor Jeb Bush there are a "a lot more NASCAR fans in the Southeast than there are Republicans." She added "When Dale Earnhardt fans spread their wings in Florida, they ain't seen nothing yet." Many subscriptions to the Orlando newspaper were cancelled and boycotts against advertisers in The Sentinel occurred.

Florida governor Bush appears to have understood the nature of Cheryl Mundy's threat. Bush talked to Teresa Earnhardt about legislation to support her efforts and a bill was proposed in the Florida legislature as a result. Eventually an agreement was reached between The Orlando Sentinel and Mrs. Earnhardt over access to the autopsy photos that will keep the photos from being published. Unfortunately Internet websites and college newspapers have jumped into the controversy, turning the issue into a tabloid style side show.

A few weeks ago I was in a tobacco - magazine store on the south side of Indianapolis. On the counter in front of the cashier were at least seven different commemorative magazines about Dale Earnhardt. Considering that it was such a short time since Earnhardt was killed, that's phenomenal.

Earnhardt was the first driver to die from injuries during the "Daytona 500." For 19 years he was denied victory in the "Great American Race" despite the fact in many of those years Earnhardt was the guy to beat. In his twentieth try in 1998 the fates finally smiled on Earnhardt and he came through to get the treasure that had eluded him for so long. Three years later the "Daytona 500" extracted the highest price from Earnhardt. I find that to be one of the cruelest ironies I can think of. It's something that has come back to me several times since I first heard Earnhardt was dead the night of February 18.

The intensity of emotions ran high. In the week following the "Daytona 500," Sterling Marlin received numerous death threats for his involvement in the Earnhardt crash. Racing safety product manufacturer Bill Simpson also received threats when it was announced the seat belt in Earnhardt's car broke during the crash. The statement by Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Rockingham that neither Marlin nor anyone else should be blamed appears to have stopped the threats. That type of stupid reaction doesn't speak well for fans of NASCAR.

I watched a replay of the of the Fox coverage at Daytona International Speedway on February 18 before writing this. Whenever the Fox cameras focused on Earnhardt during the pre-race segments I felt strange. About 45 minutes before the race began one of the Fox commentators interviewed Earnhardt who was reclining in a chair in front of a recreational vehicle somewhere in the Daytona infield. Earnhardt talked about the fact that his car didn't perform as well as he hoped during "happy hour" practice the previous day. He expressed some concern about the windy conditions on the backstretch. He closed his remarks by telling the commentator that what was going to be presented during the telecast was unlike anything Fox had seen before. I find the irony of that statement to be incredible.

I was struck by the affection Earnhardt exhibited toward wife Teresa and Dale Earnhardt Jr. moments before the race started almost as if he was saying goodbye. When the cameras caught a glimpse of Earnhardt sitting in his Goodwrench number 3 Chevy Monte Carlo before the cars pulled away from pit road I got an eerie feeling thinking about how the driver was preparing to meet his fate knowing now what occurred.

Eerie is perhaps the best way to describe my feelings about the Earnhardt fatality. The strangest sensation comes when I see the in car camera shots from the car as it hits the wall. We know that's the instant life was taken away from Dale Earnhardt. It's like we are a first hand witness, only we go on living while he dies. It reminds me of the subtle transition from life to death. I was alone at my father's side at St. Vincent hospital in Indianapolis on June 8, 1982 at 5 PM when he passed away. He was on a respirator and barely breathing and nearly unconscious before the moment came. There was no gasp for air or even an acknowledgement that he was going, just a gentle realization that life no longer inhabited my father's body.

I wasn't necessarily a Dale Earnhardt fan. But I did admire his talents and I enjoyed many of his victories, especially his win in the 1998 "Daytona 500" and some of his other victories in recent seasons. If ever a racing driver deserved to win a race it was Dale Earnhardt in the "Daytona 500." If I remember correctly CBS race announcer Mike Joy called Earnhardt's "Daytona 500" win the most anticipated happening in the history of racing. Remember how Earnhardt gleefully spun the Goodwrench number 3 car in the tri-oval grass at Daytona International Speedway a few minutes after taking the checkered flag? That made me happy. It's my favorite Dale Earnhardt memory.

