EACH YEAR IS A NEW GEAR THIS TIME, DALE JR. BRINGS BURDEN OF LOSS.Byline: Louis Brewster Staff Writer FONTANA - Once again, Dale Earnhardt This article is about the elder Dale Earnhardt. For his son, see Dale Earnhardt, Jr.. For the racing team he founded, see Dale Earnhardt, Inc.. Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. Jr. left his North Carolina North Carolina, state in the SE United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (E), South Carolina and Georgia (S), Tennessee (W), and Virginia (N). Facts and Figures Area, 52,586 sq mi (136,198 sq km). Pop. home this week and headed to California Speedway The California Speedway is a two-mile, low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California, similar to that of "sister track" Michigan International Speedway. It is located approximately 40 miles east of Los Angeles on the site of the former Kaiser Steel mill. in a new role. In 1997, he made his first journey across the Mississippi River Mississippi River River, central U.S. It rises at Lake Itasca in Minnesota and flows south, meeting its major tributaries, the Missouri and the Ohio rivers, about halfway along its journey to the Gulf of Mexico. to compete in the inaugural Busch Grand National race at the state-of-the-art Fontana facility, finishing a distant 34th to Todd Bodine Todd Bodine (born February 27, 1964 in Chemung, New York) is a stock car racer. Todd is the younger brother of former racers Geoff Bodine and Brett Bodine. Bodine won the 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship while driving the #30 Lumber Liquidators/Germain Toyota. . In 1999, the son of NASCAR's most famous Winston Cup driver returned to Fontana as defending race and series champion. He qualified on the pole but finished third behind Matt Kenseth Matthew Roy Kenseth (born March 10 1972) is a stock car racing driver for the Roush Fenway Racing team in NASCAR's Nextel Cup series. Kenseth was raised in Cambridge, Wisconsin. and Jeff Burton. Last May, Earnhardt made his first appearance at the track as a Winston Cup driver in the NAPA California 500. He placed 12th behind Jeremy Mayfield - five spots ahead of his father. This weekend, young Earnhardt makes the trip to Fontana without his father for the first time. Dale Earnhardt Sr. died in a crash on the last lap of the season-opening Daytona 500, an incident with ramifications ramifications npl → Auswirkungen pl still being felt. While the racing world lost an icon, Dale Jr. - along with brother Kerry and sisters Kelly and Taylor - lost a father and Teresa Earnhardt lost a husband. There have been tributes to the elder Earnhardt at each of the eight races since his death, but this weekend could be more emotional than most. Dale Earnhardt would have celebrated his 50th birthday Sunday. For young Earnhardt, the garage area has been therapeutic, a haven of tranquility despite the roar of 780-horsepower engines. ``Going to the track, being at the track and going to the races on the weekends has been the easiest part. It's the part I have always been comfortable with,'' Earnhardt said. ``Being back home, going around the shop, being around the guys and trying to keep a positive mental expression and keep everybody motivated has probably been the most difficult thing. ``Everyone looks at me, Steve Park, Michael (Waltrip), Teresa and other leaders within the company for guidance and a plan. It has been kind of difficult to keep your chin up and realize how many people are depending on you to stay motivated and stay positive.'' Park and Waltrip, who won the Daytona race, are Earnhardt's teammates. They all drive Chevrolets owned by Dale Earnhardt Inc. Earnhardt Jr.'s life was forever changed when his father died. In the weeks since the accident, Park has noticed his teammate's maturity. ``I've seen incredible changes in Dale,'' Park said earlier this month, when Earnhardt Jr. won the pole at Texas Motor Speedway Texas Motor Speedway is a superspeedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas -- the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The track layout is very similar to Atlanta Motor Speedway and Lowe's Motor Speedway (formerly Charlotte Motor . ``He went from being a young man to being a grown man in one weekend. NASCAR NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), organization that sanctions American stock-car races, est. 1948. It held its first race in Daytona Beach, Fla. EVENTS When: Friday-Sunday Where: California Speedway, Fontana TV: Friday: Winston Cup qualifying (tape), FX, 5 p.m.; Saturday: Busch Series Auto Club 300, Ch. 11, 12:30 p.m.; Sunday: Napa Auto Parts 500, Ch. 11, 11:30 a.m. CAPTION(S): box Box: NASCAR EVENTS (see text) |
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