IGNORANT ABOUT EARNHARDT, BUT NOT HIS INFLUENCE.Byline: KEVIN MODESTI 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. is dead, and I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. how to start telling you about him. Literally, I don't know. I'm one of those California city guys whose sports education included little on the Southern favorite called 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. . As a sportswriter sports·writ·er n. A person who writes about sports, especially for a newspaper or magazine. sports , I never met Earnhardt or attended his races. So I don't know much except he was from one Carolina or the other, he had the rakishly Rak´ish`ly adv. 1. In a rakish manner. Adv. 1. rakishly - in a rakish manner; "she wore her hat rakishly at an angle" raffishly, carelessly sunken features of a man nourished by RC Cola RC Cola (or Royal Crown Cola) is a cola soft drink developed in 1905 by Columbus, Georgia pharmacist Claude A. Hatcher. History The first product in the Royal Crown line was "Chero-Cola" in 1905, followed by Royal Crown Ginger Ale, Royal Crown Strawberry and Royal and cigarettes, he was nicknamed The Intimidator and drove a suitably black car, and for a long time he won everything but Daytona. Oh, I do know something else: Dale Earnhardt's influence on the sports world Sports World are a British sports Retailer, formerly called Sports Soccer. Founded in the late 1970's by former county squash coach Mike Ashley, the group Sports World International is now the UK's largest retailer of sports clothing and accessories. is seen in the fact that I - and thousands or millions of L.A. folk who used to laugh at stock-car racing stock-car racing Form of automobile racing. Popular in the U.S., it features cars that conform externally to standard U.S. commercial models and are raced usually on oval, paved tracks. - sat in front of the television set Sunday morning Sunday Morning may refer to:
Other people can fill in the details, but the impression here is that NASCAR was facing the end of an era and an uncertain future when Richard Petty Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937) is a former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver. "The King," as he is nicknamed, is most well-known for winning the NASCAR Championship seven times (Dale Earnhardt is the only other driver to accomplish this feat),winning a record 200 races hung up his wrap-arounds. Earnhardt came along to be the new king of the drivers. Earnhardt was the most vivid of the new personalities that shined through all that sheet metal Sunday after Sunday and attracted fans from all over to what had been a regional sport. Earnhardt drove hard and played rough. Earnhardt would even push Richard Petty out of the way to victory lane. Earnhardt was loved and hated - and just what his game needed. Maybe there was more to it than that. But it's hard to imagine NASCAR would have become the hottest sport going without Earnhardt. I tuned in to the Daytona 500 this time simply because the event has gained the stature of one of those you are compelled to watch if you're a fan of sports Americana. It's the World Series, the Masters, the Kentucky Derby Kentucky Derby One of the classic U.S. Thoroughbred horse races. It was established in 1875 and run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs track in Louisville, Ky. With the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, it makes up U.S. racing's coveted Triple Crown. , the Indy 500. Well, it's what the Indy 500 used to be. Sunday's race turned out to be as emotional a sports telecast as I can remember. I thought that before Earnhardt's fate became clear. The cars raced virtually in one pack, three- and four-abreast, most of the day. An 18-car wreck thinned the field late in the going. Earnhardt, unluckily, was among those who got through the pileup. The contest boiled down to an edgy, single-file sprint, with Michael Waltrip in front, Earnhardt's son, Dale Jr., second, and Earnhardt himself third. Because all three men raced under the banner of Dale Earnhardt, each had an interest in fending off trailing drivers even if he couldn't win. Fox television was showing NASCAR for the first time, and the network had hired one-time Daytona winner Darrell Waltrip as its jock-in-the-booth. This set up one of those conflict-onterest situations that critics of sports television correctly complain about. On this occasion it made for great drama. Darrell rooted desperately for his little brother - who had never won a Winston Cup race, let alone Daytona, in 400-some-odd tries. When Michael won, Darrell was crying. And, if you were watching, admit it, you had tears in your eyes. If only that's where the drama ended. On the final lap, a car behind Earnhardt nudged him, sending him into the wall practically head-on. It might be stretching a point to say Earnhardt died rather than let somebody go by. But what a fitting way to go out. I'm reading the details of Earnhardt's life as I write. He won seven Winston Cup season championships and won 79 races, including Daytona on his 20th try in 1998. He was 49. He was born into a racing family. In 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. . It's for the racing experts to say what made him a great driver. It's for engineers to argue about the always-insufficient measures that racing organizations take to protect their athletes. It's for philosophers to discuss heroism and tragedy and why the two so often race fender-to-fender. What's left for fans is to say thanks to a unique competitor for his role in making the world of stock-car racing - and sports - a little wider. So, thank you, Dale Earnhardt. I hope I spelled your name right. CAPTION(S): 3 photos, 2 boxes Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) no caption (Dale Earnhardt) (2 -- color) Ken Schrader (36) hits Dale Earnhardt's No. 3 car on the final lap. Associated Press (3 -- color) no caption (Dale Earnhardt) Box: (1) EARNHARDT'S CAREER HIGHLIGHTS (2) DRIVER DEATHS |
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