When did I begin paying attention to Dale Earnhardt? This is all from memory because NASCAR doesn't understand that it should put detailed history and statistics on its website.  I first began paying attention to Dale Earnhardt during the 1979 season. I can't give a lot of specifics. I remember he was driving a powder blue and yellow number 2 Chevrolet Monte Carlo owned by Rod Osterlund of California. Roland "somebody" was the team manager and Doug Richert was the crew chief. I also recall that Earnhardt won a race (Bristol) during his rookie season in the NASCAR Grand National (it wasn't called Winston Cup until 1985) series. What stats that are available on the NASCAR site tell me that Earnhardt had eleven top five finishes and 17 top tens in 27 races to finish seventh in the season point standings. Earnhardt was named NASCAR rookie of the year for 1979.

 At some point during the 1979 season Earnhardt was injured in a race. My old NASCAR hero David Pearson substituted for the rookie Earnhardt for a few races. I recall visiting my parents at their weekend retreat (a trailer) on Lake Shafer near Monticello, Indiana. I watched a NASCAR race at Pocono being televised by CBS. Darrell Waltrip in the Di Gard Gatorade car 88 (a Chevy or an Oldsmobile I believe) won the Pocono race and Pearson finished second in Earnhardt's Chevy after leading much of the race.

Earnhardt's next NASCAR Grand National victory came at Atlanta on March 16, 1980. I was living in Chicago, working for Polysystems at that time. Guy Nadeau was preparing to leave Polysystems and relocate from Chicago to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In the meantime he was staying at my apartment on the far north side of Chicago, one block south of Foster Avenue. It was a cold, dreary rainy Sunday afternoon as we watched the ABC telecast from Atlanta. Earnhardt beat Rusty Wallace in a car owned by Roger Penske. I believe that was Rusty's NASCAR debut. Earnhardt won again at Bristol two weeks after the Atlanta race. He had three more NASCAR wins in 1980 at Nashville, Martinsville and Charlotte. 

My next memory of Earnhardt came at the NASCAR season finale in mid-November 1980 at Ontario Motor Speedway. I'd been married the day before in Chicago. My new bride and I were visiting her parents in Joliet, Illinois. By that time in my marriage I already realized I made a big mistake. We were getting ready to have dinner at a family buffet place. I asked the wife to tune into the coverage of the NASCAR race at Ontario. It was one of those Saturday afternoon ABC Wide World of Sports replays where they interspersed race coverage with female gymnastics or ping pong from Beijing or whatever. If you are old enough you recall the crap fans had to put up with to see racing on TV in those days.

I don't recall who won the race at Ontario but what I do remember is that Dale Earnhardt beat Cale Yarborough by a few points for the NASCAR championship. Although the NASCAR title wasn't nearly as big a deal as now and the competition wasn't that strong, it seemed significant that a second year driver was able to beat Yarborough for the championship. In 1980 Cale was at the top in NASCAR, the man to beat on a lot of days and the series' most spectacular performer.

ESPN didn't begin televising NASCAR until the following season. With the exception of the "Daytona 500" which was presented live on CBS and a couple other races, there wasn't much NASCAR on television. Richard Petty was still a winner. Yarborough, Bobby Allison and Buddy Baker were also at the forefront. With the exception of Neil Bonnett and the Wood Brothers team and the Bud Moore car 15, Ford Motor Company wasn't that deeply involved in NASCAR in the early 1980's however. It was mostly a General Motors show with nearly all of the drivers running Chevrolets, Buicks or Oldsmobiles depending on which season during that period you were watching.

Darrell Waltrip became a regular NASCAR competitor in the mid 1970's and the most frequent winner at the end of that decade. Ricky Rudd was the NASCAR rookie of the year in 1977 or 1978 followed by Earnhardt in 1979. Terry Labonte won the 1980 "Southern 500" at Darlington and became another of the group of new guys gaining notoriety. Tim Richmond became a trend setter in 1981 when he made the switch from potential stardom in Indy car racing to join NASCAR on a full time basis.

The Rod Osterlund team didn't last long despite winning the NASCAR championship. Here's where my Dale Earnhardt memories become fuzzy. I believe another short term "hot shot" named J.D. Stacy bought out the Osterlund team as part of an assault on NASCAR. Stacy was a coal mining magnate from Kentucky if memory serves me correctly. By 1982 Stacy had something like eight cars in the "Daytona 500" starting field. He was one of those guys who saw NASCAR as a great place to spend his new found wealth. It didn't take long for Stacy to spend his money and once he did he was gone quick, never to be heard from again except in lawsuits from people he owed money to.

Earnhardt was a contender in the 1981 "Daytona 500." He was driving a Ford T-bird for Bud Moore (I think), carrying Wrangler blue and yellow colors. I'm not positive about that. However Earnhardt drove Moore's Fords through the 1983 season. He went winless in 1981 but had a win in 1982 (Darlington) and two more (Nashville and Talladega) in 1983.

Earnhardt and Ricky Rudd switched rides for the 1984 season. Rudd had been racing for former NASCAR "independent" driver Richard Childress. With Piedmont Airlines as the sponsor on the Childress number 3 Chevrolet, Rudd began winning races in 1983. When Piedmont took their money to Billy Hagan's team and Terry Labonte for 1984, Childress needed support to keep running. As I recall Wrangler wanted to remain with both Dale Earnhardt and the Bud Moore team. So the company's sky blue and pale yellow colors were carried on both the number 3 Richard Childress Chevy driven by Earnhardt and the number 15 Bud Moore Ford driven by Rudd in 1984.

Speedweeks in February 1984 at Daytona International Speedway was momentous for both Wrangler drivers. Rudd had a terrifying crash coming off turn four during the Busch Clash the Sunday before the "Daytona 500." I was watching the CBS coverage and Rudd's car flipped end over end, traveling halfway through the Daytona tri-oval and on to the entrance to pit road. Ricky's crash looked even worse than Tony Stewart's wild ride during the big crash on lap 175 of this year's "Daytona 500." Rudd was battered but ready to take the green flag the following Sunday. Remarkably one week after Daytona, Rudd's Wrangler Ford ran down Junior Johnson's two Budweiser Chevrolets driven by Darrell Waltrip and Neil Bonnett to win the NASCAR race at the old half mile Richmond fairgrounds oval. Earnhardt followed Cale Yarborough past leader Darrell Waltrip on the final lap to finish second in the "Daytona 500."

Earnhardt won two NASCAR events (Talladega and Atlanta) with Childress during the 1984 season and finished fourth in the season standings. Although he finished only eighth in the season point standings,1985 was Earnhardt's best season since the championship year in 1980. Dale won four races with the Childress Wrangler Chevy (Richmond, Bristol, Bristol and Martinsville). I particularly recall Earnhardt as being one of the guys Bill Elliott had to beat on the way to the "Winston Million" in the "Southern 500" at Darlington.

Dale Earnhardt got my attention in February 1986 at Daytona Speedweeks. For me one of the most exciting things ever to happen in NASCAR was Bill Elliott's runaway win in the 1985 "Daytona 500" followed by another ten Winston Cup wins including the million dollar victory at Darlington the same season. They began calling it Winston Cup in 1985. I badly wanted Elliott to repeat his "Daytona 500" win the following February. By the time of the 1986 "Daytona 500," I was convinced the guy Bill would have to beat was Dale Earnhardt.

Bill Elliott won the pole position and Earnhardt was the second fastest qualifier. Earnhardt won the first of his 34 victories at Daytona International Speedway in one of the 125 mile qualifying events the Thursday before the "Daytona 500." Elliott won the other 125 mile race. Again I'm doing this from memory. So the pre-race story line focused on the classic confrontation, Ford versus Chevrolet and Elliott versus Earnhardt.

Although no longer married, by February 1986 I was still associated with my first wife. I'd moved back to Indianapolis in July 1984. But we were still carrying on something of a long distance relationship. I had driven to Chicago the previous day to see her and was on the way back to Indianapolis early the morning of the "Daytona 500." My plan was to be home well in advance of the start of the CBS telecast.

I ran into freezing rain on Interstate 65 south of Crown Point, Indiana. The road surface was soon covered with ice, the kind where there's no traction and if you manage to stay out of a ditch you're just plain lucky. So my trip was slowed. Fortunately I'd set the timer on my VCR but I had to listen to the pre-race and the first quarter of the "Daytona 500" over the Motor Racing Network broadcast coming from my car radio.

The pre-race chatter from Eli Gold, Barney Hall and company over MRN was all about Bill Elliott and Dale Earnhardt. No one else was getting much attention. As unbeatable as Elliott looked in the 1985 "Daytona 500" and as good as his prospects appeared for the coming race, I began to feel a sinking feeling about the challenge from Earnhardt.

For a few years I thought Bill Elliott was on the verge of inheriting Richard Petty's crown of NASCAR royalty. For me Elliott and the Coors Melling number 9 Thunderbird was the neatest thing to hit NASCAR after Bill won the 1985 "Daytona 500." As 1985 progressed Elliott seemed unbeatable. But Bill Elliott had a major flaw. He couldn't race on the short tracks. As spectacular as Elliott looked at Daytona, Talladega, Michigan, Dover, Pocono and Darlington, he stumbled and bumbled his way around Bristol, Richmond, North Wilkesboro and Martinsville. So despite his fabulous and historic 1985 season with eleven wins Elliott lost the Winston Cup title to Darrell Waltrip who won only two races.

Don't get me wrong. Bill Elliott is one of the big history makers in NASCAR. I think he still has some wins remaining. In 1987 he came back to win the "Daytona 500" with an even better drive than he had in 1985. In 1988 Elliott won the Winston Cup championship. He almost won the title again in 1992. But Bill Elliott wasn't as good as Dale Earnhardt.

In the 1986 "Daytona 500" Elliott fizzled and sort of hung around third or fourth until he was knocked out in a big crash just before the race's halfway point. Earnhardt, Geoff Bodine in Rick Hendrick's Levi Garrett Chevy (prepared by Gary Nelson) and Neil Bonnett put on a show for much of the race. Bonnett was fast but he had a problem and fell out of the race about the three quarter mark. This brought it down to an Earnhardt - Bodine battle. Dale managed to move to the front and he began to ease away.

Then the famous "Daytona 500" jinx bit Dale Earnhardt for the first time. As the years passed it almost became a personal vendetta as if "the Great American Race" was out to tame Earnhardt. It was true man versus race warfare. As tough as Earnhardt was (and the only one I can think of who was as tough was A.J. Foyt) the "Daytona 500" was tougher because the race won the final battle. That may seem like a strange way to characterize the Earnhardt tragedy but it's also comforting if you think about it. It adds a romantic touch to the Dale Earnhardt legend. Do you know the film "The Old Man and the Sea" and the Spencer Tracy character? How about Sir Edmund Hillary and his quest to climb Mount Everest? In this case, it was the great master of the contemporary stock car racing machine Dale Earnhardt against the sport's number one event the "Daytona 500."

With only three laps to go in the 1986 "Daytona 500" Earnhardt rushed to the pits in the Wrangler Chevy number 3, out of fuel. Geoff Bodine went by to win and thereby move into NASCAR's upper echelon. At the time Earnhardt's problem seemed like the sort of misfortune that hits a lot of racers. Little did we know it was only round one in a 15 year fight to the death.

The week following Daytona NASCAR held its usual race at the old Richmond Fairgrounds half mile oval. Can you remember the atmosphere surrounding the "spring" race each season at Richmond? It was almost always sunny and cold in Virginia during the race. It was a culture shock to see the cars go from 200 mph (before restrictor plates) at Daytona to 80 plus mph laps at Richmond. I'm trying to visualize the scene as I write this. I think there was a board fence outside the track with still bare trees in the background.

In the "spring"1986 race at Richmond there was a tight battle for the lead between Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt. Waltrip's Budweiser Chevy number 11 and Earnhardt's number 3 banged and bumped each other all over the tight little oval. Again I'm doing this from memory.

Then if I recall correctly (I use those words a lot don't I?) Joe Ruttman moved up to join Waltrip and Earnhardt. I don't even remember who Ruttman drove for then, maybe Butch Mock and Bob Rahilly? Anyway another guy came up to join the bumping and banging. I think it was Joe Ruttman. Whoever it was, he, Waltrip and Earnhardt bumped and banged a little too much and maybe two laps from the finish the three took each other out of the race. Who should go by to win his first Winston Cup race but Kyle Petty in (I think) the Wood Brothers Citgo Ford.

I don't know what happened to the three Elliott brothers in 1986 after they dazzled NASCAR so intensely the previous season with the red and white number 9 Coors Light "rocket." Actually I probably do know what happened. During the 1985 season NASCAR changed the rules three times because Bill Elliott was so difficult to beat. Apparently the rules penalties that were put in place finally did their intended job and took away the advantage the Elliott boys had uncovered the previous year. For 1986 Elliott was limited to wins at both Winston Cup races at Michigan and a win in the second annual "The Winston" which was held that season in Atlanta.

Earnhardt and Geoff Bodine picked up the slack. The two them had so many scuffles on the track during the 1986 season that Bill France Jr. made both drivers come to Daytona Beach for a closed door scolding. It was almost as if Earnhardt had come across someone in Geoff Bodine who liked to bang on the other guy as much as he did.

Much of the 1986 season (again where's those damn NASCAR statistics?) was primarily a fight between Earnhardt, Bodine and Tim Richmond in Rick Hendrick's other car, the Folgers Chevy prepared by Harry Hyde. It seems like Bodine and Richmond often qualified on the front row at Winston Cup races. But Earnhardt won five races at Darlington, North Wilkesboro, Charlotte, Charlotte and Atlanta on the way to his second NASCAR (Grand National) Winston Cup championship.

At the beginning of 1987 it looked as if Bill Elliott and his brothers Ernie and Dan had discovered more secrets with the new Ford Thunderbird body for 1987. When Elliott tested at Talladega at the end of January in excess of 214 mph, the other guys began thinking about 1985 again.

The way Elliott waltzed through February 1987 at Daytona International Speedway, it looked like "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville" was nearly unbeatable again. Elliott took the "Daytona 500" pole position with a lap in excess of 210 mph. He barely lost his 125 mile qualifier to Kenny Schrader. But in the "Daytona 500" nobody could catch Elliott's red and white number 9 Coors Light T-bird. Bill led 108 of the 200 laps and basically toyed with the field which ran at full strength for nearly all of the race. The only scare Elliott had during the 1987 "Daytona 500" came when Geoff Bodine decided to gamble on fuel at the end of the race. The gamble didn't pay off and Bodine had to come in with four laps to go.

The 1987 season saw Bill Elliott win four more races after Daytona, but for most of the season it was Dale Earnhardt's Wrangler Chevrolet number 3 that was unbeatable. On the way to his third NASCAR title, Earnhardt won eleven races. Two weeks after Daytona, Earnhardt took the win at Rockingham. The following week Earnhardt won again at Richmond. Later in the same month of March 1987, Earnhardt won again at Darlington when race leader Elliott ran out of gas on the final corner, allowing Dale to go by.

Earnhardt equaled his March performance with three more Winston Cup wins in April 1987. Dale took wins that month at North Wilkesboro, Bristol and Martinsville. He next won on consecutive weekends at the end of June and start of July at Michigan and Pocono. Dale closed out a sensational 1987 with wins at Bristol, Darlington and Richmond.

For 1988 General Motors replaced Wrangler Jeans as the primary sponsor on Dale Earnhardt's number 3 Chevrolet. The Wrangler blue and yellow was replaced with GM Goodwrench black with silver numbers. Later the backwards number 3 on each side of Earnhardt's car and the roof was painted in white.

I made my only trip to the "Daytona 500" In February 1988. That was the first year carburetor restrictor plates were used at Daytona and it drastically changed "the Great American Race." The two fastest cars in the 1988 "Daytona 500" were Darrell Waltrip's Tide Chevrolet and Bobby Allison's Miller High Life Buick. At the finish Bobby beat son Davey Allison to the checkered flag. Without searching for my video cassette of the 1988 Daytona race and watching it I can't recall too many specifics about Dale Earnhardt's performance.

The most memorable image I have of the 1988 "Daytona 500" is that of Richard Petty's number 43 Pontiac flipping end over end directly in front of me. That was one of the most frightening things I've seen in racing. I had a camera focused on Petty's car but when it began it's wild ride I froze. It scared the hell out of me. I thought Petty was dead and his car was going to come into the grandstands where I was sitting. Miraculously Petty not only survived the crash but he  raced the following weekend at Richmond.

Bill Elliott won the 1988 Winston Cup title and Rusty Wallace was his biggest competition. "Daytona 500" winner Allison's career came to an end in June after a life threatening crash at Pocono. Dale Earnhardt won three races during the season at Atlanta, Martinsville and Bristol and finished third in Winston Cup points.

Wallace won the 1989 Winston Cup championship in Raymond Beadle's Kodiak Pontiac but Earnhardt was the primary competition finishing second in Winston Cup standings. Earnhardt won races at North Wilkesboro, Dover, Darlington, Dover and Atlanta. Dale was a factor in the 1989 "Daytona 500." With ten laps to go he was running second to Kenny Schrader when both had to stop for gasoline, allowing a fuel conscious Darrell Waltrip to win.

Then came 1990 and perhaps the most famous Dale Earnhardt memory until this year. Earnhardt's black Goodwrench Chevy Lumina had everyone covered but Kenny Schrader who was probably a little quicker. However Schrader's Rick Hendrick Chevy dropped out before the halfway point leaving the race to Earnhardt. The black 3 car was flying and no one else was close the last 100 laps.

I worked with a guy named Dave Fuller in Indianapolis for nearly six years. Dave is something like 15 years younger than me but we became close pals. Among the things we shared was a love of racing. About 1988 Dave sort of branched off, moving away from being a fan of the "Indianapolis 500" and Indy car racing and becoming a big NASCAR fan instead. Dale Earnhardt was his guy.

Dave Fuller cheered for Earnhardt when Dale didn't have many fans. Believe it or not, Dale Earnhardt was an unpopular driver in those days. A common sight in the infield at NASCAR races were flags with the phrase "anyone but Earnhardt." I'm serious. The fans would boo Earnhardt loudly during driver introductions. Dale was considered the race track bully, a dirty driver. The worship and devotion didn't really come to Earnhardt's until after Davey Allison died and Jeff Gordon began kicking ass.

Dave Fuller went to Daytona to see Dale Earnhardt win in 1990. I can remember the scene. I was thinking about Dave Fuller as I watched Earnhardt race towards victory in the 1990 "Daytona 500." I was watching the race from the living room at my mom's house along with my brother-in-law, two nephews and my girlfriend's son. I was thinking that Dave Fuller was going to really be happy.

The CBS cameras showed Teresa Earnhardt watching the race on TV in a motor home with baby daughter Taylor Nicole on her lap. The young wife looked anxious but happy as she watched her husband move closer to the most important win of his career. Even baby Taylor was laughing, enjoying the excitement going on around her.

The white flag came out for Dale Earnhardt on lap 199 with the surprising Derrike Cope running a distant second. Then as the black number 3 entered the turn three banking for the final time at race speed, the car suddenly veered right and slowed dramatically with a flat tire. Cope went by to get the gift of a lifetime. At that moment the CBS cameras returned to Teresa and Taylor. Mother's expression was total bewilderment. Baby was crying loudly. I'll never forget that scene.

The next day at work Dave Fuller called me on his way back from Daytona. Of course he was devastated. Dale Earnhardt went on to have his second greatest season with nine Winston Cup victories (Atlanta, Darlington, Talladega, Michigan, the "Pepsi 400" at Daytona, Talladega, Darlington, Richmond and Phoenix) on the way to his fourth championship. Despite all the other success, I don't think Dave Fuller or Dale Earnhardt got over the disappointment from the "Daytona 500."

Earnhardt and Davey Allison were the pre-race favorites for the 1991 "Daytona 500." Both drivers were knocked out of contention in a multi-car crash near the end of the race. Kyle Petty's Mello Yello Pontiac built by Gary Nelson was the fastest car and led the most laps. Ernie Irvan in the Kodak number 4 Chevy won the race.

Earnhardt won four Winston Cup races in 1991 at Richmond, Martinsville, Talladega and North Wilkesboro on the way to his fifth championship. This was about the time NASCAR began its reach in popularity, stretching way beyond racing fans. Household consumer products began sponsoring NASCAR teams. NASCAR drivers became as recognizable as heroes of stick and ball sports. Dale Earnhardt began appearing in TV commercials for coffee and fast food. A guy who a few years before was only known to a select group of racing enthusiasts was suddenly a nationwide celebrity.

1992 was a Ford Motor Company year in NASCAR. Davey Allison won the "Daytona 500." Alan Kulwicki won the Winston Cup title. Earnhardt had one of the worst seasons of his career. His win in the 600 miler at Charlotte was his only Winston Cup victory of the season and he was twelfth in the season point standings. But something curious happened. Earnhardt joined forces with a guy named Don Hawk and began making millions of dollars from the sale of racing souvenirs like caps, tee shirts and model race cars.

I have one particular memory of Dale Earnhardt from 1992. Remember the old weekly ESPN program Speedweek? Bob Jenkins hosted a special edition of Speedweek on Monday May 25. Jenkins' guest was Al Unser Jr. who had won the "Indianapolis 500" the previous day by beating Scott Goodyear in the closest finish in history. The program featured calls from the television audience. One of the callers identified himself by saying "this is Earnhardt." Then Dale, who had also won the previous day in Charlotte, congratulated the new Indianapolis winner much to Unser's delight. That was pretty neat and it's another favorite Dale Earnhardt memory.

Allison and Kulwicki, the two most successful drivers from the previous season, both lost their lives in non-racing accidents in 1993. Dale Earnhardt came back with a vengeance winning Winston Cup events at Darlington, Charlotte, Dover, the "Pepsi 400" at Daytona, Pocono and Talladega. He also won his sixth NASCAR championship. My most vivid memory however was that he was beaten again in the "Daytona 500" as Dale Jarrett led Earnhardt to the finish line by a couple car lengths.

In 1994, Earnhardt won at Darlington, Bristol, Talladega and Rockingham. I particularly recall Earnhardt's Talladega win. Ayrton Senna had died from injuries at Imola earlier in the day. In the Talladega winner's circle Dale expressed sadness over Senna's death to TV interviewers. Earnhardt lost the "Daytona 500" again but he won his seventh NASCAR championship, tying him with Richard Petty. At the time it seemed like a record setting eighth title was on the horizon.

Then things changed in NASCAR. Jeff Gordon won the inaugural "Brickyard 400" at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in August 1994. It was only Gordon's second Winston Cup win, the first having come in May at Charlotte. The win at Indianapolis proved to be the breakthrough and by the next season Gordon replaced Dale Earnhardt as not only NASCAR champion but also as the man to beat on a week in and week out basis. Earnhardt still won races. He had five wins in 1995 (North Wilkesboro, Sears Point, Martinsville and Atlanta) including victory in the "Brickyard 400" at Indianapolis. He finished second to Gordon in Winston Cup points but he would never again be the NASCAR champion.

NASCAR fans found a new driver to hate in Jeff Gordon. Earnhardt suddenly became the good guy. His popularity grew to such an extent that the only sports personality who sold more souvenirs was Michael Jordan. He only won races at Rockingham and Atlanta in 1996. He was fourth in Winston Cup points. He lost the "Daytona 500" again to Dale Jarrett. In 1997 Earnhardt failed to win a single Winston Cup event. It was his first winless season since 1981 and he fell to fifth in the season points. But he became richer, more famous and an object of worship across the U.S. at the same time.

1998 brought the long awaited win in the "Daytona 500." But after Daytona Earnhardt had a lousy season finishing eighth in Winston Cup points. He rebounded a bit in 1999. He was second in the "Daytona 500" again, this time to Jeff Gordon. Dale won both races at Talladega and the August race at Bristol. He moved up to seventh in Winston Cup standings.

The win at Bristol is another of those classic Dale Earnhardt memories. Remember that just after receiving the white flag, Earnhardt gave leader Terry Labonte a little love tap that sent him spinning. The black number 3 continued around to take the checkered flag and the race victory. That was priceless! It was the nasty old Earnhardt coming back again. Much to Dale's surprise, he was greeted with a roar of boos and disapproval in the winner's circle by angry fans like he used to get in earlier seasons.

I enjoyed it last summer when Jeremy Mayfield gave Earnhardt a little tap from behind in the final corner at Pocono knocking Dale out of first place just as he'd done to Terry Labonte at Bristol. How could Earnhardt complain since he'd pulled the same trick so many times? Dale took it relatively good naturedly considering he was in contention for another NASCAR title.

The 2000 season was pretty good for Earnhardt. Remember how he beat Bobby Labonte to the finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway by inches to win. Then he took the victory at Talladega in October where the rules for the 2001 "Daytona 500" were tried out. He finished second to Labonte in the NASCAR Winston Cup standings.

Was Dale Earnhardt NASCAR's greatest driver as he was called by Bill France upon the announcement of his death? I don't know if you can say that. Based upon numbers alone I say the honor belongs to Petty. Was Dale Earnhardt the most dynamic and intense competitor in NASCAR history? More than likely that's true. In death, the sport of automobile racing has never had a bigger story than Dale Earnhardt. Want an example of what I'm saying? Look at this year's "Daytona 500."

There were unique story lines surrounding the 2001 "Daytona 500" like the return of Dodge to NASCAR, Bill Elliott's fourth "Daytona 500" pole in a Dodge, the new billion dollar TV package with Fox and NBC, the lack of performance by the Fords and the chaos on the race track brought on by restrictor plates and even more by the new rules package. There was the magic of Michael Waltrip finally breaking his Winston Cup losing streak in the biggest race of all. There was the interesting aspect of a one - two finish by cars from Dale Earnhardt Inc. There was the violence of the 18 car crash on lap 175.

For the most part all that was forgotten the instant TV cameras and microphones caught up to Kenny Schrader who was the first to arrive at Earnhardt's car after the crash on the final corner on lap 200. We knew by Schrader's reaction that something was wrong. That didn't lessen the shock a couple hours later when it was announced that Dale Earnhardt was dead. The rest was all forgotten.

It's been like that for the rest of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup season. There's a large black flag with a white number 3 draped over NASCAR. They release black balloons on the third lap of each race. Steve Park wins Rockingham in Dale Earnhardt's Pennzoil Chevy. Earnhardt's replacement in the Goodwrench car Kevin Harvick beats Jeff Gordon by inches at Atlanta. Dale Jarrett gives the crowd a three finger salute after winning at Darlington.

There's been a somber feeling of change about NASCAR since Dale Earnhardt's death. It's like a line has been crossed, not unlike five years ago when Indy car racing split apart. NASCAR has come under rapid fire from critics for its safety measures. Mike Helton usually looks grim and defensive when appearing in public. Conversations about rules are spoken in hushed tones.

It's been generally acknowledged that something has to be done about the racing at Daytona International Speedway. Perhaps the new setup makes for a fun race at Talladega where the track is wider. At Daytona it's just plain ridiculous. Tony Stewart and Dale Jarrett are correct when they castigate the racing in this year's "Daytona 500." Despite the lead changes and seeing different guys running up front, that wasn't really racing. It was nothing more than a situation where whoever caught the right airflow was going to be in front. There was no racing about it.

It could be that the biggest tragedy of losing Dale Earnhardt in the "Daytona 500" is that it probably shouldn't have happened. If NASCAR had paid more attention to safety and or had found a better way to let 43 cars race in the "Daytona 500" Earnhardt might still be alive.

The irony of this is that Earnhardt's loss has provided a boost for interest in NASCAR that appeared to lagging a bit last year. The Grandstands at Atlanta Motor Speedway weren't full this month for the Winston Cup race, but there were a lot more people in the seats than I've seen for a few years. The same thing can be said for Rockingham and Darlington. TV ratings have picked up after falling off last year. It's almost as if people want to see what happens next. But isn't that is where the basic appeal of racing lies? It's always been about seeing what happens next. 

Perhaps as importantly as his racing talent, Dale Earnhardt had become a big part of so many people's lives. He had developed a public personality people enjoyed. Who will forget the Chevrolet commercial where Dale is teaching Dale Earnhardt Jr. and that Warner Brothers cartoon character the art of passing in NASCAR? It will be hard to forget seeing dad's response to Junior's mocking him. I'll miss Dale Earnhardt. That guy was a racer. He was something special to see, a personification of what racing is all about. He lived a great life. It's sad to realize his life is gone.